The Oxfam International African Union Liaison Office was established in 2009 with the aim of supporting regional African organizations and coalitions to effectively engage the African Union and continental and international policy making institutions to respond to poverty and exclusion. The Liaison office aims at facilitating Pan African and national/regional CSOs to influence global and continental decision making and to monitor policy implementation.
During its startup years, the OI-AU liaison office, which was the first NGO to have an MOU with the AU, had extensive engagements around the AU, which included undertaking capacity building, support as well as facilitate access to the African Union organs and decision-making forums for African CSOs; engagement and support to the African Union Commission; representation, support and contact management and liaison with the African Union around Oxfam’s strategic agenda, support for partners and allies to access the AU and building knowledge and capacity across African CSOs on engagement with the AU including publication of Oxfam’s African Union Compendium. Over the years, the OI-AU Liaison Office has evolved in terms of its interventions and engagement strategies. In 2020, Oxfam decided to make structural changes in its operations within Africa. One of the results of the changes is the creation of Oxfam in Africa, which has, among other priorities, the responsibility of re- establishing Oxfam’s engagement with the African Union through re-structuring the AU Liaison Office.
As Oxfam aims to review its AU engagement strategies, it is cognisant of the fact that the AU itself has undergone several changes in terms of its approach to partnership, the structure of its organs, mode and areas of intervention, among others.
In view of this, Oxfam is initiating a consultancy to generate information that would inform its AU engagement strategy.
The Assignment
The specific objective of the assignment is to generate a report that informs Oxfam’s approach to engaging the African Union as a strategic partner and advocacy target. The paper should review the social, political & economic context and answer the following questions:
- In view of Oxfam’s global mandate, structure, resources and the setting up of Oxfam in Africa,
what value addition does the organisation’s engagement with the AU present?
- What are Oxfam's previous engagements with the AU, the challenges, achievements, and lessons learnt?
- What is the role of the AU in shaping continental and global policy and practice?
- How can Oxfam better assist/support civil society and advocacy efforts at national/regional (REC)/continental levels through the AU?
- In view of the AU’s mandate, current priorities and operational structure, in which aspects would Oxfam’s intervention be able to achieve change in line with its strategic objectives?
- How can the Liaison office become a key stakeholder in the AU space and strengthen its partnership with CSOs, embassies, multilateral GOs, donors and private sector actors working on continental issues?
- How can Oxfam enhance CSO engagement with the AU?
- What are the potential opportunities and threats and how can they be navigated?
- What options and approaches can Oxfam adopt to engage with the AU, in consideration of the available resources and capacity?
Specifically, the consultant will:
- Conduct a systematic review of relevant literature, reports and case studies by the AU, Oxfam, and other sources.
- Conduct interviews/discussion with relevant stakeholders and current and former Oxfam staff
who have institutional knowledge on Oxfam’s history at the AU.
- Draft a report which among others provides a) an objective assessment of the continental context b) analysis of the challenges and opportunities for engagement with the AU c) a roadmap including priority areas, approaches, and tactics for effective engagement.
Key Deliverables
The successful consultant(s) will be expected to deliver the following:
- An inception report outlining approach to the assignment, timeframe, deliverables, etc.
- Questionnaire for interviews and discussions with resource persons at Oxfam and stakeholders
- A final report.
Consultant specifications
OI/AU Liaison Office is looking for a qualified and experienced consultant, or team of consultants with a background in social policy analysis, development and influencing; proven experience in engaging with the African Union and its organs and demonstrated capacity to undertake the type of services sought within the indicated timeline and budget.
Timeline
The assignment is estimated to be completed within (15 person-days) from the date of the signing of the contract.
Interested candidates are invited to submit the following application documents:
- A copy of the CV of the consultant/s who will be assigned to conduct the work including two referees to whom similar services were provided.
- A technical proposal (max 3 pages- excluding CVs) detailing: consultants’ relevant experience and their approach to the assignment, including what literature will be review, what organisations and persons will be interviewed and a draft outline of the report.
- A financial proposal outlining the exact number of days per deliverable and daily rate.
- A sample of relevant products or publications or hyperlinks were available.
How to apply
Please send applications to ssc.consultancy@oxfam.org before COB 21st May 2023. For questions, please contact Feven.Ghirmay@oxfam.org