TERMS OF REFERENCE
Advocacy Expert 
To lead a training workshop and to develop an Advocacy  Strategy for 9 LGBTI NGOs in Albania and Kosovo 
(call open to Albanians and/or international experts) 
Due to the Pandemic, we are open to a very flexible approach with the possibility  to adapt the mission if in-country travel is not permitted or health conditions do  not allow in-person meetings. 
1. Context of the mission 
Presentation of the project: Although the legal framework in Albania and Kosovo is rather  favourable to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community, Albanian  authorities do not work on its implementation. This hinders a real change in access to rights for  LGBTI people and in the changing attitudes of the general population. The PRIDE+ project  therefore aims to build the capacity of 4 LGBTI organisations and their allies to effectively  promote the acceptance, inclusion and protection of the LGBTI minority in Albania and Kosovo,  through an improvement in the access to basic services – especially for transgender people and  LGBTI youth at-risk; collaboration with media and journalists to improve the quality of coverage of LGBTI issues; and advocacy and awareness raising campaigns with the authorities and for the  general population.  
As part of the PRIDE I project (implemented from Feb 2018 – Feb 2020) funded by the European  Union, the partners Aleanca, ProLGBT and Streha have each developed an organizational strategy  for 2019-2021 incorporating advocacy objectives. PRIDE II+ represents an opportunity for  partners to train and implement these advocacy strategies which, in the long term, could have a  real impact on improving the situation of the LGBTI people in Albania. It could even allow  progress towards legislative change in favour of marriage for all. With regard to Kosovo, the  advocacy strategy to be developed would focus more on official recognition by the government  of partner Streha as an emergency reception structure for the most precarious and vulnerable  LGBTI young Kosovars. However, the final advocacy topics will be developed in agreement with  all members of the network and are therefore subject to change. 
2. Objective and description of the mission 
IREX Europe is working with its 4 partners and 5 allied Albanian civil society organisations working  outside of Tirana to identify and develop an advocacy network and actions to be implemented  during the project. 
The mission of the advocacy expert will be:  
1. To facilitate a 3 to 5 day advocacy training which the Consultant. Ideally, this training will  be conducted by an Albanian and/or regional advocacy expert with a very good  knowledge of the legislative context and the situation of LGBTI people in Albania. Pre existing resources (evaluation, research, etc.) will be used to develop the training program  but also to feed the development of the common strategy of the LGBTI network and its  advocacy action plan  
2. Develop with the beneficiaries a common advocacy strategy and its action plan  3. Monitor the progresses made in the implementation of the strategy and action plan by  the beneficiaries 
3. Expected Deliverables 
The following deliverables are expected from the expert: 
• A training plan and methodology  
• An advocacy training workshop is organized in Tirana with the project partners  • An Advocacy strategy and action plan is developed
• The implementation of the strategy and action plan is monitored 2 times throughout  the duration of the project  
• An activity report and 2 monitoring reports  
4. Location, dates and public 
Location: Tirana (Albania) 
Dates: training is to occur beginning of 2021 – exact dates to be confirmed with beneficiaries Targeted public: Staff from the identified organisations (8 CSOs in Albania, and 1 in Kosovo) 
5. Calendar 

Description 

Responsibility 

Estimated Deadline

Re-Publication of the ToR 

IREX-Europe 

November 6th 2020

Deadline to apply 

Candidates 

December 6th 2020

Recruitment and signature of  contract with the selected expert

IREX-Europe and partners 

December 11th 2020

Submission of training plan and  methodology

Consultant 

By the end of  
December 2020

Training 

Organisation by IREX Europe  and partners with delivery by  Consultant

Dates to be confirmed  with partners

1st draft of the Advocacy Plan 

Consultant 

February 2021

Final draft of the Advocacy Plan and final report

Consultant 

March 2021

Monitoring of progresses in the  implementation of the advocacy  plan

Consultant 

November 2021 
November 2022

 
6. Qualifications 
We are looking for individual(s) or organisation(s) with proven experience in: 
• Experience in advocacy and/or in drafting advocacy strategy plan.  
• Experience working with LGBTI individuals 
• Experience in delivering training to civil society organisations
• Very good knowledge of the Albanian legislation and context in relation to the LGBTI  community is preferred 
• Experience in Albania and/or Kosovo preferred 
• Proficiency in Albanese and/or English 
7. Application 
All interested experts are invited to submit their technical and financial offer to  pzanetti@irexeurope.eu and cmartin@itrexeurope.eu before December 6th 2020. 
NB: Application will be reviewed on a rolling basis and we reserve ourselves the  right to contract an expert before the aforementioned deadline.