Supported By: UNDP under the Global Women CSO EHRD Flagship Program
- Introduction
1.1.Background to the Assessment
The global movement for environmental justice and inclusive climate action has underscored the essential role of women-led civil society organizations (CSOs) and women Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs). Despite global recognition of women’s critical role in environmental and climate action, women environmental human rights defenders (W-EHRDs) and women-led civil society organizations (CSOs) globally, and in Uganda in particular, face persistent structural, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers to meaningful agency, participation, and voice. These are compounded by shrinking civic space, gender-based violence, digital disinformation, gender-blind policy frameworks, and declining resources towards gender equality activism due to gender pushback and geopolitics. Women’s participation in environmental governance and climate justice decision-making forums remains limited due to a lack of inclusive, gender-responsive platforms and support systems. Moreover, the impact of climate change disproportionately affects women due to unequal power relations and cultural systems, discriminatory and negative gender norms which limit their equal access to climate action resources and opportunities, including financing for loss and damage, thereby curtailing their ability to integrate gender in environment and climate action.
Action for Development (ACFODE)1, a Ugandan women’s rights organization committed to gender equality, good governance, and social justice, recognizes the importance of empowering women and community-based environmental defenders. As a national women-led CSO, ACFODE is one of the implementing partners of the Global Women CSO EHRD Flagship Initiative in Uganda—part of a broader multi-country program under UNDP’s Gender Equality Global Programme and the Governance Flagship on Civic Space. The project aims to strengthen the capacity, voice, and influence of women-led CSOs, EHRDs, and advocacy networks in environmental governance, climate justice, and democratic engagement. It addresses key barriers, including shrinking civic space, limited access to resources, underrepresentation in policy processes, gender-based violence, and lack of technical and digital skills.
ACFODE’s work with communities in Mt. Elgon and nationally has revealed that breaking these systemic and structural barriers to women’s effective participation and influence of environmental governance and climate justice decision-making processes requires collaboration among stakeholders to transform structural systems and institutional discriminatory norms and practices. Furthermore, urgent action is needed to create safe, enabling spaces that amplify women’s leadership, build resilience, and ensure their meaningful influence in climate and environmental decision-making for equitable and sustainable development.
- Assignment Description
2.1. Brief About the Assignment
It is against this backdrop that ACFODE, in partnership with UNDP, seeks to build the capacities of women EHRD, youth coalitions, and women-led CSOs to enhance their activism and protection to better advocate for gender responsive environment and climate policies and action. Therefore, a Terms of Reference (TOR) has been developed to contract the services of a consultant to conduct a rapid capacity needs assessment of women-led CSOs, youth coalitions, and EHRDs in Uganda. The assessment will generate baseline data, influencing factors that must be considered to strengthen the voice and political influence of women-led CSOs, EHRDs and youth coalitions on climate change action (justice) and environmental governance in Uganda, actionable recommendations and insights to inform effective implementation of the Global Women CSO EHRD Flagship Project in Uganda.
The capacity needs assessment report will provide ACFODE, UNDP partners, and other stakeholders with evidence-based recommendations for strengthening the capacity of Women EHRD, youth coalitions, and women-led CSOs to participate in policy and political influence. It will enhance understanding of practical programming strategies for engaging frontline women and youth groups in environmental governance and climate change action. This will eventually reinforce UNDP’s partners’ capacity to implement gender responsive initiatives that support long-term Women EHRD, CSOs, and youth coalitions’ political participation and influence for a just and green future in Uganda.
2.2. Objectives of the Assessment
The overall objective of the assignment is to assess the capacity needs of women-led CSOs and women environmental human rights defenders to provide comprehensive guidance and support UNDP partners in implementing capacity strengthening initiatives for women-led CSOs, youth coalitions, and EHRD in Uganda.
Specifically, the assignment seeks to:
i. Assess the internal capacity (knowledge, skills, resources, structures, processes) of Women EHRDs, youth coalitions, and Women-led CSOs to engage in policy advocacy and political discourse to influence environmental governance and climate justice.
ii. Examine the effectiveness of existing coalitions and platforms for inclusive engagement of women’s and youth groups in environmental governance and climate change action.
iii. Assess the challenges (barriers) that Women-led CSOs, youth coalitions, and EHRD face in coalition building and networking for the pursuit of gendered environmental governance and climate justice.
iv. Examine emerging opportunities (enablers) for women-led CSOs, youth coalitions, and EHRDs’ participation in policy advocacy, political decision making, and influence.
v. Propose actionable and operational recommendations for capacity strengthening of Women EHRD, youth coalitions, and women-led CSOs in Uganda.
3. Scope of Work
The capacity needs assessment will be carried out at the level of Women Led CSOs, youth coalitions, and a representative sample of women ERHDs across urban (national) and rural areas (Mt Elgon region) to give a fair representation of ideas, issues, and perspectives on participation in political decision making and influence.
3.1. The Target Group & Stakeholders
The assessment will involve engagement with women EHRDs, youth coalitions, and women-led CSOs representatives through a detailed participatory process. The process will require rigorous engagement of diverse range of stakeholders, including but not limited to; local government authorities, line ministries (Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ministry of Water and Environment), parliamentary sectoral committees on natural resources, environment and climate change, UN agencies supporting environmental and climate action, religious and cultural institutions who may offer valuable insights on possible current concerns in environmental governance, climate justice, strategic gaps for policy engagement, and recommendation of strategies for capacity strengthening of EHRDs, CSOs and youth coalitions to participate in policy and political influence at local and national levels.
3.2. The Detailed Tasks
The Consultant is expected to undertake the following key tasks:
1. Desk review of the existing reports, legal framework, and project documents related to EHRDs, youth coalitions, and CSOs in Uganda
2. Stakeholder Mapping of women-led CSOs, youth coalitions, and EHRDs in climate and environmental advocacy.
3. Collect both quantitative and qualitative data from relevant data sources by using appropriate data collection tools.
4. Prepare an analytical and comprehensive capacity assessment report, highlighting capacity needs, current concerns in environmental governance, climate justice, strategic gaps for policy engagement, effectiveness of existing coalitions and platforms for inclusive engagement of women’s and youth groups, and actionable recommendations.
5. Present the draft capacity assessment report at a stakeholder validation meeting that will be organized in consultation with UNDP and partners.
3.3. Expected Deliverables
a) Inception report detailing the understanding of the assignment, including assessment matrix, tools, and work delivery timelines for key tasks, and proposed format for rapid assessment report.
b) A draft rapid assessment report with key findings, lessons learnt, recommendations & capacity building plan for the EHDRs and Women-led CSOs to engage in policy advocacy and political participation to influence environmental governance and climate justice.
c) Presentation of draft capacity assessment report at a validation workshop, report capturing key emerging issues, and feedback for refinement of the conclusions and recommendations.
d) Final and approved capacity assessment report that shall include the gaps, needs, and capacity building plan for EHDRs and women-led CSOs.
Deadline and Time for Receiving Application:
The individual consultants interested should submit their technical and financial proposal to Email: acfode@gmail.com/rbafaki@acfode.or.ug not later than June 27th, 2025.
Further Information:
For more information regarding ACFODE, check www.acfode.or.ug.