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Consultancy Title: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Research Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Child Protection Section, Programme Group – NYHQ

Duration: March 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025

Home/ Office Based: REMOTE

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

UNICEF NYHQ Programme Group-Child Protection is seeking services for a research consultant to support evidence gap analysis, documentation, and assessment of the level of effort to strengthen linkages, collaboration, and positioning of UNICEF’s global advocacies in 2024.

UNICEF is committed to prevent and respond to Female Genital Mutilation under Goal Area 3 of UNICEF Strategic Plan (2022 – 2025), most notably though the UNFPA/UNICEF Joint Programme to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation, the largest global programme focused on accelerating the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in one generation. The Joint Programme supports holistic, integrated and multisectoral approach that supports community level social norms change; access to education, health care, welfare and legal services for girls and women at risk or affected by FGM; and the development and implementation of laws criminalizing FGM. Implementation of Phase IV (2022 – 2030) of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Program on Abandonment of FGM is well under way (year III) and the programme has extended its country-level interventions across 17 countries covering Africa and the Middle East.

In the context of the polycrisis (climate, conflict, pandemic), a recent evaluation of the program found that numerous and important evidence gaps in the FGM field exist and currently hinder the ability of the Joint Programme to make informed strategic decisions. Equally, the level of effort by governments in prevalent countries in addressing this issue and many others related to FGM needs to be understood.

This is consultancy will focus on evidence gap analysis that includes technical support to the planning and execution of a global expert review and a compilation of new evidence. The consultancy will also determine the level of effort for each of the 17 governments and such information shall inform the global advocacy effort of the joint programme.

Under direct supervision of the Child Protection Specialist (Social Norms), the Consultant will work closely with the other members of the Harmful Practices Team, the Child Protection Section, and the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on elimination of FGM. The Consultant will also collaborate with the Data and Analytics Team (CP Focal Point), Innocenti, on matters related to evidence gap analysis; other sections in Programme Division, Regional and Country Offices; other UN Agencies, and Government officials to promote the elimination of FGM.

Scope of Work:

1.     Evidence gap analysis

•    Support the planning and execution of a global expert review of the current global research strategy.

•    Analyse, collate, compile, and share with UNICEF/the Joint Program Team, Regional Offices and Countries, new global evidence on FGM.

2.     In consultation with the Child Protection Specialist and the Programme Manager, populate the Harmful Practices Policy Index Tool for each of the 17 FGM Joint Programme countries to support analysis of the level of effort national governments place on elimination of harmful practices.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Deliverable 1– A report defining areas of evidence gaps.

Deliverable 2 – A succinct report on the performance of countries in closing evidence gaps.

Deliverable 3 – A report on the outcome of the global experts meeting.

Deliverable 4 – A completed index for all 17 Joint Programme countries. 

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Social Work, Research, Public Health, Anthropology, or any relevant field.

Work experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in the areas of scientific social research, knowledge/data management, communication, and gender.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a second language is an asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required: 

Ability to:

• welcome demanding goals, working through tough challenges to achieve success.
• communicate effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking,
• work effectively in a multi-cultural environment,
• write well; and set high standards for quality of work and consistently achieve project goals,
• translate strategic direction into plans and objectives,
• analyze and integrate diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources,
• quickly build rapport with individuals and groups; maintain an effective network of individuals across organizational departments,
• demonstrate, apply and share expert technical knowledge across the organization.

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks: 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.