African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)

Advocacy for African Women's Participation in the Processes and Structures of the African Union: Production of Advocacy Packages

Terms of Reference for the Consultant

Background
The African Union (AU) came into being after two thirds of the members of the AU signed the Constitutive Act of the AU in July 2001, and it was formally launched in Durban, South Africa in July 2002, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Women were virtually absent from the structures of the OAU, holding no positions of influence within the OAU during its 39 years of existence. A notable departure from the OAU is therefore the inclusion of principles of democracy, gender equality, good governance, human rights and the rule of law in the Constitutive Act of the AU. Building on those principles, the African women’s movement has started to explore strategies for mainstreaming gender in all institutions and processes of the AU.

The Ford Foundation’s Special Initiative (SIA) supports FEMNET’s “Advocacy for African Women’s Participation in the Processes and Structures of the African Union” project. It seeks to improve the participation of women in regional integration institutions and processes, especially those of the AU

Activities and objectives
The project involves:

· Holding of regional advocacy meeting to identify entry points for and strategise on more long-term work on gender mainstreaming within the AU and its specialised mechanisms;
· Development of a gender-mainstreaming framework targeting the AU and its specialised mechanisms for use by African women's organisations and the AU;
· Holding of a regional training workshop for African women's organisations on advocacy around African women's human rights within the AU and its specialised mechanisms;
· Preparing a wide range of advocacy materials on the AU and its specialised mechanisms for use by African women's organisations and the AU.

The first activity was completed in October 2003 and the report used in the second activity. The third activity was completed in September 2004 and the report is ready. The fourth activity is scheduled for November and December 2004. The objective is to provide the African women’s movement with advocacy tools to enhance their capacity to lobby and advocate for women’s human rights within the AU and its specialised mechanisms.

A consultant is needed with experience in:

· Gender mainstreaming;
· The AU and its Specialised mechanisms;
· Advocacy for implementation and monitoring of regional and international human rights conventions on women’s rights at African level.

Terms of Reference
The terms of reference of the consultant will be:

a) From the report of the first three activities identified above, identify advocacy strategies for mainstreaming gender in the Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism (NEPAD/APRM), the Peace and Security Council (PSC), the Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), the Pan African Parliament, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the Women, Gender and Development Directorate (WGDD) and the AU Commission (hereafter referred to as the AU and its specialised mechanisms) from a gender perspective;
b) Develop a concept on the development and use of advocacy packages in the seven areas in (a) above:
c) Produce seven advocacy packages on: the AU Commission (Commissioners Portfolios and the WGDD), the PAP, the PSC, the ECOSOCC, the NEPAD/APRM, the CSSDCA and the ACHPR in consultation with expert reviewers for each package that will be identified by FEMNET.

Those interested in applying for this consultancy are invited to submit their CVs, together with a brief (no longer than two pages) statement of interest, indicating how they would propose developing the packages to [email protected] by November 8, 2004. FEMNET will pay USD1250 per advocacy package (at the rate of USD250 per day for 5 days each) as well the cost for the reviewers.