Terms of Reference (ToR)

Third-Party Evaluation for a project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office through the  Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa), under the zivik programme.

Introduction

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) is an independent, non-governmental, and non-profit civil society organization. It works to build a society that guarantees freedom of expression and belief, human rights, and access to justice. Its vision is a democratic world based on justice, freedom, and equality, where human dignity and human rights are respected.

Background

As part of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression’s efforts to support transitional justice processes in Syria and promote their inclusiveness and representativeness, SCM is implementing a project funded by  Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa), under the zivik programme.

The project aims to develop policy recommendations that promote the participation of young women and men aged 18–29 in transitional justice processes and legal reforms. It seeks to ensure that young people’s priorities and needs are integrated into the design and implementation of these processes, including the work of relevant national bodies, particularly the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the National Commission for Missing Persons.

Scope of Work

The third-party evaluation service provider shall be responsible for independently verifying the implementation of project activities as outlined in the approved project description. The service provider will assess the quality, relevance, timeliness, and effectiveness of project interventions and ensure their alignment with the specified objectives, indicators, and targets.

The service provider will collect quantitative and qualitative data using appropriate tools, such as field visits, structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document reviews. The service provider will also identify challenges, provide evidence-based recommendations, and prepare a report on the project’s overall performance and compliance with the donor’s requirements.

General Objective

• The final external evaluation aims to provide an independent and objective assessment of the project’s effectiveness and the extent to which its expected results have been achieved. It will also verify the project’s contribution to the intended change process and desired impact, based on the available evidence.

Specific Objectives

The evaluation will pursue the following specific objectives:

1. Assess the achievement of the project’s expected results: Verify the level of achievement of activities, outputs, and outcomes against the approved project logical framework and plan, based on performance indicators and available means of verification.
2. Assess the effectiveness of capacity-building activities and youth participation: Evaluate the extent to which training sessions and participatory activities have contributed to strengthening the knowledge and skills of young women and men in the two target groups (KA1 and KA2), as well as their ability to participate effectively in developing policy recommendations related to transitional justice and legal reforms.
3. Assess the quality of policy recommendations and stakeholder responsiveness: Evaluate the technical and legal relevance of the recommendations developed by participants and assess the level of engagement with and recognition of these recommendations by relevant national bodies, civil society organizations, and victims’ associations (KA3 and KA4).
4. Verify preliminary evidence of policy influence: Assess the extent to which advocacy efforts and policy recommendations have contributed to discussions and positions related to transitional justice and legal reforms, and verify whether preliminary evidence exists of a link between the project’s results and its expected impact.
5. Identify lessons learned and develop recommendations: Identify the main factors and challenges that affected the achievement of the project’s results and provide practical recommendations to improve SCM’s future interventions in youth participation, transitional justice, and advocacy.

Key Evaluation Questions

The final external evaluation will focus on verifying the changes to which the project contributed among the target groups, the extent to which young women and men contributed to developing policy papers and recommendations related to transitional justice and legal reforms in Syria, and the extent to which relevant stakeholders engaged with these outputs.

Accordingly, the key evaluation questions are as follows:

1. Changes among target groups: To what extent have capacity-building activities improved the knowledge and skills of participating young women and men in transitional justice and legal reforms?
2. Measuring change: What changes can be observed in participants’ knowledge and skills compared with their levels before and after the project activities? What evidence supports these changes?
3. Youth participation in policy paper development: To what extent did young women and men actively participate in preparing and developing policy papers and recommendations, and how did these outputs reflect their priorities, needs, and perspectives?
4. Quality of policy papers: To what extent do the policy papers and recommendations developed through the project meet technical and legal quality standards, and how suitable are they as inputs for use by relevant national bodies?
5. Responsiveness to youth recommendations: To what extent have national bodies concerned with transitional justice and missing persons, alongside civil society institutions, recognized, expressed interest in, or demonstrated a willingness to use the recommendations developed by young women and men?
6. Use of project outputs: Have the policy papers or recommendations developed by young women and men been cited, discussed, or used in relevant discussions, documents, or practices? What evidence is available?
7. Contribution to the expected impact: To what extent have the project’s activities and outputs, including advocacy efforts and meetings with relevant stakeholders, contributed to strengthening opportunities for young women and men to participate in transitional justice processes and legal reforms in Syria?
8. Factors influencing change: What internal and external factors contributed to changes among the target groups and strengthened youth participation in policy paper development? What were the main challenges that limited these changes?
9. Sustainability of results: To what extent are young women and men expected to continue benefiting from the knowledge and skills they acquired, and to what extent are the policy papers and recommendations likely to continue being used or referenced after the project ends?
10. Lessons learned and future recommendations: What lessons can be learned from the project, and what practical recommendations could help strengthen youth participation in policy development and influence future transitional justice processes?

