Peace and Conflict Analysis with focus on Resilience and Gender for the Palestinian Territories, incl. Gaza, Area C of the Westbank and East Jerusalem

1. Background and rationale

CBM is a Christian international development organisation, committed to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities in the poorest communities of the world irrespective of race, gender or religious belief. Based on its core values and over 100 years of professional expertise, CBM addresses poverty both as a cause and as a consequence of disability and works in partnership with local and national civil society organisations to create an inclusive society for all.

Our approach: Disability-inclusive development is the framework of all our initiatives and the key theme which drives our activities and the impact of our work. We believe that this is the most effective way to bring positive change to the lives of people with disabilities living in poverty and their communities. Through our disability-inclusive development approach, we address the barriers that hinder access and participation and actively seek to ensure the full participation of people with disabilities as empowered self-advocates in all development and emergency response processes.

CBM is planning to submit a project full proposal for Transitional Development Assistance (TDA) from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). TDA bridges the gap between humanitarian assistance and sustainable development cooperation while also contributing to peace building. It is designed to support affected people and local structures in overcoming crises and strengthening their resilience. TDA has a focus on crisis management. In countries with a higher or acute potential for conflict escalation, a Peace and Conflict Assessment (PCA) is necessary.

2. Purpose / overall objective

The project is aiming to strengthen resilience and improve access to inclusive rehabilitation and protection services and psychosocial support for people with and without disabilities in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Area C of the West Bank.

CBM will implement the project in cooperation with “Stars of Hope Society for the Empowerment of Women with Disabilities” (SHS). The partner organization will work closely with self-advocacy organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and local communities.

The project seeks to promote a disability-inclusive, conflict- and gender-sensitive approach throughout all intervention areas.

3. Expected Results and Specific Objectives

The advertised analysis is mandatory by the donor and must be submitted with the full proposal and is essential for proposal development. The analysis consists of 3 components that are intertwined:

• Peace and Conflict Analysis, PCA (1)
• Resilience Analysis (2)
• Gender-specific Needs Assessment (3)

The assignment will use the methodological framework of a PCA, a diagnostic tool for a context assessment and for understanding the contextual challenges. Further, the PCA is a methodological approach for ensuring conflict-sensitivity of the planned project. Lastly, the PCA is used as a mechanism for brining project stakeholders together to discuss and agree upon a shared understanding of the conflict dynamics to improve the project design in the context of peaceful and inclusive coexistence.

The four specific objectives of the PCA are (1):

• Description of the main factors leading to conflict, fragility, displacement, and violence as well as needs for peace
• Assessment of the relevance of the planned project to peace and security
• Identification, definition, and assessment of the risks and the risk management in the context of conflict, fragility and violence
• Guidance on monitoring impacts and avoiding negative impacts (Do No Harm).

Resilience strengthening aims to enable regions and people to cope with crises independently and to prepare for recurring stresses to mitigate the negative effects of crises and overcome them gradually and permanently through structural changes. In order to take into account resilience strengthening in project planning, the following objectives need to be analyzed (2):

• Existing risks and crises in the country context: What factors weaken resilience?
• Affected and responsible actors and structures as well as their strengths, potentials, and competencies (resilience capacities) to deal with risks and crises, and
• Needs and opportunities to further strengthen these capacities for crisis management across sectors.

Gender Needs Assessment (3):

• Analysis of gender-related risks and violence in the project context
• Gender-specific needs in relation to projects objectives

The results of the PCA, Resilience Analysis and Gender Needs Assessment will inform the project proposal and will be shared with CBM, the local partner organization and the donor (BMZ).

4. Deliverables, methodology, timeframe, and duration

The assignment can be conducted remotely, but travel to the target region is strongly desirable. The consultant/team is expected to use a diverse set of methodologies:

• Desk review*:* current information on conflicts, situation analyses, needs assessments of the humanitarian, political, economic, social and environmental situation of the region and the target population of the project.
• (Remote) Interviews*:* Interviews involving representatives of CBM and the local partner organizations and relevant actors, such as representatives from clusters and other (inter-) national organizations working in the target region.
• (Remote) Focus group discussions*:* Focus group discussions may involve potential beneficiaries.
• (Remote) Analysis workshops: Analysis workshops (context analysis; assessment of relevance; risks and monitoring) allow key project stakeholders to engage in a participatory conflict analysis process.
• Resilience-capacity-matrix: key analytical instrument summarizes and visualizes existing resilience capacities. It presents the various actors’ responses to crisis contexts at all levels (e.g. individual, household, community), assigning them to a resilience capacities. This creates a foundation for formulating indicators and for the subsequent monitoring and evaluation of changes in resilience capacities**.**
• Assessment report writing: Assessment report (around 30 pages)

The exact questionnaire will be discussed in cooperation with the CBM country office and local partners.

Timeframe: The anticipated time period for the assignment is 25 days between April and May 2023 (subject to change*).

Context factors such as seasonal situation (raining season), public/traditional/religious holidays or similar must be taken into consideration.

5. Required Expert Profile

The consultant/team should possess the following qualifications:

1. Degree related to Social/political Sciences, International Development, Humanitarian Aid, or similar specialization;
2. Proven experience with conducting resilience analysis, gender analysis, peace and conflict analysis or similar;
3. Familiarity with the academic and policy literature surrounding the topics and consequences of violent conflict, capacity building, conflict-sensitivity, and do-no-harm assessments;
4. Excellent analytical and writing skills – ability to write in a structured, lucid, and concise manner, without losing depth of the substance;
5. Excellent writing skills in English is a must;
6. Experience in participatory approach and facilitation skills are a must;
7. Technical expertise in the field of disability-inclusive development and internally displaced;
8. Proven work experience with NGOs or INGOs and the Government;
9. Experience in transitional aid and/ or humanitarian assistance;
10. Proficiency in spoken English is essential;
11. Proficiency in spoken Arabic is essential, proficiency in written Arabic is strongly desirable;
12. Working knowledge of the Palestinian Territory is preferable;
13. Ability to obtain entry permits / visa for the Palestinian Territory is necessary;
14. Familiarity with disability-inclusive programming would be an asset;
15. Expertise in Child Safeguarding principles and gender competency would be an asset.