Mapping advocacy for women’s rights in North Africa and the Middle East

INTRODUCTION

The African Women’s Development Fund was established in June 2000, as an Africa-wide philanthropic, grant making initiative to support the realisation and fulfilment of African women’s rights through funding of autonomous women’s organisations on the continent. AWDF believes that if women and women’s organisations are empowered with skills, information, sustainable livelihoods, opportunities to fulfil their potential, plus the capacity and space to make transformatory choices, then we will have vibrant, healthy and inclusive communities. To achieve this, AWDF mobilises financial, human and material resources to support local, national, and regional initiatives for transformation led by African women. AWDF is mandated to fund in all 54 African countries. In 2017 AWDF began to implement the Leading from the South funding initiative- providing grants and capacity building to support advocacy and lobbying for women’s rights in Africa and selected countries in the Middle East. The initiative is being implemented with three other women’s funds; South Asian Women’s Fund, Fondo Mujeres del Sur and the Indigenous Women’s Fund.

PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The aim of this consultancy is to produce a report mapping women’s rights advocacy organisations, networks and coalitions in North Africa and in the Middle East, the issues that they advocate on, targets of advocacy and approaches. In the Middle East the focus is on: Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Palestine. In North Africa the initiative covers : Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Egypt. The mapping should also include key big picture opportunities and gaps, as well as an indication of key donors funding in the field. The report will be used to internally within AWDF to inform our programming, and may also be shared with other women’s funds supporting work in this area. Advocacy includes campaigns, lobbying, policy advocacy, strategic litigation, shadow reporting, and monitoring of policy commitments.

METHODOLOGY

• Discussion with AWDF team to clarify terms and overall scope of the consultancy
• Submission of outline of methodology and list of people to interview
• Desk review of relevant documents • Interviews with up to 10 relevant actors (women’s rights activists, funders, staff of policy institutions). AWDF will make introductions as needed.
• Production of first draft for review and feedback by AWDF staff
• Production of second draft incorporating feedback
• Production of final version with sign off from

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TOR Mapping advocacy for Women’s Rights