External Evaluation of the Project “Leaving No One on Death Row Behind: Toward an Abolitionist Struggle Sensitive to Intersectional Gender Discrimination” (2024–2027)

on 29 October 2026

Comprising more than 210 NGOs, bar associations, local governments, and labor unions, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty was founded in Rome on May 13, 2002.

The World Coalition aims to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its ultimate goal is to achieve the universal abolition of the death penalty. To this end, it advocates for the permanent elimination of death sentences and executions wherever the death penalty is in force. In some countries, it seeks to reduce the use of capital punishment as a first step toward abolition

Mission: The founding mission of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, as set forth in its bylaws, is to bring together private, public, international, national, local, and regional organizations that share the common goal of the universal abolition of the death penalty

Objectives: The World Coalition aims to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its ultimate goal is the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Guiding Principles: The World Coalition provides a global perspective to the sometimes isolated efforts of its member organizations in the field. It complements their initiatives while consistently respecting their independence.

Vision: The World Coalition’s vision is to be a leading global network, recognized worldwide for coordinating, supporting, and amplifying the work of its member organizations in favor of the universal abolition of the death penalty.

By fostering networking among its members and the exchange of experiences, the World Coalition is able to propose common international or regional strategies for the abolition of the death penalty, support abolitionists worldwide, and provide them with tools for information, awareness-raising, and mobilization.

Background

Until recently, the abolitionist movement had overlooked gender-based discrimination in capital punishment cases. It was implicitly assumed that, because of the small number of women sentenced to death worldwide, their cases were considered insignificant. In 2018, a report by the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide demonstrated the existence of intersectional gender discrimination in the application of the death penalty and sparked reflection within the abolitionist movement. In 2021, members of the World Coalition decided that the World Day Against the Death Penalty would address the invisible reality of women facing the death penalty. Thanks to access to new data on the subject, this World Day confirmed the need to include gender and intersectional discrimination in abolitionist efforts. Furthermore, it highlighted existing gaps and needs among members in this regard.

In 2022, The World Coalition began proactively integrating gender-related issues into its work, thanks to two multi-year funding agreements: one from the Government of Canada, covering the period from March 2022 to March 2025, and the other from the French Development Agency (AFD), scheduled for the period 2024–2027 and the subject of this evaluation.

This project aims to highlight the gender biases at work in the application of the death penalty and to strengthen the protection of women and LGBTQ+ individuals who are at risk of it. It thus seeks to help demonstrate, based on observed realities, that the death penalty is applied in a discriminatory manner around the world and that, as such, it must be abolished. To achieve this goal, the project is structured around the following objectives:

Overall Objective: To reduce the use of the death penalty against women, men, and gender-nonconforming individuals in the 78 countries that still retain the death penalty

Specific Objectives:

• Strengthen the engagement of civil society organizations (CSOs) in target countries in the fight for the abolition of the death penalty in a manner that is sensitive to gender-based and intersectional discrimination, guided by the principles of gender equality, diversity, equity, and inclusion
• To strengthen the protection of the rights of women, people with disabilities, youth, and LGBTQIA+ individuals facing the death penalty under the international human rights framework

Objectives of the Evaluation

This evaluation will aim to analyze the results achieved under the project “Leaving No One on Death Row Behind: Toward an Abolitionist Campaign Sensitive to Intersectional Gender Discrimination,” in light of the program’s overall objectives and the outcome indicators defined in the logical framework. It will also pay particular attention to the project’s impacts, particularly in terms of capacity-building for civil society organizations and the mobilization of international human rights protection mechanisms.

The evaluation team will follow the principles proposed by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC)—impartiality and independence, credibility, relevance, participation, and coordination—and will conduct the evaluation in accordance with the criteria defined by the DAC (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability). As this project constitutes the first phase, particular attention will be paid to the criteria of relevance, coherence, and effectiveness.

The evaluation will distinguish between the activities carried out and outputs produced, the immediate results achieved, and the medium- and long-term impacts to which the project has contributed. It will analyse the evidence supporting this contribution, taking into account external factors and any limitations. Recommendations should be concrete, prioritised and actionable in order to guide the second phase of the project.

Areas of Focus for the Evaluation:

Focus Area 1: Analysis and assessment of the results achieved during this project, in light of the program’s overall objectives and the outcome indicators outlined in the logical framework.

Specifically, the evaluation will focus on the following evaluation questions:

Cross-cutting evaluation question

• To what extent have the project’s activities and output contributed to the expected outcomes and the changes observed? What lessons and recommendations can be drawn from this for the second phase of the project?

Sub-theme: Capacity Building

• How has the project contributed to capacity building on gender and death penalty issues among organizations based in the target countries and, more broadly, among member organizations of the World Coalition?;
• What are the existing challenges regarding capacity building on gender and the death penalty for organizations based in the target countries and, more broadly, within the World Coalition?;
• To what extent is the capacity-building approach developed by the World Coalition relevant and tailored to the needs of member organizations? What are its main strengths, limitations, and potential improvements to enhance its effectiveness and sustainability?

Sub-theme: International Advocacy

• • How has the project contributed to strengthening the knowledge of United Nations member states and abolitionist human rights organizations to advocate for a gender-sensitive approach to the abolition of the death penalty?
  • To what extent is the World Coalition’s approach to measuring the impact of international advocacy relevant and tailored to the needs of member organizations? What are its main strengths, limitations, and potential improvements to enhance its effectiveness and sustainability?