Methodology

The consultant/firm is expected to:

The evaluator or evaluation firm is expected to:

• Review key project documents, including agreements, progress reports, and operational plans.
• Conduct at least 15 interviews with key stakeholders, beneficiaries, and project staff and ensure that the sampling includes representation from all four groups (KA1–KA4);.
• Carry out field visits, where feasible, to collect data directly in the field.
• Apply mixed-method approaches using quantitative and qualitative data collection tools.
• Ensure compliance with ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and data protection.
• The evaluation shall be guided by the “Monitoring of Effects (movie)” Manual of the zivik Funding Programme.

The evaluator or evaluation firm  shall:

• Review the approved project documents, including the project plan, results and indicators framework, monitoring reports, pre- and post-training assessments, policy papers, expert reports, meeting minutes, and advocacy documents.
• Develop an evaluation matrix linking each evaluation question to the project indicators, sources of verification, data collection tools, and analytical approach.
• Conduct interviews with a diverse sample of target groups (KA1 and KA2), stakeholders (KA3 and KA4), and project team members, ensuring appropriate balance and representation.
• Verify changes in participants’ knowledge and skills using baseline data, subsequent assessments, and available qualitative evidence.
• Assess the technical and legal quality of policy papers and recommendations against clearly defined criteria and with reference to technical review reports.
• Trace evidence of relevant actors’ engagement with the recommendations, including their acknowledgment, discussion, citation, or use.
• Analyse the project’s contribution to the observed outcomes, taking into account external factors and methodological limitations that prevent the establishment of a direct causal relationship.
• Apply the do-no-harm principle and ensure informed consent, confidentiality, data protection, and participants’ freedom to express their views independently.

The final sample and data collection tools will be specified in the inception report, in coordination with the Centre’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, while preserving the external evaluator’s professional independence.

Expected Deliverables

The expected deliverables are:

• An inception report including the evaluation matrix, methodology, and data collection tools.
• A presentation to discuss the findings and recommendations.
• An approved final report including the indicator matrix, sources of verification, recommendations, and methodological annexes.

9. Assignment Duration and Timeline

The external evaluation assignment will last six weeks, from 15 November to 20 January 2026, in accordance with the following proposed deliverables and deadlines:

1. Inception Report , 30 November 2026

The inception report shall include a detailed work plan, evaluation methodology, evaluation question matrix, quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, sampling plan, and timeline for implementing the evaluation activities.

2. Initial Draft of the Evaluation Report, 30 December 2026

The initial draft shall present the evaluation findings, data analysis, conclusions, and preliminary recommendations, based on the review of project documents, interviews, and collected data.

It shall also include an initial assessment of changes in the knowledge and skills of the target groups, the extent of youth participation in developing policy papers, and the level of stakeholder engagement with the recommendations developed. Any gaps in the available evidence and data shall be identified to facilitate review of the draft and the provision of feedback.

3. Presentation of Evaluation Findings,10 January2026

The presentation shall cover the main evaluation findings, the extent to which project indicators have been achieved, observed changes among the target groups, youth contributions to the development of policy papers and recommendations, and the level of stakeholder engagement with these outputs. It shall also present the main conclusions, lessons learned, and practical recommendations.

