INTRODUCTION
Labris, one of the oldest lesbian human rights organizations in the region, is an organization that considers the right to different sexual orientation as one of the basic human rights. Labris works on protection, advancement and promotion of gender equality and diversity through: empowerment and social inclusion of LGBT community; creation, monitoring and advocating inclusive politics; advancement of institutional systems of support and networking on national and regional level. Since its foundation Labris has been implementing over 60 projects through its three program components – Community Development, Education and Advocacy Program.
Based on the 20-year experience in supporting the most vulnerable group and the assessment of current situation in regards to position of LGBT community in Republic of Serbia, Labris developed project The Network Change for Serbia’s LGBT Community.
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
Numerous research and reports continuously demonstrate that LGBT community is one of the most discriminated social groups in Serbia and state institutions have proven to be unable and not willing to ensure full human rights to LGBT person: A comprehensive survey of societal perceptions of homosexuality and attitudes towards LGBT population showed that the share of those who think homosexuality is an illness is extremely high (67%). 56 percent of the population believed homosexuality posed a threat to society and as many as one half of Serbia’s citizens would never reconcile with the fact that someone close to them is a homosexual. 17% of the parents would violently react to the fact that their child is a homosexual. Survey conducted by the Commissioner for Protection of Equality and CESID in November 2012, showed that 30% object to having LGBT neighbors, 32.5% do not want them as colleagues, 40.6% do not want them as a friend, 58.8% do not want them as teachers, and 79.5% do not want LGBT people in their family. Furthermore, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights report shows that 80% of high school students support discrimination of LGBT people.
Although Serbia has ratified most of the international human rights documents and conventions, and has legal and institutional anti-discrimination framework largely in place, ”…in practice, those most exposed to discrimination are Roma, women, persons with disabilities and the LGBT population. They are frequently victims of intolerance, hate speech and even physical attacks. Public officials have been reluctant to publicly condemn such incidents.” (Commission Opinion on Serbia’s application for membership of the European Union {COM (2011) 668}). From the other hand, due to the extremely low level of trust in government institutions (Centre for public policy research) and lack of knowledge on the rights and existing mechanisms among LGBT population, unreported homophobic violence and discrimination remain at extremely high levels.
LGBT people in Serbia are targeted as victims of hate crime more often than other vulnerable groups such as Roma or people with disabilities. Such violence raised from the deep hatred of the perpetrator toward real and/or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity of the victim. Relevant institutions are usually not well sensitized and educated to deal with this issue. Even if the victims report such crimes or incidents, the fact that reason for attack was prejudice, often does not appear in the official statistical reports, because the motives of homophobia and transphobia are often not recognized or not recognized as relevant.
OBJECTIVES AND COURSE OF THE ACTION
In order to develop sustainable and innovative initiative which will build on previous Labris’ s successes and create a critical mass of supporters and build new constituencies, this program will be implemented jointly by the network of the most prominent LGBT organizations and the organizations with the extensive experience and expertise in developing sustainable advocacy structures and multiplication of the project results.
The purpose of the action is to advance human rights of LGBT persons in Serbia by stimulating policy dialog and fostering implementation of the existing legislative framework and international standards in the scope of EU-Serbia accession negotiations over Chapter 23. Specific goals of the initiative are:
- Developing an effective and sustainable network for LGBT inclusion on national and local level and advancing its capacities for long-term policy development and monitoring
- Raising awareness, activating and mobilizing the LGBT community and new constituencies for sustainable public advocacy
- Fostering implementation of anti-discrimination standards and policies through strategic policy development and advocacy in the scope of EU-Serbia accession negotiations over Chapter 23
The initiatives target groups will be: LGBT community, community-based and national CSOs, the most relevant institutions, including independent institutions in Serbia and internationally and media. Specific communication strategy will be developed in order to target new audiences and activate them in the project implementation.
Apart from networking and capacity development activities (to be implemented in the year one and two), the initiative will serve as an opportunity for development of the “independent observatory” of LGBT rights through its research, analyses and watchdog components (to be implemented in year one), policy road-maps and advocacy strategies for all future work (to be implemented in year two). In addition, existing gaps and challenges in the implementation of the anti-discrimination regulations will be identified and addressed accordingly throughout the implementation cycle.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY AND SCOPE OF WORK
Capacity development activities (CD) will be a crucial sustainability factor and will result in deepening and expending of the LGBT network (including the PFLAG group (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to the organizations with which LGBT organizations rarely cooperate with, community CSOs and local institutions in order to broaden the influence and outreach. CD will be implemented continuously throughout the project cycle.
Capacity Assessment Consultant will be responsible for designing assessment tools in close cooperation with CD consultants and Labris staff, the implementation of 10 capacity assessment sessions with partner organizations and institutions, formulating report which should include detail overview of organizational capacities, training and capacity development needs and recommendations for CD interventions.
Capacity Assessment methodologies which should be considered for the assignment are: McKinsey and Company for Venture Philanthropy Partners, Marguerite Casey Foundation Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool, STAR Assessment. Specific assessment tools for assessing sustainability prospects should also be used.
Capacity Assessment Experts(s) will be responsible for:
- Continues communication with project staff;
- Continues communication with capacity development experts;
- Developing assessment methodology in close cooperation with capacity development consultants and Labris staff;
- Implementing assessment of partner CSOs’ organizational capacities, sustainability prospects and institutions’ interests and knowledge of the topics relevant for LGBTI rights;
- Developing report which should include: Explanation of methodology used to evaluate CSO capacities; Information on dates and participants of consultative meetings held for purpose of conducting assessment; Detail overview of organizational capacities and main findings (i.e. baseline identification); Identified strengths and weaknesses for each individual CSO; Identified training and capacity development needs and recommendations for CD interventions
The Consultant will be required to deliver:
- Assessment methodology by 22 June 2016
- 10 assessment sessions by 10 July 2016
- Report on held sessions by 15 July 2016
Required Qualifications and Experience of the Consultant:
- A minimum of five years of progressive experience in capacity development for civil society and/or local government agencies, including assessing needs and developing capacity building plans
- Proven experience in designing and conducting training for adult learners
- Team player able to work well with colleagues from diverse backgrounds
- Prior experience with USAID or international donor funded projects
- Extensive knowledge of the human rights and national social inclusion policies and practices
- University degree in public administration, political science, community development, communications, or other relevant field
- Strong communication skills (written and oral)
Application Procedure
Applicants are required to submit the following by CoB June 20, 2016:
- An explanation of the Applicant(s) qualifications to perform the task (including CVs, past performance information, at least 3 references)
- Brief letter of Interest (1 page);
- A detailed budget
Applicants can send their materials to: labris@labris.org.rs with the subject line: “Application [YOUR NAME]: Capacity Assessment Expert”
