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1. INTRODUCTION

SOS Children’s Villages is a global federation of 136 national SOS Children’s Villages associations, working in more than 2000 project locations worldwide. We work together with a single vision: every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security.

SOS Children’s Villages is committed to the welfare of children who lost parental care or at risk of losing parental care – often ensuring that children grow up in a loving family environment, and to strengthening families and communities as a preventive measure in the fight against child abandonment and social neglect, and upholds child protection policy as part of their commitment to the protection of children and youth from abuse.

SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland (SOS CV) is a part of SOS Children’s Villages International, the umbrella organization to which all SOS Children’s Villages including SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland Association is affiliated. SOS CV is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that is not for profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan and which has been in existence since 1999. SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland shares vision with SOS CV International and beliefs that every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security. To realize this, SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland builds families for children in need, help them shape their own futures and share in the development of their communities.

2. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Somaliland is one of the youngest countries in the world, whereby seven out of ten are younger than 35 years old[1]. Avenues for youth to obtain an education and gainful employment opportunities are limited and opportunities to engage politically, economically, or socially remain low. The space and opportunities are further limited for girls and young women.

Different UN agencies working in Somaliland have projects which focus completely or partially on adolescents and youth, addressing the priorities outlined in Peace building and State-building documents. Although the UN recognizes the role adolescents and young Somalis could play in the peace-and national-building in Somaliland, so far, adolescents and youth programming and interventions have lacked a comprehensive and integrated long-term approach. There has been inconsistent engagement of Somaliland youth in the planning, implementation and monitoring of policies and programs as well as limited success in effectively mainstreaming adolescents and youth issues in the political and development processes. Failing to respond to the needs of adolescents and youth in Somaliland put at risk the chances of lasting peace and stability.

In order to appropriately respond to the needs and aspirations of young people, the UN has developed a Joint Youth Strategy for Somaliland. Placing youth empowerment at the center of the UN work in Somaliland, the UN Youth Strategy for Somaliland articulates into a strategic and integrated framework all the different efforts, programs and initiatives currently being implemented by the UN in the country.

Furthermore, the Youth Strategy recognizes the role of adolescents and youth as partners of our development efforts, and challenges the misunderstanding that Somaliland youth are either part of the problem or simply passive beneficiaries of our work. Placing social, political and economic empowerment at the core of the UN Youth Strategy is a vital prerequisite for transformation in Somaliland. The multidimensional concept of empowerment – social, economic and political – provides ample scope for harmonizing approaches to youth policies and programming. This will help harness the full potential of youth by ensuring youth become strategic social and economic actors, as well as peace builders.

In order to better serve youth, SOS Children's Villages in Somaliland is partnering with the Ministry of Youth and Sports with the review and implementation of a revised participative National Youth policy.

1. The Youth Policy

Somaliland’s national youth policy needs to be updated and revised so as to include more inclusivity for the youth. The development of a National Youth Policy is crucial to ensure that the Somaliland youth participates and contributes fully in the development of their country. The revision of the national youth policy will focus on strengthening the existing evidence based and successful interventions, introducing innovative ones, eliminating those that have not worked, enhancing the quality of the services rendered, extending coverage of information and services drawing from lesson learnt and good practices from regional and global perspectives.

​​​​​​​2. Goal of the Youth Policy

The goal of the National youth policy is to enhance the capacities of young people through addressing their needs, promoting positive outcomes, and providing integrated and coordinated package of information and services, opportunities, choices, relationship and support necessary for holistic development of all young people particularly those outside the social, political and economic mainstream.

​​​​​​​3. Objectives of the Youth Policy

• Strengthen the capacity of key youth development institutions and ensure integration and coordination in the delivery of youth services;

• Strengthen the capacities of young people to enable them to take charge of their own wellbeing through building their assets and ultimately realizing their potential to the fullest;

• Strengthen a culture of patriotic citizenship among young people and help them to become responsible adults who care for their families and others;

• Support prioritized youth groups and ensure that they have every opportunity to play their part in the development of the country;

• Foster a sense of national cohesion, while acknowledging existence of diverse circumstances and needs by providing opportunities to address these;

• Encourage the spirit of patriotism by encouraging visible and active participation in different youth initiatives/projects and nation building activities.

