Consultant to develop an advocacy strategy and action plan on European commission staff working document Delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals –A comprehensive approach

Finnish Development NGOs – Fingo, a leader of Towards Open, Fair and Sustainable Europe in the World – EU Presidency Project 2019-2021, is seeking a consultant to develop an advocacy strategy and action plan on European commission staff working document Delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals –A comprehensive approach. 

Background

During Finland’s EU presidency 2019 one of the main priorities for Fingo was the lobbying for greater implementation of Agenda 2030 in European Union. Only this autumn European Commission has announced its staff working document on delivering SDGs.

As part of the EU presidency project Fingo wants to get more clarity in the implementation of commission´s plans specifically on this part of staff working document: Ensuring policy coherence for sustainable development.

We are specifically interested in commission´s concreate plan of actions and indicators on that. For effective next steps Fingo will hire an external consultant to help in developing an advocacy strategy and action plan for us.

Link to the European commission staff working document Delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals –A comprehensive approach

Purpose

The purpose of the consultancy is to support Fingo’s advocacy work on sustainable development by providing an advocacy strategy and action plan on how to advocate more effectively at the EU-level.  

Tasks and deliverables

The consultant is expected to perform the following tasks: 

  • Analyze European commission staff working document Delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – A comprehensive approach and together with Fingo representatives identify the most relevant goals and objectives for Fingo’s advocacy work to achieve policy change at the European level 
  • Conduct a meta-analysis of existing research about the subject. 
  • Conduct a rapid media analysis about the subject, to feed into the final report. 
  • Collect primary data in the form of approximately ten (10) key qualitative interviews, of which the findings will be compared with the secondary data and fed into the final report. 
  • Identify key target groups and stakeholders for EU-level advocacy and analyse how to engage with stakeholders in order to effectively advance the report’s recommendations 
  • Identity upcoming strategic policy processes and opportunities in EU policy expected to take place within the coming 2-4 years, providing moments for advocacy  
  • Help Fingo to elaborate policy recommendations to clear and compelling advocacy messages 

Main deliverables: 

  • A brief inception report of 2-4 pages presenting the methodology and data to be used, as well as an updated work plan and schedule.  
  • An assessment report covering the expectations mentioned in the ToR 
  • Advocacy strategy and action plan including:  
  • Clarification of goals and objectives of advocacy (long term and short term), 
  • Elaborating clear and compelling advocacy messages 
  • Identification of key targets for advocacy (individuals and groups; decision makers and other stakeholders) 
  • Identification of most relevant EU-level policy processes and windows of opportunities for advocacy in next 3 – 5 years. 
  • A maximum of two-page summary of the report and its results 
  • A PowerPoint presentation of the results  

Requirements

Applicants may be individual consultants, firms (e.g. communications agencies with expertise on political advocacy) or groups of individual consultants with a designated team lead.  

Applicants must have at a minimum the following qualifications: 

  • Demonstrated experience of knowledge and influence in political processes at European level  
  • Demonstrated experience of advocacy work and strategic planning (preferably with NGOs) 
  • Knowledge of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and/or EU policies on environmental and social sustainability.  
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English language. Communication skills in Finnish would be an asset. 

Applications are to be sent no later than 8 February 2021 to rilli.lappalainen@fingo.fi.   

Contact details and further information

Rilli Lappalainen
Director, sustainable development
rilli.lappalainen@fingo.fi
+358 50 5613456