Across the world, including in Palestine, civic space is increasingly constrained. Civil Society Actors (CSAs), human rights defenders, independent media, and rights-holder–led organizations face growing political, legal, institutional, and societal pressures that limit their ability to organize, express dissent, mobilize communities, and defend fundamental human rights. These restrictions are reinforced by expanding digital surveillance, cyber-attacks, online harassment, and data exploitation by both state and non-state actors.
Digital tools and platforms hold significant potential to enable safe, inclusive, and collaborative civic action. However, unequal access to technology, gaps in digital security knowledge, and rapidly evolving digital threats undermine this potential -particularly for marginalized groups such as women, youth, persons with disabilities, and grassroots or rights-holder-led organizations.
With our Connect, Defend, Act! project, we aim to respond to shrinking civic space in Palestine by amplifying civil society-led action to defend and expand civic space.
This assignment
Through this consultancy we aim to strengthen digital security practices among 18 Civil Society Actors and Civil Society Organizations in Palestine.
The assignment aims to:
- Assess digital security risks, capacities, gaps, and differentiated protection needs of 18 CSAs and CSOs
- Develop a context-specific, accessible, and reusable digital security curriculum and raining materials
- Build sustainable internal capacity through a Training of Trainers approach
- Increase awareness of and access to existing digital security and protection support services through structured mapping and documentation
The consultancy will deliver an integrated package of work comprising:
- A digital security needs assessment
- Digital security curriculum and training materials development
- A Training of Trainers (ToT) program
- Digital security service mapping and case-based learning
Through these components, the consultancy will strengthen digital resilience as a foundation for civic engagement, advocacy, coalition-building, and resistance to repression across digital and physical civic spaces.
The full Terms of Reference
Please find all the details of this assignment in the Terms of Reference. These include: objectives, expected outcomes, the deliverables, timeline, and submission details and requirements.
Digital Security Consultancy TOR (pdf)
How to submit
Please submit your proposal by Thursday March 5, 2026. All documents must be submitted together in one package and should be sent via email to menaprocurement@hivos.org with the subject line: Digital Security Assessment, Training of Trainers (ToT), Curriculum Development, and Digital Security Service Mapping.
Please note that proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Hivos reserves the right to close the call early should a suitable applicant be identified. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.