• Ensure that youth policies function effectively and curb the marginalization of young people including those in the alternative care setting.

• Institutionalize youth participation in decision-making process.

• Strengthen a culture of patriotic citizenship among young people and help them to become responsible adults who care for their families and others; Help the most important youth groups and make sure they have every chance to contribute to the country's growth.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

SOS Children’s Villages Somaliland and Ministry of Youth and Sports are seeking an individual consultant to conduct a comprehensive public policy review of the 2017-2022 National Youth Policy and the Action Plan (2010-2016) to identify gaps, strengths, and opportunities for young people across the spectrum. The consultant is expected to deliver an updated National Youth Policy with Action Plan and M&E plan. Specific objectives of the assignment are:

• To review and develop a revised national youth policy 2023-2027 in conjunction with the SOS Children’s Villages, Somaliland Ministry of Youth and Sports and other government and non-government stakeholders

• To develop national youth action plan (costed) of the National youth policy.

• To develop the Revised National Youth Policy Risk Management Plan that outlines risk descriptions, likelihood, impact, risk owners and mitigating measures.

• To develop a Monitoring & Evaluation Plan, integrated within the Action Plan. This should contain baselines, targets, and indicators, frequency of reporting, responsible partners and any additional budget requirements at outcome, output and activity levels. This ensures that the Action Plan itself becomes the basis for measuring progress and implementation of the Policy.

• To facilitate the consultation and validation workshop for the approval of the final document of the national youth policy in conjunction with the SOS Children’s Villages, the Somaliland Ministry of Youth and Sports, and other government and non-government stakeholders.

4. SCOPE OF WORK

In the process to review the existing National Youth Policy, the Consultant should be guided by existing policies, guidelines and legislation that address the needs of youth.

The Consultant will engage stakeholders including adolescents and youth aged 15-35 years as well as Civil Society Organizations (CSO) familiar with youth related issues and health, education, protection and other relevant sector-professionals who provide services to youth. These consultations will provide the basis for the following:

1. Review the existing youth policy 2017-2022, to identify gaps, and implementation challenges.

2. African Youth Charter and other relevant documents for the National Youth Policy.

Specific issues that the Consultant should ensure when assessing and reviewing the current National Youth Policy is:

• Effectiveness: ensure the policy is addressing the youth needs and identify existing gaps.

• Relevancy: review if the policy is in line with existing youth-related national/international policies and plans.

• Implementation: evaluate the policy’s implementation to identify major challenges.

• Lessons learnt: review documented lessons including gaps and good practices from the current policy.

1. Conduct a comprehensive desk review. This will include documents that are related to the strategic priorities in the National Youth Policy (NYP), National employment policy, Internship Policy and other relevant youth policies in neighboring countries.

2. Design tools ensuring full participation of all stakeholders to gather information in the consultation processes and implement the various consultation processes nationwide.

3. Conduct focus group discussions with stakeholders involved in the implementation of the policy.

4. Develop reports on each and every consultation meeting in the different Somaliland regions and stakeholders.

5. Produce youth policy that is reflective of the findings of the consultation meetings responding to the aspirations of the Somaliland youths and also align with Somaliland National Development Plan (NDP).

6. To develop an action plan for the implementation of the new national youth policy.

7. Develop consultative five-year result framework, M&E plan and Risk management matrix for the action plan.

8. Facilitate the national level consultation meeting to prioritize on key expected result areas for the new NYP.

As per the Baku commitment[2]the Somaliland National Youth Policy should be:

Rights-based – designed within a human rights-based framework, in line with the country’s global and regional commitments.

Inclusive – ensuring equal opportunities for every young person to achieve their full potential in life, including the elimination of barriers of inclusion, especially of vulnerable groups and enabling civic participation of all young people.

