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TERMS OF REFERENCE

GENDER-BASED ANALYSIS PLUS (GBA+) FOR STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE PHILIPPINES

March-May 2025

1. INTRODUCTION

The Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI), founded in 1958, promotes sustainable and inclusive development worldwide. Committed to poverty reduction and gender equality, CECI empowers women, girls, and vulnerable communities through innovative solutions in leadership, economic inclusion, governance, climate resilience, and peacebuilding. With operations in 17 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, it has implemented over 350 projects, partnered with 400+ organizations, and engaged 440+ employees and volunteers globally. Our key priorities include (1) Women and Girls’ Rights – Advocating for equal opportunities, (2) Women’s Economic Empowerment – Strengthening skills for employment and entrepreneurship, (3) Climate Change Adaptation – Supporting communities in environmental resilience, and (4) Inclusive Governance & Peacebuilding – Promoting participatory governance in fragile contexts. CECI collaborates with key partners to drive transformative, gender-inclusive approaches and scale best practices. Its efforts in research, innovation, and international cooperation foster sustainable solutions to global challenges. Since 1987, CECI has worked in Nepal across 66 districts within seven provinces, implementing 50+ projects in agriculture, MSMEs, governance, and gender equality, collaborating with governments, civil society, and the private sector. Learn more at www.ceci.org.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

The Philippines faces challenges in achieving gender parity in political representation despite constitutional mandates. Women hold fewer political positions, with limited representation in legislative bodies despite constitutional provisions. In addition, women and marginalized groups which include farmers, fisherfolks, Internally Displaced Populations (IDPs), and Muslim minorities, suffer disproportionately from climate change due to limited land rights and poor enforcement of laws. Consultations with key stakeholders and community members held in 2023 in both countries highlighted the need for increased gender responsive and inclusive civic education, empowerment initiatives and enhanced government-citizen collaboration.

3. PROJECT SUMMARY

The “Strengthening Civil Society in Nepal and the Philippines” project aims to reinforce civic engagement and democratic participation among WMGs. This endeavor prioritizes empowering WMGs to assert their fundamental human rights, participate in democratic processes, and secure representation through initiatives centered on citizen engagement, thereby reinforcing the commitment of governments and stakeholders to advancing peace, human and environmental rights, and inclusive governance.

CECI will manage the project in close collaboration with national partner CONCERN and provincial partners in the Philippines. In line with the participatory approach to the project’s design, several key stakeholders at the governmental and non-governmental levels will be engaged throughout the project’s implementation. The project will aim to achieve the following results:

The ultimate outcome: Improved equitable participation and representation of women and marginalized groups in the democratic space in Nepal and the Philippines (1000)

Intermediate outcomes:

Increased access to civic engagement opportunities for women and marginalized groups to defend human rights and democratic participation (1100)
Improved government-citizen collaboration promoting gender-transformative, inclusive public services and democratic participation for women and marginalized groups (1200)

Immediate outcomes:

Increased ability of women and marginalized groups to negotiate equitable and inclusive participation in political leadership and policy decisions at the local level (1110)
Enhanced capacity of CSOs, women’s rights groups, and feminist organizations to amplify WMG’s voice on civic and electoral agenda, environmental justice, and inclusive political processes (1120)
Increased opportunities for local government units to engage in dialogue with CS through digital accountability platforms to responsibly promote and provide equitable and inclusive information, incentives and services to WMGs (1210)
Improved capacity of CSOs and local government to collaborate around evidence-based data, advocacy for human rights, and democratic participation of WMGs while addressing violence against LEWR (1220)

Target groups:

This initiative will benefit more than 24,780 individuals in Visayas (Eastern Samar Province, Cebu Province) and in Mindanao (Misamis Oriental Province, Lanao Del Norte Province, and BARRM). These will be coming from WMGs where the largest group will be women (more than 14,868 women will benefit and more than 4,956 will be men). The target groups are women, men, young women, young men, LGBTQI+, Catholic, Muslim, urban poor (informal settler families and informal economy workers), rural poor (formers and fisherfolk) and internally displaced people. Additionally, the project will establish partnerships with key stakeholders, including civil society organizations (CSOs), women and marginalized groups (WMGs), national constitutional bodies, human rights commissions, academic and research institutions, and development partners.

4. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Preliminary consultations

In 2024, CECI and CONCERN conducted focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and interactive workshops in the Philippines to gather inputs from various stakeholders. These consultations aimed to shape the project design by understanding gender disparities, inclusion challenges, and their root causes. Consultations engaged participants from target communities of marginalized groups, civil society organizations (CSOs), women’s organizations and local and federal government agencies. Overall, these consultations provided critical insights into gender and inclusion challenges, helping to refine project strategies for addressing systemic inequalities in both countries.

Purpose of the assignment

Building on the results of the preliminary consultations, CECI aims to hire a consultant(s) / consulting firm(s) in the Philippines to provide more in-depth gender-based analysis from an intersectional perspective (GBA+) using primary and secondary data. The results of the GBA+ will support the design of a Gender Equality and Human Rights (GEHR) strategy that will be aligned with the objectives targeted by the project and be integrated into Project Implementation Planning (PIP).

Specific objectives of the analysis

Using an intersectional lens, analyze how gender inequality manifests and informs power dynamics within the various marginalized groups targeted by the project and how it impacts women’s agencies in their community and the larger society.
Deepen the collection and analysis of relevant data on issues of gender equality, human rights, environmental rights and inclusive governance (both barriers and opportunities) experienced by women and marginalized groups (WMGs) in the Philippines.
Analyze the capacity of implementing partners to work with a gender perspective and achieve gender equality outcomes.
Based on the study’s findings, provide concrete recommendations to support the design of the GEHR strategy that will be integrated into the PIP.

5. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

Except for the number of stakeholders consulted (disaggregated by gender, age, ethnicity, disability status, and other key identity factors as relevant) and data collected through the literature review, this study will mainly gather and analyze qualitative information. Quantitative data will be collected through the baseline study.

The methodology for the GBA+ will be comprised of:

A Literature review
Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (ensure a minimum of 30 percent women representation)
Focus group discussions with community members (women, men, girls and boys)

The methodology described in the technical proposal submitted for this assignment should provide explicit details on the process for selecting respondents for the data collection and how key ethical issues related to the data collection, analysis, and dissemination processes will be addressed.

A dynamic, participatory, and feminist approach will have to be used during this study’s consultation phase, allowing for flexibility to ensure women’s effective participation and providing them the space to speak freely. The data collection approach and specific tools used to establish should be adapted to the local contexts to ensure the appropriateness and reliability of the data collected. This strategy will promote collecting key information that will feed into the project’s GEHR strategy by ensuring that the activities implemented will be gender transformative and inclusive.

Particular attention will need to be given to disaggregating the data collected and analyzed by gender and other relevant variables that may constitute vulnerability factors (e.g., age group, ethnocultural minority, people with disabilities).

The GBA+ process will have to be implemented considering the Baseline Assessment that will be carried out for each site targeted by the project. Harmonization of these analyses will be necessary to ensure consistency and complementarity in their integration into the PIP. This GBA+ and separate assignment of Baseline Assessment–two studies will provide a rich database that will inform the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) and enable robust project implementation monitoring.

6. GUIDING QUESTIONS

The following are some questions to be considered within the GBA+ (this list is not exhaustive):

