job
Call for Applications: External Evaluation Consultant
Organization EarthRights InternationalLocation ThailandType FULL TIMEPosted 18 May 2026Deadline 22 May 2026 ⚠️
Monitoring and EvaluationClimate Change and Environment
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Full Description
**TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) for the Final Evaluation of the Program:**
**“Addressing Transboundary Pollution from Hongsa Coal Plant Operations Affecting Communities’ Health and Environment”**
**Program:**
Addressing Transboundary Pollution from Hongsa Coal Plant Operations Affecting Communities’ Health and Environment
**Type:**
End Line/Summative Evaluation
**Purpose:**
EarthRights is exiting program direct support, and a final evaluation is being conducted to assess the outcomes achieved, EarthRights’ contribution to these changes, and the sustainability of results moving forward
**Primary Methodology:**
Qualitative methods
**Period of Performance:**
May 2026 - August 2026
**1. Introduction**
In the Mekong region, EarthRights supports communities affected by large-scale, harmful development projects while advancing policy advocacy to promote stronger standards that uphold human rights and environmental responsibilities. Its key activities include strengthening community capacity to understand and respond to these developments through training, mentorship, participatory research, advocacy, and legal support. EarthRights also supports communities to engage in legal and policy advocacy processes, including strategic litigation, engagement with decision-makers and accountability mechanisms, and advocacy with governments, companies, and financial institutions. At the same time, EarthRights amplifies community struggles in national and international forums and contributes to the development and implementation of laws, policies, and governance frameworks that protect communities and the environment from harmful development.
This TOR outlines the scope and approach for the final evaluation of the program “Addressing Transboundary Pollution from Lao Coal Plant Operations Affecting Communities’ Health and Environment” implemented by EarthRights and its partners.
**2. Background**
From 2014, EarthRights and its partners, which include the ETOs Watch Coalition, the Chiang Mai University Faculty of Law Clinic, and Naresuan University, have been supporting Thai and Laotian communities along the border affected by the Hongsa coal-fired power plant, through a strategic combination of capacity building, research, policy advocacy, and legal support. The overall goals were to pioneer and strengthen policy advocacy on transboundary pollution and Thai outbound investments through a strategic partnership with ETO Watch, support community action to mitigate impacts and generate evidence to influence decision-makers and seek accountability for transboundary harms.
The program delivered training on community rights, project impacts, stakeholder engagement, and advocacy strategies, enabling communities to better understand the impacts of the power plant and to take ownership of their campaigns. These efforts were complemented by community health impact assessments, participatory data collection, research and technical assessments of air pollution and ecological impacts, equipping communities with credible evidence to substantiate claims of negative impacts.
At the policy level, the program has contributed to bringing transboundary environmental and human rights concerns within Thailand’s public and institutional spaces. This includes advancing recognition of the impacts of Thai outbound investments—illustrated by the Hongsa case—while engaging regulatory bodies and advocating for stronger oversight mechanisms governing such investments. Evidence generated through community-led research and advocacy has informed submissions, policy dialogues, and engagement with relevant authorities, contributing to emerging frameworks, including the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP), and to broader discussions on addressing transboundary harm.
Building on this foundation, in 2023, EarthRights supported the affected communities to file a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) against the actors operating the power plant. The complaint made use of documentation of impacts on health, livelihoods, and the environment, collected in collaboration with communities. This evidence-based advocacy contributed to the NHRCT’s investigation and the subsequent release of its 2026 report confirming that the company had caused transboundary pollution, significantly affecting both Lao and Thai communities along the border.
As EarthRights is now exiting direct support a final evaluation will be conducted to assess the outcomes achieved, EarthRights’ contribution to these changes, and the sustainability of results moving forward.
**3. Evaluation Purpose, Scope and Objective**
EarthRights conducts periodic evaluations to assess its achievements across its programs. This final evaluation will focus on identifying and validating key outcomes achieved over the course of the program, with particular attention to changes at the community level and progress in advancing rights-based advocacy and poli
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