Participatory – designed, developed, implemented, monitored and evaluated with the meaningful participation of young people, and with the involvement of all concerned stakeholders, from the local to the national level, in both rural and urban settings, and in all development contexts, including post-conflict and transition situations.

Gender-responsive – enabling specific actions to promote gender equality, ensure young women are equal partners to young men and to address gender-based disparities in all settings, from political to socio-economic and cultural.

Comprehensive – adopting a holistic approach to youth development, through increased collaboration across policy sectors, Ministries and other relevant entities as well as by providing an integrated strategic framework that guides legislation and measures affecting youth.

Knowledge-based and evidence-informed – developed and updated, based on the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative and qualitative information on the situation, needs, challenges and opportunities of young women and men in Somaliland.

4.1 Key Deliverables

At the end of the assignment, the consultant is expected of the following:

1. An inception report that included all aspects identified above including a detailed work plan with a detailed schedule of activities, methodology and tools to be applied.

2. Finalized National Youth Policy document

3. Final Action Plan for the Implementation of the Revised National Youth Policy, result framework Monitoring & Evaluation Plan and Risk Management Plan.

The following principles should underpin expected deliverables:

• Respect child’s right to be heard and ensure that the views and experiences of children and parents are taken into account in the development of services and policies that affect them;

• Adopt a strength-based approach that is non-judgmental and that values adolescents’ empowerment;

• Interpret youth policies within a children’s rights approach as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and recognize children and young people as citizens in their own right;

4.2 Timeline

Total length of the assignment is 70 working days within the period of beginning of April until June 2023. The working schedule will be determined jointly by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and SOS Children’s Villages.

1. ​​​​​​​Reporting line

The consultant will report directly to SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland and Ministry of Youth and Sports.

1. Qualification and Experience

The selected consultant should meet the following requirements:

Education

• Advanced (Master’s level Degree) in Public Policy, Policies and Strategies Development,

International Relations, Public Administration, Management, Social/Behavioral Sciences or any other related technical field.

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in policy and strategies development.

• Prior experience working with public institutions on international and national policy development as well as national and action plan and M & E plans.

• Knowledge of youth related good practices and trends in youth engagement

• Proven experience in working on youth development and/or child rights related policies, programs, and/or guidelines for social sectors and/or programs specifically focusing on strengthening youth policies and capacities;

• Must have good knowledge of the Somaliland National Development Plan, SDGs, youth development, economics, community engagement and political participation and technical expertise in project management, data analysis, research and drafting implementation plans.

• Experience working in Somaliland is an asset.

• First-hand knowledge of the socio-cultural, economic and political situation in Somaliland will be an added advantage.

• Willingness to work in difficult circumstances, including traveling to Somaliland regions

• Experience in working with the Government of Somaliland will be an asset;

Languages Skills

• Excellent command of spoken and written English and Somali language.

• Knowledge of Somaliland context is an asset.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

• Exceptional writing skills.

• Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills.

• Conceptual and analytical skills with ability to produce high quality work.

• Ability to work under time constraints and deadlines in challenging settings.

• Ability to work in multicultural and multi ethnic environments.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish effective working relations with other

• stakeholders.

• Experience in convening and facilitating consultations.

• Ability to work independently.

• Ability to work in a team and good interpersonal skills.

• Must be committed to respecting deadlines of delivery outputs within the agreed timeframe;

How to apply

How to Apply:

Interested individuals are requested to submit their proposals which should include, but not limited to, Experience, Technical Expertise, Methodology, Work Plan as well as a Financial Proposal for the duration of the consultancy to: hr@sos-somaliland.org. Closing dateis 31-03-2023. SOS is an equal employer; Qualified & Competent Consultants are encouraged to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

SOS Children’s Villages organization is committed to safeguarding the rights of the children, and therefore, it is expected that every individual who joins with SOS Children’s Villages Somaliland understands his/her responsibility in protecting and keeping children always safe.

Note: Indicate the Title of the consultancy and location on the subject of email.