What are the power, gender and diversity dynamics within the targeted population(s) of the project? This includes between and among diverse women and men, young women and young men? Who are the most marginalized between and among them?
How are disparities along gender lines influenced by other intersecting identity factors such as sex, age, class, income, language, geography, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and physical and mental abilities?
What are the gender roles, workload, and division of labour in household and income-generating activities in the project target sites? Including the caregiving/unpaid work of women and young women at both household and community level? How can the intervention challenge the existing gender division of labour, tasks, responsibilities and opportunities?
What are the patterns of power dynamics and decision-making at the household level across gender lines? What are the challenges regarding access to and/or control over resources and assets by women and young women? Cultural (customary law surrounding marital and inheritance practices), economic (access to finance), etc.?
What are the impacts (differentiated by gender, age, disability, etc.) and to what level do marginalized groups, and particularly women, participate in environmental decision-making related to disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) initiatives and climate change adaptation (CCA) plans?
How do gendered power relations at community level impact women’s leadership in the public sphere? What opportunities exist to enable women’s civic engagement and participation in local governance? What obstacles (such as gender-based violence) hinders their political leadership and how can they be addressed?
How do feminist, women rights and other women-led CSOs, particularly the ones representing marginalized groups, participate and influence political processes at the local level? What barriers do they encounter and what opportunities can be leveraged?
What are the risks (including backlash) in working on the identified gender equality and human rights barriers and what strategies can be applied to minimize these risks?
What are the capacity gaps of project implementing partners and the various project stakeholders that hinder advancing gender equality, human rights and inclusive governance, and how can the project fill those gaps?
What specific ways can be proposed for encouraging and enabling women, particularly the ones from marginalized groups, to participate in the project?
What are the links between the project’s interventions and other actions promoting gender equality and inclusive governance led by organizations (both governmental and non-governmental) at the national, regional and local levels in the Philippines?

7. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will build on the findings of the previous preliminary consultations conducted in the Philippines to inform the project design. The geographic scope of GBA+ will be aligned with the project areas of the project in the Philippines. Details on the mapping process for identifying key stakeholders, women’s groups, other CSOs, and community members consulted for this study will vary, considering the consultations previously led in the Philippines and the mapping conducted for the baseline study. This will determine the exact number and profile of stakeholders to be consulted on each project site. Care should also be given to avoid consultation fatigue in communities targeted for the GBA+ and baseline study. Focus will be given to stakeholders and organizations not consulted previously.

8. TIMELINE AND EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

8.1 TENTATIVE TIMELINE

GBA+ will last 30 working days and offer a focused timeline for the Consultant(s) / Consulting firm(s) to deliver the deliverables for the GBA+ analysis.

DATE	KEY MILESTONE	SPECIFIC DELIVERABLE	DAYS
April 7-9	Preliminary meeting with selected consultant/consulting firm	Document and desk reviews and tentative field schedule	3 days
April 10-13	Finalize the baseline design/methods Prepare field schedule	GBA+ tools/Questionnaires Field data collection schedule	4 days
April 14-16 April 21-27	Field consultation and data collection by consultant/ consulting firm	Raw data sets from project participants/ respondents, KII and FGD notes with stakeholders and partners	10 days
April 28 – May 2	Data validation meeting with CECI and national partners Preliminary GBA+ reports ready	Draft GBA+ report submitted to CECI and national partners	6 days
May 9	Final report with annexes	Final report in prescribed format	7 days

8.2 EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

Based on the methodology mentioned above, the key deliverables expected are as follows:

Literature review

Annotated bibliography with recent texts. The literature review must be precise and ensure the quality of the analysis regarding the project’s topic. The GBA+ report must include information sources of all citations and references.

Data gathering process

Adapted data collection tools: Questionnaires (per type of key informant) and facilitation guides for FGDs (per focus group profile);
List and number of all stakeholders consulted through KIIs disaggregated by gender (contact person, title, name of organization/structure, brief description of the organization/structure);
Filled out questionnaires for each KII and a summary of each interview;
List and number of participants of FGDs disaggregated by gender, age, ethnicity, religion, disability status, and other key identity factors that may be relevant to the project;
Brief report of each FGD containing the collated response to the questions and relevant quotes from participants.

Data collection tools will be shared with the teams involved in implementing the project’s Baseline Assessment for the PIP to share and find complementarity between the tools used for the different analyses and avoid duplication in the data collected. The foreseen approach for the GBA+ and baseline assessment is to organize FGDs at the community level in different localities to avoid multiplying consultations in the same communities. The Consultant/consulting firm recruited to conduct the GBA+ will adapt these guides to the local context and translate them as needed, particularly to facilitate FGDs.

