Terms of Reference: Strengthening Advocacy Capacity of Regional Support Mechanism Host Partners

Overview of the Advocacy Capacity Strengthening:

The Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) team at CIVICUS is seeking a highly experienced Advocacy Specialist to strengthen the capacity of Regional Support Mechanism host partners in six regions -Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa- to protect and expand digital civic space.

The Advocacy Specialist will collaborate with host partners to design and implement advocacy strategies, plans, and products that promote and protect civic space and inclusive democracy in the digital era, while driving coordinated advocacy efforts targeting national governments, the United Nations, multilateral institutions, and donor agencies.

Location: Global/Remote

Duration: 9 months

Start Date: Immediate Start.

Application Deadline: 12 September 2025

About CIVICUS

CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world, established in 1993. Since 2002, we have been proudly headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with additional hubs across the globe. The Alliance currently comprises over 15,000 members in more than 189 countries. Our definition of civil society is broad and covers non-governmental organisations, activists, civil society coalitions and networks, protest and social movements, voluntary bodies, campaigning organisations, charities, faith-based groups, trade unions and philanthropic foundations. Our membership is diverse, spanning a wide range of issues, sizes and organisation types, while the staff is based across the globe in over 20 countries. This diversity is one of the Alliance’s most significant strengths and we are continually searching for practical ways to implement diverse and inclusive principles within civil society.

About the Digital Democracy Initiative

The Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) is a programme that emerged from Denmark’s Tech for Democracy initiative in response to the shrinking democratic and civic space. Its objective is “to promote and protect local inclusive democratic space in the digital era”. The initiative is implemented by a consortium of partners comprising Access Now, CIVICUS, Digital Defenders Partnership, Global Focus, European Partnership for Democracy, Fondo de Mujeres del Sur, Witness, and IWGIA. The Digital Democracy Initiative, Enable & Amplify Project, led by CIVICUS in partnership with Global Focus, aims to see that inclusive democracy and civic space are expanded and protected through the improved use of digital technology for civic engagement. Its target groups are local civil society actors operating in restrictive contexts in the global south.

Background

Digital technologies have significantly reshaped the democratic landscape. The internet and related tools have become crucial for fostering civic participation, enhancing transparency, and advocating for human rights. Civil society organizations (CSOs) are at the forefront of this digital democracy movement, using technology to empower citizens, ensure government accountability, and strengthen civic communities.

Despite these advancements, the benefits of digital democracy are not evenly distributed. In regions with restricted democratic space and limited political freedoms, CSOs face considerable obstacles in promoting digital democracy. These challenges include regulatory restrictions, inadequate access to digital resources, and personal security threats.

The inception phase of the Digital Democracy Initiative involved regional explorations and co-design of financial and non-financial support mechanisms to help local civil society actors promote inclusive democracy and protect civic space in the digital age. Implemented across six global majority regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and East Asia. This process produced context-specific, needs-based mechanisms designed by local actors.

In the current phase, these mechanisms are being tested and implemented at the regional level, offering sub-grants, learning resources, technical accompaniment to strengthen organisational capacities and digital skills for action on civic space, both online and offline. Six regional host partners have been selected to lead the launch and implementation in collaboration with diverse local civil society actors.

As part of the responsibilities of the host partners, they are expected to coordinate targeted policy and advocacy work at all levels that influences civil society, donors, enablers, and allies to further strengthen the ecosystem in support of local pro-democracy civil society actors. The consultant will work with the host partners to support the development and implementation at the regional level, as well as the articulation of the targeted advocacy actions. Related advocacy work could include policy position papers, joint statements in response to specific events or decisions, bilateral and group meetings and events, direct lobbying of decision-makers, and the raising of civil society voices and perspectives in multilateral processes.

Objectives

The primary objective of this consultancy is to support host partners in designing and implement targeted advocacy actions directed at national governments, the United Nations, other multilateral institutions, and donor agencies, as well as ensuring strategic alignment and articulation of advocacy across all six regions. These actions aim to safeguard and expand an enabling environment for local civil society actors.

Host partners and their local collaborators will contribute insights and evidence to CIVICUS research and advocacy products, while also leveraging these products to advance agendas that promote civic space and inclusive democracy.

