CEHRO has progressively integrated gender equality and social inclusion considerations across different aspects of its work, these commitments are currently reflected through various organizational practices and policy documents rather than a single comprehensive institutional policy.
Consortium of Ethiopian Human Right Organizations
የኢትዮጵያ የሰብዓዊ መብቶች ድርጅቶች ህብረት
(ኢሰመድህ)
Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations
(CEHRO)
Call for Consultancy:
Development of CEHRO’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy
August 2026
- About CEHRO
The Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations (CEHRO) is a consortium of twenty-seven (27) Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working to advance human rights, democracy, rule of law, civic engagement, and sustainable peace in Ethiopia. Since its establishment, CEHRO has served as a national platform for collective advocacy, institutional capacity strengthening, knowledge sharing, and engagement on policy and legal reforms affecting the civic space and the protection of human rights.
CEHRO’s work is guided by the principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation, accountability, and respect for human dignity. Through its strategic priorities, the Consortium supports member organizations to strengthen institutional capacity, promote evidence-based advocacy, expand civic space, and contribute to inclusive governance and democratic development across Ethiopia.
As a membership-based organization working with diverse communities and stakeholders, CEHRO recognizes that gender equality and social inclusion are fundamental prerequisites for effective organizational governance, institutional credibility, and meaningful human rights programming. Integrating these principles within organizational policies and systems is therefore essential to ensure that both institutional practices and programmatic interventions are inclusive, equitable, accessible, and responsive to the diverse realities of women, men, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons (IDPs), minority groups, and other marginalized communities.
- Context
While CEHRO has progressively integrated gender equality and social inclusion considerations across different aspects of its work, these commitments are currently reflected through various organizational practices and policy documents rather than a single comprehensive institutional policy. The absence of a dedicated GESI Policy limits the organization’s ability to ensure a consistent and systematic approach to equality and inclusion across governance, human resource management, programme design, partnership engagement, procurement, communication, safeguarding, monitoring, and organizational decision-making.
Furthermore, as a consortium supporting member organizations across diverse regional contexts, CEHRO seeks to strengthen its institutional leadership by establishing a policy framework that reflects national legal commitments, international human rights standards, and internationally recognized good practices on gender equality and social inclusion.
The development of a standalone GESI Policy will therefore provide a coherent institutional framework that guides organizational culture, decision-making, internal management systems, and programme implementation while reinforcing CEHRO’s commitment to promoting equality, diversity, accessibility, participation, and non-discrimination throughout its work.
To support this process, CEHRO intends to recruit a qualified consultant to undertake the development of the organization’s GESI Policy through a consultative and participatory process.
- Objectives of the Consultancy
3.1 General Objective
The overall objective of this consultancy is to develop a GESI Policy that provides a clear institutional framework for promoting gender equality, inclusion, accessibility, and non-discrimination across CEHRO’s governance, internal systems, and programme implementation.
3.2 Specific Objectives
The consultancy specifically aims to:
- Assess the extent to which gender equality and social inclusion principles are integrated within CEHRO’s institutional systems, governance structures, policies, and programme practices, and identify key gaps and opportunities for improvement.
- Develop a comprehensive, and contextually relevant GESI Policy that provides a clear framework for advancing gender equality, diversity, accessibility, participation, and social inclusion across CEHRO’s operations and programs.
- Strengthen institutional ownership of the GESI Policy by ensuring that the policy reflects CEHRO’s priorities, operational realities, and practical measures for implementation.
- Scope of Work
The consultant will lead the process of developing CEHRO’s GESI Policy, including reviewing existing practices, consulting relevant stakeholders, and preparing the policy document in consultation with CEHRO.
The scope of work will include, but not be limited to, the following key areas:
4.1 Institutional Review and Analysis:
Review relevant CEHRO policies, strategies, procedures, and operational documents to assess existing approaches and commitments related to gender equality, diversity, accessibility, non-discrimination, and social inclusion.
4.2 Stakeholder Consultation and Engagement:
Conduct consultations with relevant CEHRO management, staff, and other identified stakeholders to gather perspectives on current practices, challenges, and opportunities for strengthening gender equality and social inclusion within the organization.
4.3 Development of the GESI Policy:
Develop a comprehensive and practical GESI Policy tailored to CEHRO’s institutional context. providing clear guidance on integrating gender equality and social inclusion across CEHRO’s governance, human resource practices, projects implementation, communication, partnerships, accountability mechanisms, and organizational culture.
4.4 Validation and Finalization
Incorporate agreed feedback and submit the final GESI Policy, including any supporting recommendations for effective implementation and institutionalization.
- Methodology
The consultant is expected to propose an appropriate methodology for undertaking the assignment. The proposed methodology should demonstrate a clear understanding of institutional policy development and participatory consultation processes.
The methodology should include, at a minimum, the following components.
