Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope

There are more than 600 million adolescent girls in the world today — equipped with the right resources and opportunities, they will be the largest cohort of female leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers the world has ever seen. However, their enormous potential remains constrained by multiple interlocking barriers, from negative stereotypes and harmful social norms to discrimination in accessing technology or apprenticeships.

Gender inequitable access to learning, skilling (life skills, 21st-century skills, digital skills), and employment is reflected worldwide in figures and disproportionately affects girls and young women. Girls constitute a disproportionate share of out-of-school children, adolescents, and youth, in most of the world's regions. The lack of learning and skilling opportunities makes the transition from education to the labor force (or simply learning to earn) more cumbersome and challenging: Globally, about 1 billion girls and women lack the skills they need to succeed in rapidly changing job markets, starting, for the most disadvantaged, by the foundational skills (basic numeracy and literacy). One in 4 girls aged 15–19 years is neither employed nor in education or training compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age.

Girls globally tend to drop out of school as they age: 11% of primary-school-age girls are out of school,14 % of lower secondary school-age girls, and 29% of upper-secondary school-age girls. These figures are even higher in the least developed countries around the world: 22%, 31%, and 48%. And when focusing on the most vulnerable adolescent girls, millions of them have not even acquired the foundational skills (basic numeracy and literacy). With the principle of leaving no one behind to achieve the SDGs by 2030, UNICEF aims to reach the most marginalized group of adolescent girls, including those out of school, already married, in institutional care, urban slums, and those in the poorest households to ensure equitable outcomes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further raised the stakes, not only exacerbating the vulnerabilities of marginalized sub-groups, such as young women, adolescents and youth with disabilities, and young people on the move but potentially amplifying their exclusion from economic, political, and social spaces. Globally, over 11 million girls may never go back to school after the pandemic, and they are vulnerable to different forms of gender-based violence, such as child marriage, and sexual exploitation, as well as child labor.

The most vulnerable/poorest girls must be the priority of all UNICEF programmes (and of Ministries of Education) as often they cannot afford the direct (and opportunity) cost of learning and skilling programmes. The type of learning and skills programs that are most suitable for girls depends on their schooling (and learning outcomes) status. For example, for the millions of adolescent girls who have never attended school or dropped out in the early grades without acquiring basic skills, the appropriate programs should also focus on accelerated learning and basic skills development.

UNICEF, through the Skills4Girls Portfolio, is currently working with and for girls in 22 countries to bridge the gap between the skills girls need to be competitive in the 21st-century workforce, versus those they have traditionally had access to.

Skills4Girls has impacted more than 5.8 million girls since 2019. The aim is to reach 11.5 million adolescent girls by 2025 with gender-transformative skills-building. As one of the five targeted priorities for Girls’ Empowerment in the UNICEF Gender Action Plan-2022-2025, investments in girls' education and skills are a critical pathway to dignified work. Skills4Girls develops girls’ skills in areas such as STEM, digital technologies, and social entrepreneurship in addition to life skills such as problem-solving, negotiation, self-esteem, and communication.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia would like to hire an international consultant (qualitative) to conduct a qualitative analysis of the global skills4girls programmes that are currently being implemented by UNICEF- alongside a quantitative consultant, to inform UNICEF-wide programming on Skills4Girls.

This exercise will seek to broadly answer the following overarching questions:

• What is the schooling situation of the poorest adolescent girls in Skills4Girls countries?
• To what extent are the Skills4Girls programs targeting the most vulnerable girls and who are the most vulnerable?
• To what extent are Skills4Girls programming responding to or informed by the needs and interests of vulnerable girls?
• Do existing skills programs reach the most vulnerable girls and what kind of different skilling programs are supported or should be introduced?
• Are there models that promise to scale LNoB for girls?
• How could the Skills4Girls programs be improved and be more focused on the most vulnerable girls and be more effective in promoting gender equality and addressing equity and inclusion issues?

1. SCOPE

Geographic Scope: a multi-regional initiative, with a primary emphasis on countries where Skills4Girls programs are currently active or planned. The specific selection of priority countries for focus will be determined in collaboration with 7 Regional Offices (one country per region).

Sectoral scope: This assessment will take a cross-sectoral perspective, and will cover all sectors including, gender, education, evaluation and Adolescent Participation, Skills, and Employability (APSE)

Participants: Adolescent girls currently enrolled in the skills4girls programmes through UNICEF-supported implementing partners at the country level, CSOs, key government focal points, private sector, UNICEF Country office focal points

2. METHODOLOGY

This exercise will use a qualitative method. The exercise will be conducted through the following methodology:

1. 1. Desk review of literature that is currently available on S4G programmes, modalities of programming, and their impact/results on adolescent girls (Scope: all S4G countries per region).
   2. Key informant interviews with selected implementing partners or agencies, including implementing CSO partners. Key informant interviewees will be identified based on stakeholder mapping. In addition, KIIs will be done with the Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group (GGLAG) given their role in advocating for girl-centered, girl-led policy and programming. (Scope: one S4G country per region (total 7) + GGLAG)
   3. Focus group discussions with adolescent girls in South Asia-focused S4G countries These focus groups will seek to gather the experiences, challenges, aspirations, and suggestions from adolescent girls and youth who are participating in S4G programmes. (Scope: Bangladesh and Nepal).

3. KEY ASSIGNMENTS/TASKS

i) Inception phase

• Develop an inception report, outlining the documentation framework to define the methodology, the timeline of the documentation, tools to answer the questions, key background documents identified for desk review, and complete stakeholder mapping including the list of UNICEF staff, other UN agencies, development partners, implementing partners, local and national government stakeholders to interview and administer all tools.

ii) Data collection

• Data collection and analysis based on the framework and tools developed during inception, including but not limited to intensive desk review and key informant interviews.
• Provide technical support and quality assurance for the focus group discussion to be conducted by the UNICEF ROSA team.

iii) Reporting

• Draft report and presentation in English answering the key documentation questions.
• Final report including regional recommendations.

4. KEY DELIVERABLES

Deliverables

No of Days

Due date/latest date for completion of deliverable

(if unsure about specific calendar dates, put the number of days after the contract starts and actual dates only in

CIC)

Documentation framework outlining the methodology, documentation timeline, data collection tools, and complete stakeholder mapping including the list of UNICEF staff, implementing partners, and local and national government stakeholders to be interviewed and administer all tools

8 days

20th March 2024

Desk reviews and KIIs

20 days

15th April 2024

Draft analytical report and presentation in English answering the key documentation questions.

15 days

15th May 2024

Final report and PowerPoint, Dissemination to intended users

7 days

31st May 2024

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• At least eight years of proven experience in adolescent girls programming and evaluative research in both quantitative and qualitative research
• Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Social Anthropology or Development Studies, or other related fields in Social Sciences
• Good analytical and writing reports skills, documentation to convey programming efforts, conducting focus group discussions (especially with adolescent girls), key informant interviews, facilitating workshops/discussions, and documenting case studies in an international development context are required.
• Knowledge and exposure to UNICEF programming in the areas of Gender, WASH, Education, Social and Behavior Change, Child Protection, Adolescent and Youth Development, Social Protection, Nutrition, and Health will be a big advantage.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required - understanding of other UN languages/local languages will be an asset.
• Demonstrated teamwork skills.
• Ability to deliver high-quality products on time.
• Ability to work on multiple tasks under pressure.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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 afterward 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:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors 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 for ensuring 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.