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Tenders are invited for Consultant for the Setup of Sustainable Networks for Religious Leaders and Actors Closing Date: Friday, 24. Jan 2025 Intervention Sector(s): Advocacy & Awareness, Business & Economic Policy, Good governance and transparency The partners operate in a total of 12 geographical localities, as per the following: Mashta Hammoud/Mashta Hassan Akkar Fnaidek Akkar Tikrit Akkar Beddawi Tripoli Jabal Mohsen/Tebbeneh - Tripoli Mina Tripoli Deir el Ahmar Bekaa Baalback Bekaa Saida South Lebanon Barja Mount Lebanon Ein el Remmeneh/Shiyah - Beirut Hay el Gharbeh/Ghobeiri - Beirut Objective(s) of the Consultancy This Terms of Reference document serves to describe the assignment for a consultant with expertise in interfaith dialogue for the Setup of Sustainable Networks for Religious Leaders and Actors in the framework of the WEAM project. The described consultancy falls under the projects second outcome of Increasing Communities Access to Gender-Responsive Conflict Prevention and Resolution Tools and Methods to Sustain Social Cohesion, and more precisely under its second output of Mainstreaming/Promoting Conflict Prevention processes in Large-Scale Campaigns, Events, and Media. The consultant is expected to lead the design and implementation of an interfaith campaign, aiming to support the existing Sustainable Network for Religious Leaders in North Lebanon[1], and to form local sustainable networks for Religious Leaders and Actors in the remaining project areas (Beirut Mount Lebanon Saida Baalbek Akkar). Description of Main Deliverables The described assignment constitutes one of the four campaigns that the WEAM Consortium is implementing within its overall objective to foster social cohesion and prevent further escalation of tension. In Lebanon, where sectarian and political divides, often manipulated by local and national political figures, contribute to the escalation of conflicts[2], inter-religious dialogue has been used as a tool to dissolve tensions, as well as to uphold freedom of expression, diffuse hate speech, and move societies towards a more tolerant speech[3]. With their position as community leaders, Religious Leaders influence the behaviors and attitudes of their constituencies[4]. These would include the behaviors and attitudes of communities vis-à-vis their counterparts of different religions and religious denominations. Leveraging the influence of Religious Leaders and Actors on their communities, the intervention seeks to create local Networks of Religious Leaders and Actors, who will dialogue, build joint communal initiatives, and lead their communities towards a more cohesive society. Through a series of meetings, the campaign will aim to enhance cooperation and dialogue among Religious Leaders and Actors, favoring experience exchange and joint reflections on countering and preventing hate speech, building capacities for mediation, and stimulating interreligious dialogue to foster tolerant societies through messages in sermons, meetings with community members, collaboration with the media and the civil society and influencing local authorities. The campaign will also be accompanied by the production of media material showcasing the Religious Leaders and Actors journey with community members in the different project localities. The following section describes the consecutive steps of the assignment. Map Religious Leaders and Actors in the Areas of Intervention To kick off the consultancy, a mapping of Religious Leaders and Actors will be done in the areas of intervention mentioned in the section above. In each area, an average of 10 to 20 potential Religious Leaders/Actors will be identified and mapped, representing different religions and religious denominations, in addition to key actors in the interfaith sphere including influential communal figures and experts working in the interfaith space. Consortium partners, who have been operating in their respective geographical areas, will contribute to this exercise. The appointed consultant will also use the Conflict Mapping Report[5] that was produced during the WEAMs first implementation year to have a thorough understanding of the conflict landscape, including the major enablers and opposers of conflict. The mapping will also include existing interfaith networks/initiatives - whose expansion or re-activation will be supported as described in the next step. It is useful to note that Oxfam team, leading on this specific campaign [on behalf of the Consortium], have started networking with key actors and organizations operating in [and specializing in] interfaith dialogue. A select group of actors in the interfaith space will be invited to take part in a workshop to design the Communications Plan that will contribute to defining the visibility aspect of the campaign described in the current document, including its specific messages, target audiences, required resources and desired impact [in line with the projects overall outcomes]. The appointed consultant will take an active role in this activity as well, supporting the mapping of stakeholders who will take part in the mentioned workshop and providing overall support in drafting of the Communication Plan specific to the interfaith campaign. Establish Local Networks for Religious Leaders and Actors The mapped Religious Leaders and Actors will come together to form Local Networks for interreligious Dialogue. The newly established or re-activated networks will be meeting on a regular basis. A series of meetings will be facilitated by the appointed consultant in each area during the lifespan of the project. The selected consultant is expected to (1) support the already established network in the North and (2) form up to 5 new networks in the other project areas. Overall, the selected consultant will be working with 4 to 6 networks and engaging 90 to 100 Religious Leaders and Actors in the country. Religious Leaders and Actors are defined in the context of the project as active community leaders or members holding a position of influence and/or authority within a religious community. Each network should attempt to have proper and complete representation of all religions and religious denominations existing in its geographical area of intervention. Any limitation to this will be elaborated on and justified by the selected consultant. The sustainability of the networks should be prioritized in the intervention strategy. The networks need to have [or identify potential ways to secure] the means, motivation and agenda to maintain their activity and engagement with other stakeholders in their communities beyond the timeline of this specific intervention and the overall WEAM project. The consultant is required to state a sustainability strategy for the networks as part of their methodology which will be adapted as the project is being implemented. Conduct Local Assessments 1 per Established/Re-activated Network The selected consultant will devise a plan for assessing each network, its constituency, limitations and opportunities within its context. Some key areas that the assessment should focus on include leadership capacities, network influence, past engagement in interfaith activities, existing and potential collaboration with key stakeholders and actors in each area of intervention, etc. This step will include discussions with different community members, notably community leaders, public authorities, as well as religious minorities. The same will be done with the existing religious network in the North, while investigating the history of its formation and current activity, and drawing lessons to shape the intervention with all the proposed networks under the assignment. This assessment will play an important role in understanding each network in its context and will provide a backdrop for devising a Master Action Plan per Religious Network. The Master Action Plan will use the findings of the assessments and include a detailed plan per interreligious network, guiding the intervention in each area. The Master Action Plan will include [at the least]: Specific objectives devised per network and leading to the bigger social cohesion objectives of the Terms of Reference. Modalities for reaching each specific objectives through defining specific needed topics and interventions. These can include dialogue sessions, capacity building elements, exchange visits and other types of meetings. Stakeholders to be involved during each suggested activity. These can involve the members of the networks as well as other actors in the different areas of intervention. Timelines and needed resources. Indicators for measuring the success of the interventions. The appointed consultant will design the assessment modality considering the networks and the geographical localities in question. This can include interviews, a brief literature review and meetings with the identified Religious Leaders and Actors, Consortium partners and other key stakeholders. Prior to starting this activity, the consultant will provide Oxfam with a brief written proposal on the assessment approach they will use, specifying the segments, communities and stakeholders they will interview, in addition to the scope of objectives of their proposal. This process should be gender balanced and inclusive, taking into consideration the inclusion of disenfranchised populations, refugee populations, and religious minorities. Facilitate a Series of Interreligious Meetings with the Established/Re-activated Networks During the projects timeline, a series of interreligious meetings will take place with the networks described in the previous section. The appointed c Tender Link : https://daleel-madani.org/civil-society-directory/oxfam-italia/calls/consultant-setup-sustainable-networks-religious-leaders-and-actors
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