Terms of Reference (ToR)
for
Development of National Roadmap on CEDAW GR40 and National Strategy on Women’s Leadership and Representation

1. Background

WAVE Foundation and ActionAid Bangladesh have started implementing the Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Democratic Reforms through Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Participation in Decision Making (GRIP) project under the Democratic Reforms through Inclusive Participation in Bangladesh (DRIP) project. This project is being implemented under the UN Electoral Assistance program. The project aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive democratic institutions in Bangladesh during a critical period of political reform. Simultaneously, the project empowers civil society organizations and women-led platforms to advocate for inclusive governance and women's political leadership. It will achieve this by strengthening national institutions to be more inclusive and responsive, improving data availability to inform reforms, and creating an enabling environment for civil society to engage in governance. The project will be implemented across eight districts: Khulna, Patuakhali, Bogura, Mymensingh, Satkhira, Jamalpur, Kurigram, and Cox’s Bazar, covering 16 upazilas under six divisions.

As part of Output 1: Enhanced capacities of the national institutions to engage with civil society and communities to promote gender-responsive and inclusive decision-making and Output 2, Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations and women-led organizations, ActionAid Bangladesh seeks to engage a qualified consulting firm or a consultant with a strong team to develop and validate a national roadmap for the implementation of CEDAW General Recommendation 40 (GR40), which emphasizes women’s equal participation in political and public life and addressing violence against women in politics (VAWP), and a national-level strategy on women’s leadership and representation.

The roadmap will support national reform processes by aligning international commitments with Bangladesh’s legal, institutional, and policy frameworks and by engaging key stakeholders, including the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC), civil society, and women-led organizations. And the strategy will be informed by rigorous feminist and political economy analysis and will guide advocacy, district-level engagement, and dissemination efforts at national and sub-national levels.

2. Objective

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based National Roadmap for the implementation of CEDAW GR40 in Bangladesh and a National Strategy for Women’s Leadership and Representation in Bangladesh, which:

CEDAW GR40 National Roadmap:

• Identify gaps in implementation of GR40 commitments
• Analyzes institutional, legal, and socio-political barriers
• Identifies strategic entry points for reform
• Provides actionable recommendations for stakeholders
• Supports advocacy and policy engagement at the national level

National Strategy Development:

• Identifies systemic, institutional, political, and socio-cultural barriers to women’s leadership and representation.
• Analyzes power dynamics affecting women’s participation in political and governance processes.
• Identifies strategic entry points and opportunities for shifting power relations in favor of gender equality.
• Provides actionable recommendations to guide advocacy, civic engagement, and coalition-building by civil society, women-led organizations, and networks.
• Provides guiding framework for national and district-level advocacy, awareness campaigns, and stakeholder engagement under the project.

3. Scope of Work

The consulting firm will undertake the following tasks:

CEDAW GR40 National Roadmap:

a. Analytical Assessment

• Conduct desk review of relevant policies, laws, and frameworks
• Apply feminist and political economy analysis
• Identify institutional and systemic gaps related to GR40 implementation

b. Stakeholder Engagement and Consultation

• Conduct consultations with government institutions, BEC, civil society organizations, women-led organizations, and development partners
• Ensure inclusive and participatory approaches

c. Roadmap Development

Develop a national roadmap including the following:

• Vision, objectives, and priority areas
• Strategic actions and timelines
• Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders
• Monitoring and accountability mechanisms

d. Validation and Dissemination

• Facilitate one national-level validation workshop
• Incorporate feedback and finalize the roadmap document

National Strategy Development:

a. Analytical Assessment

• Conduct a feminist power analysis and political economy analysis (PEA) focusing on women’s leadership and representation in Bangladesh.
• Analyze legal, institutional, political, and socio-cultural frameworks affecting women’s participation in politics and decision-making.
• Examine intersectional barriers faced by marginalized groups, including women with disabilities, ethnic minorities, young women, and gender-diverse communities.
• Review existing policies, strategies, research, and best practices at national and international levels.

b. Stakeholder Engagement and Consultation

• Design and conduct consultations with key stakeholders, including:
• Women-led and women’s rights organizations
• Civil society organizations and networks
• Youth groups
• Political actors and local governance representatives
• Relevant institutions and advocacy platforms
• Ensure inclusive and participatory approaches, reflecting feminist and rights-based principles.