Scope of Work

The scope of work includes, but is not limited to, the following tasks:

1. National Governments: Close collaboration with the host partners and/or local collaborators to design and implement 48 advocacy actions across the 6 regions (8 per region) targeting national governments to safeguard and/or enhance an enabling environment for local civil society actors.
2. UN/Multilateral Institutions/Donor Agencies: Close collaboration with the host partners to design and implement 6 advocacy actions across the 6 regions of implementation targeting the UN and other multilateral institutions and donor agencies. These advocacy actions can focus on specific processes such as SDG 16 and supporting campaigns/coalitions for locally led development and effective enabling environments for civil society.
3. Donor Agencies: Close collaboration with the host partners to design and implement advocacy actions targeting donor agencies to strengthen local civil society support infrastructure in the global south, including expanding scope, reach and sustainability of these mechanisms, plus the adoption of similar mechanisms in further locations.
4. CIVICUS: Close collaboration with the CIVICUS regional advocacy leads and UN Advisors at New York and Geneva hubs to ensure their inputs in the design and implementation of the advocacy actions to national governments and UN and other multilateral institutions and donor agencies. Contributions from host partners and local collaborators will reflect in CIVICUS research and advocacy products.

The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications and skills:

1. A post-graduate degree in Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Information Technology, or a related field.
2. Demonstrated professional experience, particularly in digital democracy, digital rights, civil society engagement, and policy advocacy.
3. Proven track record of conducting complex, multi-regional advocacy projects, preferably within the context of international development or non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
4. Familiarity with the political, social, and technological contexts of different regions.
5. Knowledge of the UN system and its processes, particularly in relation to policy advocacy and civil society engagement.
6. Demonstrated expertise in policy advocacy and civil society engagement on digital democracy to national governments, multilateral institutions and donor agencies.
7. Strong communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas and findings in a clear and compelling manner.
8. Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including civil society actors, digital experts, and policymakers.
9. Fluency in English is required; proficiency in additional languages relevant to the regions (e.g., Spanish, French, Arabic) is highly desirable.

Reporting Requirements

The consultant will report to the Programme & Network Coordinator - DDI. Regular progress updates and milestone reviews will be conducted to ensure alignment with project objectives and timelines.

Deliverables:

1. Advocacy workplan and strategy for the 6 regions encompassing detailed plans for advocacy campaigns, including goals, target audiences, tactics etc.
2. Support to 6 regional partners towards the achievement of 48 advocacy actions (well-structured advocacy briefs/meetings/events) to national governments in the 6 regions (8 advocacy actions per region) including key messages, data-driven insights, and strategic recommendations.
3. Support to 6 regional partners towards the achievement of 6 advocacy actions (well-structured advocacy briefs/meetings/events) tailored for the UN and other multilateral institutions and donor agencies engagements, including key messages, data-driven insights, and strategic recommendations (1 advocacy action per region).
4. A report of the assignment detailing the forms of support provided, gaps, lessons learned, evidence of improved advocacy capacities for regional partners and strategic recommendations for further action.

Application Procedure:

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents to digitaldemocracy@civicus.org :

1. A cover letter (1-2 pages) introducing yourself and explaining your interest in and suitability for the consultancy.
2. A high-level proposal (max 5 pages) outlining your approach to conduct advocacy strengthening for the 6 regions to engage national governments, UN and other multilateral institutions and donor agencies.
3. A detailed budget proposal, including a breakdown of costs such as consultant fees and any other relevant costs. (Travel, if required, will be covered by CIVICUS, this does not need to be reflected in the budget).
4. A current CV highlighting relevant experience, qualifications, and language proficiencies.
5. A sample of previous work on advocacy to national governments, UN and other multilateral institutions and donor agencies. This may include policy position papers, joint statements in response to specific events or decisions, bilateral and group meetings and events
6. Contact information for three (3) individuals or organisations that can attest to the quality and impact of your previous work.

Submission Details:

All proposals should be submitted in MS Word format in English to digitaldemocracy@civicus.org

1. The application deadline is 12 September

Selection Process:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted and may be asked to provide further information or clarification on their proposals. Due to the high volume of proposals received, we are unable to provide detailed feedback on each application. However, we will notify all candidates about the status of their application.

If you have any questions, please contact us at the above email address: digitaldemocracy@civicus.org