The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation is seeking to engage a Consultant or a team of Consultants to provide Information and Digital Security Training for WCSOs i.e. partner organisations in North Macedonia.
Please read more in the terms of reference below.
Terms of Reference
1. Background
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation (Kvinna till Kvinna) is a Swedish organisation that supports women in areas affected by war and conflict, to increase women’s power and influence. Today we cooperate with more than 130 women’s organisations in five regions. Kvinna till Kvinna started at the beginning of the 1990’s in the Western Balkans as a direct result of the atrocities of the war.
We collaborate with women’s organisations that play an active part in peace and transition processes as well as promoting women’s rights and gender equality.
The mandate of Kvinna till Kvinna is to:
– Empower women in war and conflict-affected regions by enhancing
their self-esteem, their mental and physical well-being and their participation in the creation of a democratic society.
– Promote studies and research concerning the effects of war and armed conflict on women.
– Provide information about the effects of war and to raise public opinion in favour of peaceful conflict resolution using non-military methods.
Kvinna till Kvinna shall operate without attaching importance to religious, political, national or ethnic affiliation. These requirements also apply to Kvinna till Kvinna’s partner organisations.
Bilateral programme ”Strengthening Women’s Rights and Women’s Participation in North Macedonia”
Kvinna till Kvinna, in partnership with six women’s rights organisations working for women’s rights and gender equality, is implementing a bilateral programme (2020-2025) in North Macedonia. The purpose of the programme is to make use of the window of opportunity provided by the conditionality of the EU-accession process, to achieve positive changes with regards to gender equality and women’s rights, contributing also to Sweden’s new strategy for the Western Balkans.
The programme has three thematic focuses, that is:
- Prevention of and protection from gender-based violence. The goal is to contribute to better access to justice for rights holders and rule of law through policy and attitude changes regarding gender-based violence;
- The women, peace and security agenda. The goal is to create conditions for women and girls to participate fully and effectively in the development of an equal and democratic society, and towards the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda; and
- Women’s economic empowerment. The goal is to contribute to changes in policy and practice regarding women’s economic empowerment (WEE).
One of the strategic methods of the programme is capacity development activities for the partner organisations and other women’s civil society organisations (WCSOs), based on their needs.
2. Objectives and Scope of the Assignment
WCSOs and women human rights defenders (WHRDs) operate in challenging environments, facing unique threats and coordinated efforts to discredit and silence them. Their increasing reliance on digital technology exposes them to cybersecurity incidents, making it essential to understand these risks and adopt secure practices. While cyber-attacks are on the rise, very few organisations have basic security policies and protocols. Hence, WCSOs and WHRDs need solid understanding of digital information security and practical skills to mitigate threats effectively. Information and Digital security training will equip organisations with hands-on learning to navigate and be safer in the digital environment.
The Consultant/s shall:
- Assess the capacity of the selected Civil Society Organisations and their knowledge in information and digital security.
- Design a tailor-made training module to address the main identified capacity gaps.
- Develop a training plan and agenda
- Conduct a live training in information and digital security in line with the designed training module and training plan.
- The training agenda should cover topics from the following list:
• Information Classification and CIA
– Data Protection and Web Application Security Testin
– Secure Sharing of Information and Documents
• Protection and Management of Personal and Sensitive Data
– Secure e-mail management
– Secure Password Management
– Two-Factor and Multi-Factor Authentication
– Data Encryption
– Antivirus and Security Software
– Online Scams/E-mail scams
– Phishing Attacks and Malware
– Safe Use of the Internet, Wi-Fi, and HTTPS
– Networks and Information Systems
– E-Services, Electronic Documents, and Digital Signatures
• Security Risks and Incidents, including response
• Staying secure while working remotely
• Social Media Security practices
• How to be secure in case of loss of device/theft
• Other area/s, identified by the consultant/s
3. Expected outcome of the Assignment
The Consultant/s is expected to design and provide on-site training on Information and Digital Security for Kvinna till Kvinna partner organisations in North Macedonia. Total thirteen civil society organisations represented with two staff members each will attend the training.
At the end of the training program, participants should have gained improved understanding and knowledge on Information and Digital Security, and be equipped with basic skills to protect digital information and manage security risks.
4. Deliverables:
The following deliverables are required under this assignment:
• An assessment of the level of understanding and needs of current Kvinna till Kvinna
partners in North Macedonia in the areas of information and digital security
• A tailored training module which includes the main findings from the assessment
• Designed and developed training plan and agenda
• A live three-day training for up to 26 persons, representing 13 organisations delivered
• Final report on the training with key conclusions and recommendations for future work
on information and digital security for this target group
• An online consultation with Kvinna till Kvinna staff, based on the final report and
experiences drawn during the training.
4. Methodology
Easily accessible, online assessment. On-site, interactive training in North Macedonia, tailored to professional staff of WCSOs and WHRDs. All information gathered during the preparation and implementation of the assignment will be documented in the final report to Kvinna till Kvinna.
Detailed planning and priorities of the assignment, including methodology and training agenda will be discussed and agreed with Kvinna till Kvinna.
5. Time frame and reporting
The duration of the assignment is between 27th of February – 30th March 2025. The final report to Kvinna till Kvinna shall be submitted no later than March 30th, 2025.
The training programme is scheduled to take place the third week of March 2025. A total of eight(8) full days is expected to be used for this assignment: One (1) day assessment design and analysis; Two (2) days training preparation; Three (3) days for training implementation; and two (2) days for the post-training report and feedback/consultation with Kvinna till Kvinna staff.
6. Contact person at Kvinna till Kvinna
The Consultant/s will work in close dialogue with Kvinna till Kvinna’s Programme Officer in North Macedonia, Emilija Dimoska Trajkovska, [email protected].
7. Required skills and qualifications
The Consultant/s should have:
− Extensive experience in Information and Digital Security, in theory and practice.
− Documented skills in implementing interactive trainings on different aspects of
information and digital security, preferable including targeting civil society
organisations and WHRDs.
− Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills and demonstrated ability to
engage and communicate effectively.
− Knowledge on gendered aspects of information and digital security is considered an
asset.
− Knowledge of the security context in the Western Balkans and specifically North
Macedonia.
− Excellent collaboration and organisational skills.
− Ability to speak Macedonian in a professional setting is considered an asset.
− Proficiency in English.
− Excellent analytical and report writing skills.
8. Application procedure and deadlines
The assignment is expected to last approximately 8 working days. The Consultant/s needs to present a technical and financial proposal based on the Terms of Reference.
The proposal must outline the facilitator’s proposed methodologies, references related to the execution of similar contracts, experience in similar areas, or evidence of knowledge and a proposed timeline. Submission of a proposal on the assignment must be delivered on or before 27 January, 2025 via Kvinna till Kvinna’s career platform.
Kvinna till Kvinna intends to sign a contract no later than February 27th, 2025.