c. Strategy Development

• Develop a National Strategy for Women’s Leadership and Representation, including:
• Vision, goals, and strategic objectives
• Priority thematic areas and pathways for change
• Clear recommendations for policy advocacy, civic engagement, and movement-building
• Roles of CSOs, women-led organizations, networks, and allies
• Short, medium, and long-term actions
• Monitoring and learning considerations

d. Validation and Dissemination

• Facilitate and/or support:
• One national-level dissemination and validation event (approximately 100 participants)
• Eight local/district-level dissemination events (approximately 70 participants in total)
• Incorporate feedback from dissemination events into the final strategy.
• Produce user-friendly dissemination materials (e.g., summary brief, presentation deck).

4. Deliverables

The consulting firm is expected to deliver:

a. Inception Report: Detailed methodology, analytical framework, work plan, and consultation approach for both the roadmap and strategy.

b. CEDAW GR40 National Roadmap:

• Draft National Roadmap on CEDAW GR40
• Validation Workshop Report
• Final National Roadmap Document
• Executive Summary / Policy Brief

c. National Strategy Development:

1. Analytical Assessment Report: Findings from feminist power analysis and political economy analysis.
2. Draft National Strategy for Women’s Leadership and Representation.
3. Final National Strategy Document: Incorporating feedback from AAB, partners, and dissemination events.
4. Dissemination Materials:
   1. PowerPoint presentation
   2. Executive summary / policy brief

All deliverables must be submitted in both English and Bangla.

5. Timeline

The assignment will be completed within 48 working days/3 months (max) from contract signing.

6. Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Gender Studies, Political Science, Development Studies, Sociology, or a related field.
• Minimum 7–10 years of demonstrated experience in:
• Gender equality and women’s leadership
• Feminist analysis and political economy analysis
• Governance, democracy, and civic engagement programming
• Policy development
• Proven experience in developing national-level strategies or policy frameworks.
• Proven experience working on CEDAW or international frameworks.
• Strong understanding of Bangladesh’s political, social, and institutional context.
• Demonstrated experience working with civil society and women-led organizations.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and facilitation skills.

7. Reporting

The consultant will report to the Lead, Women’s Rights and Gender Equity, ActionAid Bangladesh and work closely with the GRIP project team.

8. Payment Schedule

The payment will be made according to the following time frame/arrangement:

The payments will be made in A/C payee cheques in the name of the Firm/Consultant. ActionAid Bangladesh will deduct income tax and VAT at source as per the rules of GoB and it will be deposited to the treasury of GoB. Besides, no other benefits should be admissible beyond what is stipulated in the contract, nor does it guarantee a regular position in ActionAid Bangladesh.

9. Expiry of Agreement and Negotiable Flexibility

Considering the initiative as proactive and responsive, activities can be amended and elaborated based on the properly documented negotiation between the two parties. The agreement will be invalidated after the expiry of the duration unless a further extension is made by ActionAid Bangladesh. ActionAid Bangladesh also reserves the right to amend or change or cancel the agreement at any time.

10. Ethical Standards

• Apply feminist, rights-based, and inclusive approaches.
• Ensure confidentiality and informed participation.
• Adhere to ActionAid Bangladesh and UN Women safeguarding and ethical standards.
• Ownership of all outputs, e.g., reports, documents, information, findings, etc., produced by this assignment will be treated as ActionAid Bangladesh and its donor’s property. They can use the findings and recommendations for necessary interventions and policy advocacy.

11. Application Process

Interested consultants/firms should submit:

• CV/portfolio
• Relevant work samples
• Technical and financial proposal

12. Evaluation Criteria

• Creativity and quality of past work (40%)
• Understanding of the assignment (20%)
• Cost-effectiveness (20%)
• Timeliness and availability (20%)

Submission of proposal: ActionAid Bangladesh invites proposal from management consulting firm/ agency/ organization/ individual consultant.

Interested Consultant (S are requested to submit their Proposals as instructions below:

• Last date of Application is 31 May 2026
• Please click below the link to submit your proposals

Link: https://jobs.actionaidbd.org/consultancy

Disclaimer: ActionAid Bangladesh reserves the right to accept or reject any or all applications without assigning any reason thereof