4. Final Evaluation Report, 20 January 2026

The final report shall include the final findings, analysis, conclusions, and recommendations. It shall assess the extent to which the project’s objectives and results have been achieved, report the final values of relevant indicators, and present the means of verification and supporting evidence.

The report shall also analyse the relationship between project outputs, outcomes, and expected impact, and present lessons learned and practical recommendations to improve the design and implementation of future projects. It shall incorporate SCM’s feedback on the initial draft.

Note: The above deadlines are proposed and may be adjusted by agreement with the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, while ensuring sufficient time to review the initial draft and incorporate feedback before submitting the final report.

Language of the Report

The final evaluation report shall be submitted in English. 

10. Required Qualifications and Experience

The individual consultant or specialized evaluation firm must meet the following qualifications and experience requirements:

1. Academic qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in a relevant field, such as social sciences, law, human rights, transitional justice, public policy, international development, or project evaluation and management.
2. External evaluation experience: At least five years of practical experience conducting independent external evaluations of projects and programmes, preferably including projects funded by international donors.
3. Experience in evaluation methodologies: Demonstrated experience in designing and conducting evaluations using mixed methods, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, document reviews, and the analysis and verification of findings.
4. Experience in transitional justice and human rights: In-depth knowledge of the Syrian context, transitional justice, human rights, and legal reforms, including an understanding of the roles of national bodies concerned with transitional justice and missing persons.
5. Experience in youth participation and policy advocacy: Experience evaluating projects that promote young women’s and men’s participation in policymaking and consultation processes, the development of policy papers and recommendations, and the analysis of institutional and stakeholder responses to these outputs.
6. Ability to measure results and impact: Experience assessing changes among target groups, analysing the relationship between project activities, outputs, outcomes, and expected impact, and verifying performance indicators, targets, final values, and means of verification.
7. Analytical and reporting skills: Demonstrated ability to prepare professional, evidence-based evaluation reports, formulate clear conclusions and practical, actionable recommendations, and present findings to relevant stakeholders.
8. Independence and impartiality: Commitment to independence and objectivity, avoidance of conflicts of interest, and absence of affiliations that could compromise the integrity or impartiality of the evaluation.
9. Ethical standards and data protection: Familiarity with evaluation ethics, including informed consent, confidentiality, data protection, the principle of do no harm, and consideration of risks associated with young women’s and men’s participation in the Syrian context.
10. Language skills: Fluency in spoken and written Arabic and proficiency in English sufficient to review documents, prepare reports, and communicate professionally when required.
11. Compliance with the timeline: Ability to complete the assignment within the specified period, from 1 November to 31 December 2026, and deliver all outputs according to the agreed deadlines.

If applying as a company or evaluation team, applicants must provide evidence of the organization’s experience and the qualifications of the proposed team members, specifying each member’s roles and responsibilities in the assignment.

11. Required Application Documents

Applicants must submit the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae (CV).
• A brief technical proposal outlining the applicant’s understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, work plan, and proposed timeline.
• A financial proposal stating the total cost of the assignment, including the validity period of the offer, date, and signature.
• Evidence of experience in similar assignments, preferably including examples of previous work.
• At least two professional references.

12. Work Location

The assignment will be conducted online/remotely. The service provider must be based in a time zone with a time difference of no more than two to three hours from Paris, to ensure regular coordination and effective collaboration with the SCM team.

13. Assignment Period

The maximum duration of the assignment is three months, starting in November 2026, with the possibility of adjusting the start date.

14. Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Experience, qualifications, and technical proposal: 70%.
• Financial proposal: 30%.

15. Application Procedure

Interested service providers must submit their applications by email only, attaching all required documents to the email address specified below. The email subject line must be: “External Evaluator”.

Applications sent to a different email address or submitted without the required attachments will be rejected. Interested applicants are also encouraged to submit any questions seeking clarification before submitting their proposals.

Only shortlisted applicants will be notified within one week of the application deadline. Selected candidates may be invited to an interview as part of the evaluation process.

Application deadline	10.11.2026
Email for submission of tenders/proposals	[email protected] org
Email for enquiries	[email protected]
Contract duration	Three months
Expected start date	15.11.2026