Request for Proposals: Documentation Consultant for Regional Advocacy Meeting on Countering Religious Opposition

Location: The consultant must be based in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Background

Across South Asia, opposition movements—driven by right-wing political agendas and religious conservatism—are increasingly challenging the rights of marginalized communities. In this environment, advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights is often obstructed by cultural taboos, entrenched gender norms, and narratives rooted in traditional interpretations of morality. Religious leaders/organizations hold significant influence over public opinion and policy discourse, making their engagement critical to countering misinformation, reducing stigma, and promoting inclusive narratives.

Building on the successful initiatives led by some of our Member Associations (MAs), IPPF SAR now aims to strengthen and scale this model across the region, equipping Member Associations and partners to adapt faith-sensitive approaches within their own socio-religious contexts. This regional meeting will bring together advocacy and communication leads from MAs, faith leaders, and community representatives to share best practices, address misconceptions, and co-develop a culturally relevant advocacy roadmap.

Workshop Proceedings Report: A comprehensive document detailing session summary, participant reflections, key discussion points, and recommendations for follow-up which will include the following:

• Faith-Sensitive Advocacy Roadmap: A contextualized action plan developed by participating Member Associations (MAs), outlining strategies to engage faith-based actors for advancing trans rights and SRHRJ in their respective countries.
• Shared Commitment Statement or Declaration: A values-based statement or declaration (optional but aspirational) co-endorsed by religious leaders and MAs affirming inclusive principles, human dignity, and the need to uphold rights and health for marginalized communities.
• Documentation of Best Practices and Lessons Learned: A compiled report or brief capturing key learnings, insights from dialogues, and case stories to support replication and adaptation across the region.
• Federation Case Study/Knowledge Product: A structured case study or learning document developed from the convening, serving as a resource for other MAs engaging with faith-based opposition.
• Follow-Up Strategy Framework: A framework for post-convening follow-up, including potential technical support, peer exchange opportunities, and regional coordination for continued faith engagement.

Key Tasks and Timelines

The consultant will be responsible for documenting the regional advocacy Meeting as follows:

1. Pre-Meeting Preparation:

• Reviewing the agenda, background materials, and participant list.
• Developing standardized templates for effective notetaking.

2. Documentation During the Meeting (8th -9th Sept 2025, Colombo)

• Capturing detailed notes on all presentations, discussions, and interactions.
• Recording key decisions, recommendations, and agreed action points, including attributing perspectives and contributions to individuals by name where appropriate.
• Using audio recordings to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Taking 10–15 high-quality photographs to complement the final report.

3. Post-Meeting Deliverables

• Submitting the first draft of the report by 20 Sept 2025.
• Submitting the final report by 30 Sept 2025.

4. Confidentiality & Quality Assurance

• The consultant will use a combination of real-time notetaking and audio recordings, ensuring strict confidentiality through secure, encrypted file storage. The final report must present a comprehensive and accurate account of the proceedings, capturing the depth, nuances, and diversity of perspectives shared during the event.

Proposed Timeline

• Pre-meeting preparation: 6-7 September 2025
• Consent for audio recordings and photographs: 8 September 2025
• Documentation during the meeting: 8-9 September 2025
• Delivery of the first draft: 20 September 2025
• Review by IPPF SAR: 25 September 2025
• Final report submission: 30 September 2025

• Strong Technical Expertise in SRHR and demonstrated in-depth knowledge on countering opposition, including anti-gender and anti-rights agenda, opposition against family planning, contraception, safe abortion. Familiarity with global and regional SRHR frameworks, human rights-based approaches, and intersectional gender analysis.
• A nuanced understanding of religious opposition across different contexts—especially in South Asian policy contexts.
• Previous experience and collaboration with reputed institutions/ organization such as UN agencies, international NGOs, research organizations, or government bodies on SRHR knowledge initiatives.
• Strong research, analytical, and writing skills with specific experience in key areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The total duration of the assignment is expected to be not more than 30 days.

The selection of the consultant will be based on the aforementioned qualifications and experience.

To apply, interested candidates are requested to email [email protected], copying [email protected] with the subject: “Application – Documentation Consultant: Regional Advocacy Meeting ” no later than August 31st, 2025, along with:

• A Technical Proposal (not more than 10 pages maximum) indicating:
  • The suitability for the assignment and relevant previous work, including a description of their knowledge in SRHR, advocacy, countering opposition, and experience in documentation.
  • Proposal should clearly depict the understanding of the ToR, mention workplan, timeline, and relevant experience.
  • Provide a list of previous, similar assignments in the past two years.
• A Financial Proposal, with details of the daily rate for the documentation work as well as any other potential cost and a breakdown of working days according to the expected deliverables. The financial proposal should also indicate if the service tax or GST (as applicable) has been included or not.

Read the attached Terms of Reference (ToR) below to know more and apply.