Consultancy: End-of-Project Evaluation - Environmental Politics Program

End-of-Project Evaluation – “Strengthening Civil Society Actors: Towards a Just Environmental Transition in the Middle East and North Africa (EPP Project)”

Start and End Date: January – March 2026
Reference: EPP–EVAL
Deadline to Apply: January 11, 2026

Background

The Arab Reform Initiative (ARI) is seeking a qualified external consultant to undertake the end-of-project evaluation of the “Strengthening Civil Society Actors: Towards a Just Environmental Transition in the Middle East and North Africa (EPP)” project, funded by the European Union (EU).

The project, launched in 2022, is implemented by a consortium led by ARI with partners Alternative Policy Solutions (APS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (MIPA). It mainly operates in Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, with a regional and EU-level advocacy component.

The project’s overarching goal is to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) and locally led initiatives to meaningfully engage in policy dialogues and to ensure that environmental and climate action in the MENA region is just, inclusive, and democratic. Over three years, the EPP project has worked around three key themes: Energy transition, Water justice and Food sovereignty.

Purpose of the Evaluation

A Results-Oriented Monitoring (ROM) mission for this project was conducted by the European Union between 20 October and 5 November 2025. The ROM report provided an independent assessment of the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, coherence, and contribution to EU priorities. It includes detailed findings on consortium coordination, stakeholder engagement, EU Delegations’ involvement, progress toward outputs, and emerging outcomes such as strengthened Just Environmental Transition (JET) networks and improved evidence-based advocacy

The external evaluation shall build on and deepen, rather than duplicate, the analysis already carried out by the ROM. The evaluation will also generate forward-looking, strategic insights to support ARI’s future programming choices, including considerations related to thematic focus, partnership models, and approaches to scaling and institutionalization, in line with lessons emerging from the ROM and stakeholder feedback.

Objectives of the Evaluation

The overall objective of the evaluation is to assess the performance and results of the “Strengthening Civil Society Actors: Towards a Just Environmental Transition in the Middle East and North Africa (EPP)” project, while generating learning to inform future programming. Specifically, the evaluation aims to:

  • Deepen the analysis and support the scaling up of the findings and recommendations of the EU Results-Oriented Monitoring (ROM) review.
  • Assess the project’s achievements in strengthening civil society capacities, networks, and policy engagement and explore what priorities civil society sees for continued capacity building and to allow them to meaningfully engage in policy discussions nationally, regionally and with the EU.
  • Examine sustainability and longer-term effects of project results.
  • Assess communication and outreach efforts and draw lessons on how they can be tailored (specifically in relation to dissemination of research findings).
  • Design and administer a structured survey with key stakeholders to capture impacts from the project and action points for the next phase of the project.
  • Generate forward-looking insights to inform the design and orientation of future programming on JET with particular attention to how successful approaches under EPP could be adapted, scaled, or sustained across different country contexts and stakeholder ecosystems.

Evaluation Questions

Validation of ROM Findings

  • Based on a review of the ROM report and targeted consultations, the evaluator will identify any significant divergences or additional insights emerging from the final phase of implementation or from stakeholder perspectives.
  • Clarify outstanding issues or recommendations from the ROM that require deeper reflection or contextualization.

This validation is expected to be proportionate and non-duplicative.

Learning and Future Programming Questions

The core evaluator will focus on the following learning-oriented questions:

  • How do different stakeholder groups perceive the role, relevance, and added value of EU engagement in advancing a just environmental transition in the region?
  • What opportunities and constraints exist for engaging a wider range of actors—such as private sector entities, social enterprises, or green entrepreneurs—in future just transition initiatives? Under what conditions could such engagement be expanded in future initiatives while preserving civil society leadership, inclusiveness, and accountability?
  • What potential exists for strengthening partnerships with universities and academic institutions to support learning, research, and policy engagement?
  • What lessons can be drawn regarding the design, delivery, and institutionalization of capacity-building initiatives in the field of just environmental transition, including considerations related to target audiences, delivery modalities, partnerships, and sustainability?

The evaluator is expected to ground responses to these questions in evidence from the EPP project and the ROM review, while incorporating stakeholder perspectives and comparative insights where relevant.

Methodology

The evaluation will adopt a light, mixed-methods approach, building primarily on existing evidence. A detailed methodology will be proposed by the evaluator in the inception phase, clearly explaining how additional analysis will complement and build on the ROM findings.

Desk Review

  • The desk review will focus on a limited set of core documents, including:
    Description of Action and Logical Framework.
  • Key narrative reports.
  • Selected monitoring data and project outputs.
  • EU Results-Oriented Monitoring (ROM) report.

Data Collection

Primary data collection will be limited and targeted, and is expected to include:

  • A small number of semi-structured interviews with ARI staff and consortium partners.
  • Interviews with a select subset of stakeholders previously consulted during the ROM, to support coherence and validation of findings.
  • A small number of additional exploratory interviews, where strictly necessary, to inform learning and forward-looking questions on capacity building, partnerships, or future engagement.

The evaluator should prioritize stakeholders with a strategic or cross-cutting perspective and avoid unnecessary duplication of interviews.
Preliminary findings will be shared with ARI for factual validation prior to finalization of the report. Ethical considerations, including informed consent and confidentiality, must be respected throughout the evaluation.

Preliminary findings will be shared with ARI for factual validation prior to finalization of the report. Ethical considerations, including informed consent and confidentiality, must be respected throughout the evaluation.

Duration and Level of Effort

Given that the ROM report already provides a substantial evidence base and independent findings, the evaluation is expected to require a lower level of effort than a full end-of-project evaluation. The streamlined approach focuses on validating, complementing, and deepening ROM analysis.

Estimated Duration: 2-3 months (January-March 2026)
Estimated Level of Effort: 30 working days

Consultant Profile

The selected consultant(s) should demonstrate:

  • At least 7 years of experience in evaluation of multi-country, EU-funded projects, preferably on environmental justice, civil society, or governance.
  • Proven experience in conducting impact or end-of-project evaluations.
  • Advanced degree in social sciences, environmental policy, or international development.
  • Excellent knowledge of MENA regional dynamics related to civil society and environmental transition.
  • Strong understanding of participatory and learning-oriented evaluation approaches.
  • Excellent analytical, report-writing, and communication skills in English (Arabic or French desirable).
  • Demonstrated experience ensuring ethical data collection and safeguarding participant confidentiality.

Application Process

Qualified consultants or firms are invited to submit:

  1. A short technical proposal outlining
    • Understanding of the ToR and objectives
    • Proposed methodology and data collection tools
    • Tentative work plan and timeline
  2. A financial proposal (daily rate and total estimated cost).
  3. CV(s) of key expert(s).
  4. Sample(s) of previous evaluation reports relevant to similar projects.

Applications should be submitted by email to recruitment@arab-reform.net with the subject line: “EPP – End-of-Project Evaluation” by January 11, 2026.