Complementary Stakeholder and Initiatives Mapping Interpeace’s Great Lakes Programme

Location: Great Lakes Region (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, South Kivu, North Kivu)

Application closing: 10 April, 2022

Interpeace

Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its aim is to strengthen the capacities of societies to manage conflict in non-violent, non-coercive ways by assisting national actors in their efforts to develop social and political cohesion. Interpeace also strives to assist the international community (and in particular the UN) to play a more effective role in supporting peacebuilding efforts around the world through better understanding and response to the challenges of creating local capacities that enhance social and political cohesion. For more information about Interpeace, please visit www.interpeace.org

Background

Interpeace has been active in the Great Lakes since 2013, and has gradually expanded its engagement in the region, setting up country programmes in Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC and one regional programme. Interpeace’s current programming in the region aims to increase Youth’s influence and leadership in the Great Lakes region (Rwanda, South Kivu, North Kivu, Burundi and Uganda) in national and regional peace processes. It aims to provide young men and women, aged between 18 and 30 years old, with knowledge and competencies that will allow them to play an effective role in governance, peace consolidation, and development processes at the local, national, and regional levels. It provides them with support in designing and implementing peace-oriented actions that generate/strengthen a shared sense of regional citizenship and gives them access to a cross-border network that allows them to access decision-makers to share their ideas. The programme also uses awareness raising, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, and advocacy to challenge cultural, ageist and gender norms that limit the ability of young men and women to engage effectively in civic, political and peace processes in the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes programme is implemented by Interpeace and its local partners Pole Institute, Never Again Rwanda (NAR), the Centre of Alert and Prevention of Conflicts (CENAP), Action for Peace and Concord (APC), Refugee Law Project (RLP), and Vision jeunesse nouvelle (VJN). It is financed by the European Union and the Swiss development cooperation (SDC) respectively, through the projects “Youth Innovation Lab for peace (YouthLab)” (30 months) and “Cross-border dialogue for peace in the Great Lakes region: phase III” (5 years).

Service or Assignment Description and Objective(s)

While the YouthLab project started in January 2021, the “Cross- border dialogue: phase III” was launched in November 2021. Between February and June 2021, Interpeace and partners carried out a first stakeholder and initiatives mapping in North Kivu, Rwanda and Burundi. The mapping now needs to be carried out in Uganda and South Kivu, which were added to the programme areas in November 2021. In addition, mapping information collected in North Kivu, Rwanda and Burundi need to be complemented with additional information.

Interpeace is looking for a consultant to guide and consolidate this additional mapping work, in partnership with programme partners

The goals of this complementary mapping are threefold:

1) Have an overview of existing youth peace and security initiatives in the region, the approaches they use and the challenges they face;

2) Identify key actors (regional bodies, political actors, civil society organizations and private sector) as well as the policy environment which the project will seek to influence. This must include an analysis of the evolving geopolitical environment in the region, and how the programme can adapt;

3) Identify needs and opportunities to enhance young men and young women’s inclusion in peace processes at local, national and regional levels.

The results of the mapping will inform the design and implementation of the programme and stakeholder engagement strategies, including Peace Fellows selection, Youth training contents, advocacy strategies for increased youth dialogue at the regional level, increased responsiveness of key actors to youth challenges and enhanced support to new and existing youth initiatives.

Scope of work

This assignment is structured into five main steps:

1) Desk review: reviewing existing mapping reports and findings from North Kivu, Rwanda and DRC against complementary mapping objectives;

2) Tools development: reviewing and adapting mapping tools to be used by partners for a) carrying out the initiatives and stakeholder mapping in new areas (South Kivu, Uganda), and b) collecting additional information in areas already mapped (Rwanda, Burundi, North Kivu);

3) Training partners in the use of the tools and coordinating data collection (online);

4) Data analysis and report drafting: analyzing and consolidating the data collected in all project areas into a draft report.

5) Integrate Interpeace and partners’ feedback into a final report.

Building on existing data from the previous mapping, the report should:

1) Give an overview of existing youth peace and security initiatives in the region, the approaches they use and the challenges they face;

2) Identify key actors (regional bodies, political actors, civil society organizations and private sector) as well as the policy and geopolitical environment which the project will seek to influence;

3) Identify needs and opportunities to enhance young men and young women’s inclusion in peace processes at local, national and regional levels.

It should end with a guidance note which formulates clear recommendations on programme strategies, including:

1) How to tailor training and support to the needs of Youth in the region to enable increased youth participation in peacebuilding processes at the local, national and regional levels;

2) How to increase youth dialogue and policy influence at the regional level;

3) How to engage key actors and advocate for increased responsiveness to youth challenges, as well as enhanced support to new and existing youth initiatives;

4) How the programme can adapt to the recent geopolitical developments in the region, in particular the progressive improvement of relations among some of the countries.

Finally, it should provide a list of young people who could potentially be selected by the programme as Peace Fellows.

Peace Fellows are young men and women, between the ages of 18-30, from different fields/backgrounds who are affiliated to various existing platforms including government and regional agencies/bodies, youth groups, youth organizations, associations, clubs, cooperatives, saving circles, university guild associations, youth councils, farmers’ associations, youth in technology, youth wings of political parties through national inter-party dialogue platforms, youth in private sector, artists, traders, musicians etc. Gender, marginalized communities (Batwa, refugees, internally displaced persons, youth with disabilities etc.), formal and informal education, occupational background, fields of interests, experience in activism and other previous engagements, etc. should be considered in the selection of those youth.

Deliverables and Timeframe : here

Qualifications

· Proven experience writing reports and guidance notes

· Proven experience in stakeholder mapping and analysis

· Familiarity with Interpeace’s approaches

· Strong analytical skills

· Excellent knowledge of peacebuilding, political and conflict realities in the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda

· Strong knowledge of and experience in peacebuilding and reconciliation programming in the Great Lakes Region (familiarity with Interpeace’s programmes and/or partners in the Great Lakes would be an asset)

· Experience with YPS programming

· Proven record of delivering professional outputs (with at least 2 verifiable references)

· Excellent French and English speaking and writing skills.

· An ability to deliver on tight deadlines

· At least a master’s degree in social sciences, peacebuilding, or other related areas.