In-Country Consultancy: Supporting Locally Led Humanitarian Action At International Council of Voluntary Agencies

In-Country Consultancy: Supporting Locally Led Humanitarian Action

Strengthening in-country NGO collective action through developing and rolling out a Localisation Baselining and Measurement Framework

Organization: ICVA

Duration: 6 months with the possibility of extension

Starting date: February 2024

Location : Iraq

Applications deadline: 25 January 2024

Scope of advertisement: Locally (preferred) or globally

This consultancy is open to all candidates, with priority given to those residing in Iraq.

About ICVA

Founded in 1962, ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies) is a global network of 160 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in 160 countries, operating at global, regional, national, and local levels, whose mission is to make humanitarian action more principled and effective by working collectively and independently to influence policy and practice.

Consultancy Objectives

ICVA is committed to the strengthening of localisation progress through supporting local and national NGO networks and partners in various countries to identify areas for collective action. Through the funding by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and with technical support from the Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG).

The overall purpose of this consultancy is to support the production of contextualized evidence on locally led action in Iraq, considering the integration of humanitarian and development actions through the Nexus approach. The selected consultant(s) will work in collaboration with local, national, and international partners to develop and implement a Localisation Baseline in Iraq.

To be more specific, the consultant(s) will conduct a research and analysis process in Iraq and develop locally relevant indicators to benchmark and measure the localisation progress in Iraq. The designing of the research process as well as the indicators will be informed by the Localisation Measurement Framework and Tools[1]. The completion of such a process will result in a clear road map which NGOs and partners can use in their collective advocacy to move forward the localisation process in their context.

Other examples in which ICVA and HAG have collaborated to articulate localisation baselines are:

• Measuring Humanitarian Localisation in Yemen | Baseline Report HERE.
• A Humanitarian Localization Baseline for Ukraine: HERE.

Methodology

The consultant will work with a wide range of local partners to collectively design how the baselining and measurement approach will be contextualized and applied. This will include facilitating a range of consultations, workshops and dialogues with NGOs, UN, humanitarian partners and importantly, the government at national and local levels. The aforementioned the Localisation Measurement Framework and Tools will be applied as the foundation for the contextualization.

The consultant will be supported technically by HAG through a workshop at the start of the process to understand how to approach the baselining process and how to identify key priorities for collective action by national and international stakeholders. Towards the end of the process, peer review on the final outputs will also be provided to the consultants to ensure the use and relevance of the outputs are maximized.

Throughout this process, the consultant is expected to coordinate closely with ICVA and HAG, and to work together with the local CSO network leading on localization in Iraq represented by Public Aid Organization (PAO).

The consultant is expected to work partially, specifying a certain number of days each month and providing a breakdown of the various activities engaged in, with deliverables linked to each activity.

Deliverables

The Consultant will be responsible for the following activities/deliverables:

• Develop initial overview of the context of Iraq (including previous and ongoing work on localisation, and existing research to support the planning process).
• Manage all in-country research activities including organizing workshops, meetings with partners, and facilitation, etc.
• Socialize the research work and seek engagement and inputs from national and local NGOs (with support from PAO). Also, from INGOs, UN agencies and donors
• Develop methodology/approaches most suitable for the output delivery.
• Obtain inputs from HAG and ICVA, and provide input to HAG, ICVA, and PAO where appropriate and relevant.
• Manage data collection, analysis and drafting processes.
• Work with PAO and ICVA on dissemination and uptake of project outputs.
• Translate research tools and products.
• Produce the first draft of the localization baseline, and address any additional comments shared by the different partners. Work on producing the final version of the localization baseline with support from ICVA, PAO, and HAG teams.
• Ensure the adherence to research ethics as well as alignment with (any relevant) local requirements on conducting research.

Qualifications

• At least 8 years of progressive experience in the humanitarian and/or development sectors, including in senior management roles related to humanitarian coordination.
• Knowledge of key policy developments/debates in the international humanitarian sector, particularly on localisation in both international and Iraq context.
• Experience working with NGO Networks – national, joint and/or international.
• Proven research experience including conducting interviews, convening meetings, coordinating amongst various stakeholders, and developing tools.
• Excellent writing and communication skills and data analysis.
• Language Fluency in Arabic and English.
• Proven ability to work autonomously and be flexible, including ability to cope with deadline, multiple tasks, and competing and changing demands.

Note: Throughout the work, the consultant must be registered in accordance with legal requirements in their country of residence and must be able to submit documentation that proves that she/ he is meeting all legal obligations for the consultancy, including full compliance with ICVA regulations including the safeguarding policy.