Sub-theme: Fund Redistribution

• • Is the fund allocation strategy tailored to the needs of the project’s partner organizations? What are its main strengths, limitations, and potential improvements to enhance its effectiveness and sustainability?

Sub-area: Project Governance

• • How can the role of the Gender Working Group in the governance of this project be strengthened? What are its main strengths, limitations, and potential improvements to enhance its effectiveness and sustainability? More specifically, what mechanisms would help prevent and manage potential conflicts of interest within the Gender Working Group?

Axis 2: Analysis of the program’s impact on the capacity of civil society organizations and mechanisms of the international human rights system to integrate a gender-responsive abolitionist approach into their actions.

Sub-theme: Effects on Civil Society

• To what extent has the project strengthened the capacity of project partners to carry out sustainable abolitionist actions that are sensitive to intersectional gender discrimination, based on the principles of equality, diversity, equity, and gender equality?
• To what extent has the project strengthened the commitment of partners and members of the World Coalition to addressing intersectional gender discrimination?

Sub-theme: Effects on Human Rights Mechanisms

• To what extent have United Nations human rights mechanisms called out states on the intersectional gender discrimination at play in the death penalty, encouraging them to abolish the death penalty and/or reduce its use, following submissions made as part of the project?

Coordination and Methodology

Coordination

The study will be conducted by an external consultant who will work under the direction of the Advocacy and Gender Coordinator and under the supervision of the Director of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, as well as the Gender Working Group.

The consultant or consulting team will work in collaboration with the member organizations of the World Coalition and the stakeholders involved in this project and will benefit from their support by having access to working documents, research, and existing information.

Methodology

The evaluation will be conducted using a quantitative and qualitative methodology, based on the analysis of primary and secondary data.

For primary data, a participatory approach that solicits the opinions and assessments of all parties will be adopted, and interviews will be conducted with:

• Members of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
• Members of the Gender Working Group
• Representatives from the project’s target countries
• Members of the Secretariat of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
• Any additional groups identified by the consultant or the consulting team and approved by members of the World Coalition and staff.

Interviews will be conducted primarily in English, but some may be in French.

The consultancy team must adopt a participatory and inclusive approach that is sensitive to power dynamics, gender and intersectional discrimination. Particular attention will be paid to ensuring the effective participation of local and community organisations, as well as to taking into account the experiences and needs of groups directly affected by the death penalty and intersectional gender discrimination. Consultation methods must be tailored to the contexts, constraints and capacities of the individuals and organisations being consulted, in order to promote free, accessible and meaningful participation, without creating risks or imposing disproportionate burdens on participants.

The consulting team’s methodology must be sensitive to gender and intersectional discrimination.

For secondary data, the following documentation will be used:

• Interim report submitted to the French Development Agency
• Tools developed as part of the project
• Results of the external evaluation of the project funded by the Government of Canada
• Narrative reports on small grants awarded as part of the project
• Any additional documents identified by the consulting team during its research

The consulting team will be required to prepare, present, and defend the methodology it deems appropriate to achieve the objectives. It must adapt its methodology to the objectives of this consultation. To this end, the following guidelines are proposed:

Phase 1: Initial or Pre-Organizational Phase

After the consulting team is selected, a meeting will be organized to provide context and a fundamental understanding of Phase 1 of the project and, more importantly, of Phase 2. Similarly, the process for implementing the consultation and the expected deliverables will be specified and defined.

Phase 2: Validation of the Methodological Approach

The methodology proposed by the consulting team in its proposal will be reviewed, revised, and validated by the project manager and the director of the World Coalition, as well as by the Gender Working Group.

Phase 3: Design/Implementation and Initial Expected Results

The consulting team will develop the analysis. A first draft of the document’s structure will be shared for approval, along with the initial draft.

Phase 4: Sharing the Results

Presentation and approval of the final deliverables.

Deliverables

The consulting team must produce the following:

• A methodological note detailing the proposed approach for carrying out all stages and producing the specified deliverables, including a timeline.
• A report summarizing the results of the evaluation, including a list of recommendations for the second phase of the project
• Presentation of the report during a virtual meeting of project partners and the World Coalition’s Steering Committee.

Timeline

1. • November 30, 2026: Deadline for submission of applications
   • December 1–11, 2026: Analysis of proposals and contact with the evaluator
   • December 14–31, 2026: Scoping and documentation
   • January 2027: Consultation phase via remote interviews/surveys
   • February 8, 2027: Deadline for submitting a preliminary report
   • February 26, 2027: Deadline for the final report in French and the summary in English

Budget

Financial proposals for this evaluation must not exceed a maximum of 25,000 EUR.

Candidate Profile

• A graduate degree (master’s or equivalent) in human rights or political science;
• Proven experience working with local and grassroots organizations and coalitions is desirable.
• At least 5 years of proven professional experience in drafting studies and evaluations;
• Proven knowledge of and professional experience with gender equality issues;
• Advanced skills in report writing and analysis;
• Fluency in English is required, and the ability to work professionally in French is desirable.

How to Apply

The following documents must be provided to submit an application:

– The resume of the lead consultant applying for this call for proposals and/or their team,

– A 3-page memo outlining the proposed evaluation methodology and a timeline

– A financial proposal that must distinguish between lump-sum expenses (fees) and expenses requiring justification (miscellaneous costs).

Applications must be sent to recrutement@worldcoalition.org by midnight Paris time on November 30, 2026.