The Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA) hereby invites proposals for an evaluation of Swedish support to human rights strengthening in partner countries.
Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash
The Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA) hereby invites proposals for an evaluation of Swedish support to human rights strengthening in partner countries.The purpose is to assess the relevance and effectiveness of Swedish aid to the strengthening of national capacity to protect and promote human rights.
Evaluation aim, components and questions:
The objective of the evaluation is to assess the relevance and effectiveness (goal-achievement) of Swedish aid aiming to contribute to strengthening compliance with human rights norms and treaties in partner countries. The evaluation should focus on support to official human rights institutions and mechanisms operating at global, regional and national levels as well as relevant UN funds or programs and multi-donor partnerships for which a spelled-out goal is to strengthen national reforms and capacity to protect and promote human rights. The evaluation should include Swedish support allocated during the period 2015-2025. The evaluation should contribute to learning for future development cooperation aimed to strengthen human rights compliance.
The evaluation shall include:
1. A literature review, based on previous research and evaluations, focusing on the question:
What is the state of knowledge about:
- The role and effectiveness of the different human rights institutions and mechanisms (e.g. OHCHR regional and country offices, NHRIs and regional human rights organs and courts) and of specific forms of support/interventions (e.g. legal advice, institutional strengthening, human rights monitoring and reporting, stakeholder dialogue etc.) in strengthening state compliance with human rights?
- The factors or circumstances affecting the role or effectiveness of specific human rights institutions, mechanisms and forms of support/interventions?
2. A portfolio mapping covering the period 2015-2025, consisting of an in-depth overview and analysis of Sweden’s steering, strategic objectives, supported institutions/partners, intervention types, countries/regions, expected outcomes and explicit or underlying theory/ies of change pertaining to the strengthening of state capacity to protect and promote human rights. The portfolio should be analyzed in relation to the findings from component 1 and address the question of the relevance of the Swedish portfolio in relation to the state of knowledge of the functioning of different support modalities.
3. Country case studies of the support for the strengthening of state capacity to protect and promote human rights in 2-3 countries: Following an analysis of the overall portfolio, a number of countries should be selected for in-depth studies of portfolios and interventions at country level. The case studies should answer the questions:
- Are the interventions relevant in relation to pertinent human rights issues in the countries (identified and reported by the treaty bodies, UPR, special rapporteurs and fact-finding missions)?
- Has the support to formal human rights institutions at regional and national level achieved its objectives in terms of strengthening the capacity of partner countries to protect and promote human rights (effectiveness)? Why/why not?
Procurement procedure
The procedure will be a restricted procedure in two stages. At both stages, tenderers are expected to disclose potential conflicts of interest pertaining to members in the evaluation team, as this may be a ground for exclusion of a proposal. EBA expects tenderers to argue for why a certain condition will not constitute a conflict of interest.
The first stage is the application to submit tenders, while the second is the submission of a tender.
The maximum cost for this evaluation is SEK 1 800 000 excl. VAT (approximately EUR 163 000), and the call is open until midnight (CEST) on the 1st of September 2025.
Follow the link below to learn more about the invitation.