5.1 Inception
The consultant shall prepare an inception report outlining the proposed approach, work plan, methodology, consultation process, timeline, and expected outputs.
5.2 Desk Review
The consultant shall undertake a comprehensive review of CEHRO’s institutional documents together with relevant national legislation, international human rights instruments, donor guidance, and recognized good practices relating to gender equality and social inclusion.
5.3 Consultation Process
The consultant shall conduct consultations with CEHRO management and relevant staff members to ensure that the policy reflects institutional realities, operational needs, and organizational priorities.
5.4 Comparative Review
Where appropriate, the consultant may review GESI policies developed by national and international organizations to identify good practices relevant to CEHRO’s context.
5.5 Drafting Approach
The consultant shall prepare successive drafts of the policy, incorporating comments received during consultations and validation.
5.6 Quality Assurance
Throughout the assignment, the consultant shall ensure technical accuracy, consistency, practicality, and coherence of the policy. The consultant shall maintain regular communication with CEHRO and address comments received during the review process in a timely manner.
5.7 Ethical Considerations
The consultant shall maintain confidentiality of all institutional information accessed during the consultancy. All outputs produced under this consultancy shall remain the intellectual property of CEHRO.
- Deliverables
The consultant shall be responsible for producing the following deliverables:
- Inception report
- Institutional review and gap analysis report
- Draft GESI Policy
- Final GESI Policy
- GESI policy implementation guide
- Final consultancy report
- Expected Tasks and Coordination
7.1 Responsibilities of CEHRO
CEHRO will provide overall technical oversight throughout the assignment and facilitate the consultant’s engagement with relevant organizational units.
Specifically, CEHRO will:
- Provide relevant institutional documents, policies, manuals, strategic plans, and background materials necessary for the assignment.
- Designate a focal person to coordinate communication and provide technical support throughout the consultancy.
- Facilitate meetings and consultations with management, staff, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Review draft deliverables and provide consolidated technical comments within agreed timelines.
- Review and approve the final deliverables upon satisfactory completion of the assignment.
7.2 Responsibilities of the Consultant
The consultant shall be responsible for the professional execution of the assignment and the timely delivery of all agreed outputs. Specifically, the consultant shall:
- Undertake the assignment in accordance with the agreed work plan and timeline.
- Apply a participatory, evidence-based, and consultative approach throughout the consultancy.
- Maintain regular communication with the designated CEHRO focal person and provide updates on progress as required.
- Ensure that all deliverables are of high technical quality and comply with the requirements of this Terms of Reference.
- Maintain the confidentiality of all information obtained during the assignment and use such information solely for the purposes of the consultancy.
- Ensure that all outputs produced under the consultancy become the property of CEHRO and are not shared or reproduced without prior authorization.
- Timeline
The consultancy is expected to be completed within fifteen – (15) working days from the date of contract signing.
The consultant shall propose a realistic work plan and implementation schedule for completing the assignment within the agreed timeframe. The work plan should ensure adequate time for document review, stakeholder consultations, development of the draft policy, incorporation of CEHRO’s feedback, and submission of the final deliverables
- Qualifications and Experience
Education
The consultant should possess an advanced degree in gender studies, human rights, law, governance, sociology, public policy, development studies, social sciences, or another closely related field.
Professional Experience
The consultant should demonstrate:
- A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in gender equality, social inclusion, human rights, governance, institutional development, or related fields.
- Demonstrated experience developing institutional policies, organizational strategies, or governance frameworks for civil society organizations, development partners, public institutions, or international organizations.
- Strong knowledge of international human rights standards relating to gender equality, disability inclusion, non-discrimination, and inclusive organizational practices.
- Familiarity with the Ethiopian legal, policy, and institutional context relating to gender equality, persons with disabilities, labour, and civil society.
- Previous experience facilitating institutional consultations and policy validation processes.
Technical Competencies
The consultant should possess:
- Excellent analytical and policy drafting skills.
- Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Excellent report writing skills in English.
- Ability to translate policy principles into practical institutional procedures.
- Strong organizational and time management skills with demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality outputs within agreed timelines.
- Payment Terms
Payment shall be made in installments linked to deliverables as agreed in the consultancy contract. All contractual terms, including confidentiality and intellectual property rights, shall be governed by the final agreement between CEHRO and the consultant.
- Application Process
Interested and qualified consultants are invited to submit their applications via email to humanresources@cehro.org with the subject line: “Consultancy for the Development of GESI Policy” within seven (7) consecutive days of the publication of this call.
Applications should include:
- A maximum 2-page CV
- A technical proposal (maximum 3 pages) demonstrating understanding of the assignment and methodology
- A financial proposal with a detailed budget breakdown in ETB (including taxes)
- Copy of consultancy license and TIN certificate, where available.
Note
CEHRO is an equal opportunity organization. Female candidates and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
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