Data Analysis and production of the report

Data collected will be cross-referenced with the data from the first consultations, analyzed using a gender analysis matrix and presented in a country-level report. The report will comprise key recommendations for the design of the project’s GEHR Strategy. The GBA+ report will need to include the following:

Executive summary (3-4 pages including conclusion and recommendations)
Introduction
Aim and objectives of the analysis
Methodology
Cover page
Table of contents, acronyms, abbreviations, and a list of tables/charts.
Executive summary (3-4 pages) with key findings and recommendations.
Background and context analysis.
Methodology detailing sampling, limitations, participant selection, and data analysis.
Study findings with data presented in graphs/charts as needed
Conclusion and recommendations for the design of the GEHR
Bibliography/References of documents consulted
Appendices, including survey tools, interviewee lists, FGD participants’ lists, summaries of interviews and FGDs, results of the preliminary analysis of the institutional gender capacities of project partners, etc.

The reports must be in Word and PDF format and include an Executive Summary, raw data files, and other annexes.

9. CECI’S RESPONSIBILITIES

To provide relevant documentation and answer the consultants’ / consulting firms’ questions throughout the mandate period.
To mobilize the necessary team to support the consultants/consulting firms and designate a person responsible for facilitating at CECI in the Philippines and Canada.
To provide the Consultants/consulting firms with feedback/comments on the various documents produced, according to the approved writing plan.
To provide the Consultants/consulting firms with any support deemed necessary to accomplish this mandate.

10. CONSULTANTS’ QUALIFICATIONS

The Applicant should possess a graduate degree in gender studies, social sciences, political science, human rights, development studies, international development, or a related field, focusing on the Indo-Pacific region, especially the Philippines.
The Applicant should have at least 5-7 years of professional experience, including at least 5 years of conducting gender analyses required.
Relevant research experience in gender equality, women’s rights, human rights of marginalized groups, political and civic engagement, and/or environmental rights, with a proven track record in research, monitoring, and evaluation required.
The Applicant must have strong knowledge of decentralization and local governance processes in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly the Philippines.
Experience developing data collection tools, conducting interviews and facilitating Focus Group Discussions while maintaining cultural sensitivity is needed.
Fluency in English and Filipino is required, and knowledge of other local languages spoken in the target areas is an asset.
Strong research, analytical and writing skills in English are necessary, as English writing skills are critical for this consultancy.
It is essential to be flexible with time and work schedules and to meet tight deadlines (as outlined in the TORs).
The capability to recruit and train a network of local researchers to assist with the data collection process is required.
Ability to read, comprehend, and analyze large amounts of technical information, provide concise summaries, and explain its significance is required.
Knowledge and understanding of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) and the Feminist International Assistance Gender Equality Toolkit for Projects are assets.

11. ETHICAL STANDARDS, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS

The Consultant or Consulting Firm must adhere to ethical standards throughout the assignment, including maintaining confidentiality of interviewee statements when required and avoiding judgmental comments about stakeholders. During and after the assignment, the consultant must not disclose any proprietary or confidential information related to the service without prior written consent from CECI. All materials and documents produced under this assignment will be the property of CECI.

12. APPLICATIONS

To apply, interested candidates (individuals or firms) are required to submit:

A Curriculum Vitae (for individuals or teams);
A technical proposal outlining the detailed methodology for the GBA+ clearly demonstrating a thorough understanding of these TORs and a detailed calendar of implementation;
A financial offer for completing the deliverables mentioned above with a detailed breakdown of costs for the study (itemized consultancy fees/costs, itemized field data collection expenses, Itemized administrative expenses);
Names and contact information of three references who can be contacted regarding recent relevant experience;
A copy of previous reports of similar recent work undertaken and
A brief cover letter to the following email addresses: info@concerninc.org (Philippines) and nancy.degraff@ceci.ca (Montreal) by 11:59 PM Saturday, April 5, 2025 (Philippines Time).

Consultants or firms seeking clarification on the TOR can send their questions to nancy.degraff@ceci.ca and info@concerninc.org before the submission deadline. Only those selected consultants or consulting firms will be invited to formal discussions and contractual agreements with CECI. Please note that CECI reserves the right to reject any applications that do not meet the minimum standards specified in the TOR.

CECI’s initiatives aim to address inequalities and foster sustainable development worldwide. The work ethic of our staff, volunteers, consultants, representatives, and partners must align with the organization’s values and mission. We encourage applications from women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and other marginalized groups.

Only electronic submissions will be considered.