Restricted Procedure: Consultancy for the Programming of a New Phase of Support to Syria and Syria’s Neighborhood – Lebanon and Jordan (3SN)

Description:

BACKGROUND: Danish support to the crises in and around Syria commenced in 2012, and in the following years annual allocations of humanitarian funding were complemented with peace and stabilization, along with development aid funding. In 2018 and 2019, development aid to the region was unified under the title Support to Syria and Syria’s Neighbourhood – Lebanon and Jordan (3SN) and gradually transformed into a programme-like portfolio. In 2021, the current 3SN programme for 2021-2023 was developed with a thematic focus on protection and livelihoods, serving as a common framework for all Danish development engagements in the region, including the third phase of the Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP). The programme is dedicated to an agile, solutions-oriented and coherent Danish development engagement across the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus for refugees, internally displaced persons and affected host communities in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. It consists of 15 partnerships covering the sectors of health, education, agriculture, social protection, legal aid, urban development, disaster risk reduction and GBV across the three countries.

The development objective for the new programme is expected to be: “Refugees, internally displaced persons and vulnerable host communities in and around Syria have access to the rights and opportunities needed to attain a durable solution”. To this end, it has been proposed to maintain the current level of funding for 3SN for the next three years. The Danish Finance Act for 2023 includes 225 million DKK to be allocated for 3SN in 2024, 225 million DKK in 2025 and 200 million DKK in 2026. The implementation period for the programme will be 2024-2028. The RDPP will not be part of the new programme.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the assignment is identification and formulation of a new phase of the programme Support to Syria and Syria’s Neighbourhood (3SN) for the period 2024-2026, including development of its underlying documentation and drafting of the related project documents. It will most likely only be possible to formulate some of the new projects for the programme. However the formulation should provide indications on the types of projects that it would make sense to include given the individual merits of specific interventions and partners, as well as the complementarity of the programme as a whole. The formulation will be guided by Danida’s strategies and guidelines, including the Danish Government’s development strategy “The World We Share”, and in full compliance with the Aid Management Guidelines (AMG) of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Particular attention should be given to the ”How-to-note on “Human Rights and Democracy”, the “Approach note on Securing the Coherence between Humanitarian Aid, Development Cooperation and Peacebuilding (HDP-nexus)” and the “Guidance Note for Adaptive Management (DDD)”.

METHOD & OUTPUTS: The programming process will apply a combination of methods: A review of existing materials, consultations with key stakeholders/partners and the drafting of documents. Two field visits to the three countries are expected. If visits to Syria are not possible due to the security situation, this part of the assignment will be carried out from outside Syria (virtual meetings or, if possible, physical meetings in e.g. Beirut with stakeholders from Syria). The consultants will lead the formulation mission and the client will participate in the process.

The expected outputs will include: (1) an inception report, not exceeding five pages plus annexes, based on the review of existing material, (2) debriefing notes highlighting key findings and recommendations following each of the two field missions, (3) a draft Programme Document, including a two-page Executive Summary for submission to the MFA Programme Committee, (4) a final draft Programme Document, including a two-page Executive Summary and underlying project documentation for the Appraisal and (5) a final Programme Document and 1-3 Project Documents, including a two-page Executive Summary with the recommendations from the Appraisal incorporated, to be submitted to the Council for Development Policy.

TIMEFRAME: The programming process is expected to start in February 2024 and to end with the submission of the final Programme Document in late September/ early October 2024. The first field mission to the region is expected to take place in late March 2024 and the second field mission is expected in late May 2024 (final dates TBC).

CONSULTANTS: Two external international consultants/ experts are required for this assignment. The team leader should have at least 10 years’ experience working in the area of humanitarian action, development and/or HDP-nexus approaches in situations of displacement, fragility and conflict. Experience as a team leader of or as a sole consultant on at least two assignments related to formulation of programmes and project documentation is also required. Finally, the team leader should also have strong knowledge about the Syrian crisis and its interrelations with the political and economic situation of Lebanon and Jordan. The team member should have at least 5 years’ experience working in the area of humanitarian action or HDP-nexus approaches in situations of displacement, fragility and conflict, as well as a proven track-record of clear and concise report writing, and experience in contributing to programme formulation. Both consultants are expected to have very good working knowledge of English and strong regional experience from previous assignments on development cooperation and humanitarian action in Syria and neighbouring countries. As a minimum, one of the consultants should have a proven track-record in working on forced displacement.

BUDGET: The budget maximum is DKK 850,000.00 net of VAT.

 

Deadline for applications: 02 January 2024, at 14:00 Danish time

Interested Consultants can request the documents for participation by email to the contact person stated below with copy to [email protected].

Contact point: Danish Embassy in Beirut

Name of the Programme Officer: Thomas Thomsen

E-mail address: [email protected] with copy to [email protected]

Criteria for selection:

A minimum of three and a maximum of four applicants with references best suited for this assignment will be invited to submit a tender.