Terms of Reference

Activity name, description, and number:

Sustainable Development through Improved Local Governance in the occupied Palestinian Territories programme - SDLG

Background of the SDLG Palestine Programme

The Strategic Partnership between the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and VNG International is a 5-year programme, focused on 4 thematic priorities: Security & Rule of Law, Migration, Local Revenue Mobilisation, and Water. This programme, called Sustainable Development through Improved Local Governance (SDLG), is currently being implemented in 10 countries (Algeria, Burundi, Iraq, Mali, Mozambique, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Ukraine). Despite the diverging contexts and themes, the SDLG programme pursues one overall objective: to empower local governments and their representative bodies to shape a more sustainable future for their communities. SDLG Palestine is part of two thematic priorities: Security & Rule of Law and Local Revenue Mobilization, which are implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Local Governments (MOLG) in Palestine.

The aim of this assignment

This assignment fits into the cohesive whole of the project under outcome 3.1, "Local Governments engage and include their citizens using a digitalized approach." To work towards this outcome, the expert will assist the VNG International team by examining current communication methods and developing a community outreach strategy for the SDLG programme’s target municipality of Beit Jala.

Through this activity, the expert will aid the municipality by advising on improvements for the communication issues it encounters currently in reaching citizens and being reached by citizens. Further aims are improved accountability to citizens through transparency and support for the digitalization of communication methods to enable data-driven approaches and complement other project activities.

In addition, the community outreach strategy will facilitate concrete future media campaigns and lay out an action plan for the next two years to build on the findings of the strategy.

Activities to be performed

The assignment is divided into two parts:

• Identify, in collaboration with municipal staff, the issues they are currently experiencing, as well as the vision for citizen communication.
• Conduct focus-group meetings/workshops with Beit Jala citizens to understand their perspectives on Beit Jala municipality and their media channels.
• Review the current state of community outreach in the municipality through a short report, based on an independent assessment of the communication channels and methods currently utilized.
• Produce a strategy for community outreach tailored to the citizens, based on specific improvements addressing needs where necessary.
• Produce a corresponding 2-year action plan for conducting this strategy, including training needs for capacity building on community outreach.
• Provide support and supervision for media components of specific awareness campaigns run in the municipality.
• Support the municipality in strengthening partnerships and enhancing municipal visibility.

Outputs (expected deliverables)

• Short report on the state of communication in the municipality.
• Tailored community outreach strategy for Beit Jala, including:
• Improvements to expressed needs
• Protocols for awareness campaigns
• Suggestions for trainings/capacity-building sessions

Reporting requirements

• Monthly progress report

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's Degree in a relevant field (Communication, citizen engagement, public relations, journalism, etc.)
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in the field of communication and citizen inclusion, preferably in the field of governance or NGOs.
• Excellent writing skills
• Fluent in English and Arabic
• Proven experience in working with local governments
• Proven experience with the design of communication strategies
• Experience with graphic design (InDesign) and editing skills (preferably)
• Experience as a trainer (preferably)

Period of the assignment

20 working days

Place of the Assignment

Beit Jala municipality and home-based.

How to Apply:

Qualified Local expert is requested to submit application form that consists of: CVs, technical offer including methodology and approach, and financial offer by COB Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily rate in euro to undertake the above ToR.

To apply for this position, please fill out the application form by clicking on the "APPLY NOW' button above.