About RFSU 

RFSU was founded in 1933 and is a pioneering Swedish organisation working in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). RFSU is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation without party-political, trade union or religious affiliation. RFSU’s vision is a world in which everyone is free to make decisions about their own bodies and sexuality. Our aim is to spread a knowledge-based and open view of sexuality and relationships issues to overcome prejudices, bridge knowledge gaps and improve sexual health and wellbeing. We run projects and programmes to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights — both in Sweden and internationally. 

Background to the report

(A full Concept Note will be made available to the selected candidate.)

Anti-gender campaigns are presently fueling a pushback against sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, anti-racist work and broader struggles for social justice in many places across the world. At the same time, these developments have contributed to sparking a revitalisation of feminist movements in some contexts. Activists located in the global south and young women have been key to the emergence of rejuvenated, intersectional feminist movements, which are broad-based, trans-inclusive, and bring together diverse groups of social justice activists.

In parallel with this, we are also witnessing growing activism exhaustion, where movements in some contexts go back to defending the basics, focus on local issues and become less visible in the face of authoritarian rule, shrinking civic space and anti-gender politics.
In order to contribute to an understanding of these trends, RFSU is co-producing a report with a selection of its international partner organisations and allies. The report aims to document experiences of intersectional feminist solidarity and coalition-building for sexual and reproductive justice in contexts of anti-gender mobilisations and politics. The report will analyse how shrinking civic space and a pushback against gender, SRHR and human rights more broadly impacts on the ways in which activism is organised and manifest in current times. This includes exploring both successful and highly visible intersectional feminist mobilisations, and activist responses in high-risk environments, with significant pressure and exhaustion, where the trend has rather been a withdrawal from outward facing work.

Aims and audience of the report

The overall aim of the report is to contribute to strengthening intersectional feminist alliance building and solidarity for countering anti-gender mobilizations, through documenting good practice and sharing insights from RFSU partners’ engagement in intersectional feminist mobilizations, solidarity and collective care. Furthermore, the report has the following objectives:

• To contribute new knowledge and strengthen peer-to-peer learning on movement responses in face of anti-gender mobilizations - including different forms of intersectional feminist alliance building and solidarity emerging in the present.
• To serve as a background paper for the RFSU and partners network forum in October 2026, and to provide analysis, examples and recommendations about current intersectional alliance building practice for further network actions and work. 

The report will be disseminated externally, with the main target group being RFSU partners and allies, civil society organizations, journalists, policy makers, civil servants  and donor community.  

Scope of the consultancy

The expected outcome of the assignment is a report of 30-35 pages in English, that builds on four case studies co-produced with RFSU and a few of its (pre-identified) international partner organisations and allies. This includes a literature review, the four case studies, a summary of observations and joint learnings. The assignment includes the following steps:

• Lead the production of the report in close collaboration with RFSU advisors and the  partners involved in its production. 
• Lead the development of the methodology for the country case studies, that will be elaborated jointly with RFSU partner organisations and RFSU advisors.
• Support the organisations in the development and write-up of the four case studies, ensuring consistency in style and areas covered. 
• Elaborate a summary of findings, including an analysis of common trends observed from the case studies.
• Write a literature review and elaborate an analytical framework for the report, building on a draft write-up pre-developed by RFSU’s thematic advisers.
  
  

Budget

RFSU offers 150 000 SEK (VAT included).

(Please note that for consultants based outside of Sweden, RFSU will deduct 20% of the indicative budget, hence the total amount available for the assignment to be invoiced is 120 000 SEK (VAT shallnot be added by the consultant as VAT will be paid and accounted for in Sweden).

Deliverables 

• Methodology for the case studies
• Full report 30 to 35 pages in English
• Presentation to RFSU staff and partners

Timeline

The consultancy is expected to begin by mid May 2026 and be finalised by 15th November 2026. The tentative timeline is as follows: 

Profile of the consultant 

The consultant is expected to have solid and documented knowledge and experience of:

• Holds a Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Political Science, Development Studies, Human Rights or other relevant disciplines. Knowledge and experience of working with SRHR-issues and intersectional feminist movement building is a strong asset.  
• Proven experience in developing knowledge products on SRHR, social movements and organizational practices, including research publications, policy analysis and learning documentation; with demonstrated ability to design research frameworks and methodologies.
• Experience in managing research projects or coordinating multi-stakeholder knowledge initiatives. 
• Professional report writing for academia, civil society and/or public institutions
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English. Spanish will be an asset. 
• Commitment to intersectional feminist values and the promotion of LGTBQI+ rights and SRHR. 

Application for the consultancy 

The tender should include:

• A motivation letter, including proposed number of working days for the assignment 
• Curriculum vitae with a list of publications (and links to published reports) and two references from recent clients. 
• CV as well as your cover letter are expected to be uploaded no later than May 6th, 2026 by clicking on “Ansök” below

Any further questions?

• Please contact asa.eriksson@rfsu.se, cc: belen.sobrino@rfsu.se, RFSU’s thematic advisors, Program, Knowledge and Learning department. 

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