Germany – Public relations services – 10023959-Technical and organizational advice to improve the coordination and promotion of decentralization

Opportunity description

The "Promotion of Responsible Governance in Mauritania II (ProGResp II)" project is part of the German cooperation programme for peace and social cohesion in Mauritania. It is being implemented in a context where the promotion of peace, social cohesion, and good governance is a key driver of the country's sustainable development. Through this module, the initiative focuses on strengthening democracy, the rule of law, transparency, and accountability within public institutions. By promoting more inclusive, participatory, and effective governance, the programme aims to create the conditions for improved public service delivery and enhanced dialogue between institutions and citizens, thereby contributing to greater stability, trust, and social cohesion. The Project addresses a major challenge that continues to hinder the decentralization process in Mauritania. Despite the national authorities, clear political commitment to promoting decentralization as a driver of local development, institutional shortcomings persist in the management, steering, and coordination of the process. Consultation and coordination mechanisms among ministries, local authorities, and non-state actors remain insufficiently structured, limiting the coherence of interventions and the complementarity of actions. Furthermore, the allocation of powers and responsibilities among the different levels of governance remains, at times, unclear, despite the existence of a core legal and regulatory framework. This situation reduces the effectiveness of public action and limits the ability of institutions to respond adequately to the needs and expectations of the population. Against this background, the Project aims to improve the coordinated implementation of the decentralization process by strengthening cooperation among the various institutional actors, particularly at the central level, and by developing governance mechanisms that promote better coordination, greater involvement of local authorities in decision-making, and more effective management of local public policies. The programme also contributes to the implementation of Mauritania's national commitments to sustainable development by aligning with the national development strategy for accelerated growth and shared prosperity, which provides the framework for achieving the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Its objective is to sustainably strengthen the capacities of public actors involved in local governance at the national level, enabling them to effectively implement the National Strategy for Decentralization and Local Development (SNDDL). While the ultimate beneficiaries are the Mauritanian population as a whole, estimated at nearly 4.7 million people, the direct target groups are executives, managers, and staff within central government institutions involved in local governance, as well as civil society actors engaged in decentralization, including associations of local authorities. By strengthening the capacities of these actors and improving territorial governance mechanisms, the module aims to foster a more effective, transparent, and inclusive institutional environment capable of promoting balanced development, strengthening citizen participation, and contributing sustainably to peace, social cohesion, and improved living conditions for the people of Mauritania. This assignment is part of the implementation of the Promotion of Responsible Governance in Mauritania II (ProGResp II) project, which supports Mauritanian authorities in strengthening local governance and advancing the decentralization process. Mauritania has undertaken an ambitious reform to bring public services closer to citizens, strengthen local government capacities, and promote inclusive and sustainable local development, in line with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite significant institutional progress, decentralization continues to face challenges. Mauritania's vast territory, low population density, climate-related pressures, regional disparities in access to public services, and the presence of refugee populations place considerable demands on local governments. At the same time, their human, technical, and financial capacities remain uneven. Coordination between central institutions, sectoral ministries, regions, and municipalities is also insufficiently structured, while responsibilities and institutional roles are not always clearly defined or effectively implemented. Citizen participation and communication between public institutions and communities remain limited. The Government has strengthened the institutional framework for decentralization, notably through the establishment in 2024 of the Ministry Delegate to the Minister of the Interior in charge of Decentralization and Local Development and the National Council for Decentralization and Local Development (CNDDL). The revision of the National Strategy for Decentralization and Local Development (SNDDL) provides an important framework for consolidating these reforms. Against this background, the ProGResp II project will support the coordinated implementation of decentralization reforms by national and local stakeholders. The assignment will run for 21 months, with a particular focus on strengthening institutional communication, improving stakeholder coordination, and increasing ownership of the decentralization process. The assignment comprises three complementary components: 1. Finalization and implementation of the communication strategy The service provider will support the Ministry in finalizing and operationalizing the existing communication strategy for decentralization and local development. This will include an implementation plan, activity schedule, monitoring and evaluation framework, performance indicators, and a clear institutional communication governance mechanism. Support will also be provided to establish an inter-institutional communication team involving the Ministry, relevant government institutions, local governments, and technical and financial partners. The team will coordinate communication activities, ensure consistency of messages, support national campaigns, and monitor implementation. The assignment will also define target audiences, develop tailored messages and communication tools, and propose a capacity-building programme for communication officers to ensure sustainability. 2. Operational implementation of the communication strategy The service provider will support the implementation of the communication plan through the production of institutional and audiovisual materials, national awareness campaigns, public events, radio and television programmes, and digital content. Particular attention will be given to regional and local communication, including awareness campaigns, citizen dialogue, and strengthened communication capacities of local authorities. Digital communication will be reinforced through the management of digital platforms and social media, regular multimedia content production, and audience engagement monitoring. The assignment will also support permanent dialogue mechanisms between public institutions, local governments, civil society, the media, and citizens through regional forums, participatory workshops, public consultations, community meetings, and digital platforms. These mechanisms will contribute to greater transparency, improved access to information, and stronger citizen ownership of decentralization reforms. 3. Short-term technical assistance A pool of short-term experts will provide targeted technical assistance to the Ministry and project partners throughout implementation. Their support will focus on assessing the implementation of the SNDDL, identifying challenges, formulating recommendations, and supporting its updating in response to the evolving institutional context. Experts may also support national and regional consultations, validation workshops, technical studies, strategic reports, methodological tools, practical guides, capacity-building activities, and the implementation of recommendations arising from evaluations. Their contribution will help ensure the technical quality and sustainability of the reforms and their alignment with national policies and international good practices in territorial governance. Implementation Approach and Expected Results All activities will follow a participatory and inclusive approach, involving central government institutions, local authorities, technical and financial partners, civil society, the media, and community representatives. Particular attention will be given to the participation of women, youth, and vulnerable groups. By the end of the assignment, the Ministry is expected to have an operational communication strategy, strengthened mechanisms for coordinating institutional communication, modern communication and citizen-engagement tools, and an updated and validated SNDDL supported by practical technical recommendations. Overall, the intervention will contribute to stronger coordination among decentralization stakeholders, greater visibility and understanding of ongoing reforms, improved citizen participation, and increased ownership of the decentralization process, thereby supporting more effective and inclusive local governance in Mauritania. Procedure: open. Review the original TED notice for the complete requirement, lots, amendments and attachments.