The Position:
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
Recommended:
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
The United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Unpaid
care, disability and gender transformative approach programme, is a global programme
implemented by the UN agencies UNDP, UNWOMEN, UNICEF, UNFPA, ILO and OHCHR.
The programme is financed by the UNPRPD, coordinated by the UNDP and implemented in
Colombia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Panama and Kenya. Having commenced in April 2024
and due to be completed in July 2026, the UNPRPD Unpaid Care Programme aims to
influence national care and support systems to be disability-inclusive and gender
transformative towards both care providers and care recipients.
In the United Republic of Tanzania, the programme is implemented by UNDP, UNFPA and
UNWOMEN. One of the activities that UNFPA will undertake – and for which we seek to
recruit an individual consultant as per this ToR – is to conduct a detailed study in selected
districts in two regions in Tanzania (tentatively identified as Dar es Salaam and Shinyanga)
on the exposure and risk factors of gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls with
disabilities by their unpaid caregivers or in their role as unpaid caregivers, as well as their
experiences and gaps in access to support systems and protection.
A requirement will be to identify the exposure and risk factors for gender-based violence
affecting girls, adolescents, youth, and women with disabilities related to unpaid care activities
carried out by caregivers and other social actors.
Identifying these risk factors will guide and enable the development of a comprehensive,
validated, and widely disseminated report, including recommendations and an accompanying
policy brief. This report will guide the planning and implementation of programmes to
strengthen the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities through more disability-
inclusive and gender-transformative national care and support systems.
You would be responsible for:
Scope of work:
Broad objective:
1. To conduct a qualitative study to identify the exposure, risk factors, and opportunities
for improved responses for GBV affecting girls, adolescents, youth, and women with
disabilities related to unpaid care activities carried out by caregivers and other social actors.
2. Develop a policy brief with evidence informed recommendations and roadmap to
strengthen the capacity of carers to address stigma and discrimination and prevent and respond
to GBV and promote protection measures for women and girls who are survivors of GBV for
adoption at national level.
Specific objectives:
Docusign Envelope ID: E588C253-1234-4D38-BBB7-AD82F21A7E39 Docusign Envelope ID: E62B7
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Assess the nature of care for persons with disability as it relates to the Tanzanian
context, with emphasis on unpaid care;
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Assess the nature of gender-based violence faced by women and girls with disabilities
perpetrated by other unpaid caregivers or in their role as unpaid caregivers;
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Identify the risk factors that increase the vulnerability of women and girls with
disabilities to GBV by their caregivers or in their role as unpaid caregivers, as well as the
protective factors that can mitigate this risk;
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Identify the barriers that women and girls with disabilities face when trying to access
support services after being subjected to GBV by their caregivers or in their role as unpaid
caregivers, such as assistance helplines, health services and justice;
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Gather the experiences, perceptions and needs of women and girls with disabilities in
relation to GBV, including their views on available support services and ways to improve the
response to violence;
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Provide insights into the attitudes and behaviours of unpaid caregivers with and
without disabilities in relation to GBV, including factors that contribute to the perpetuation of
violence or the protection of women and girls with disabilities.
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Develop policy brief based on evidence review and recommendations from the
qualitative study for policies, programs and interventions aimed at preventing GBV against
women and girls with disabilities by their caregivers or in their role as unpaid caregivers, as
well as improving access to support services and the institutional response to violence.
Deliverables/outputs:
At the end of the assignment, the consultant shall present the following key deliverables:
● Inception report
● At least two draft research reports with a complete and comprehensive response to all
research objectives for review by the Joint Steering Committee established for the UNPRPD
Joint Programme.
● Powerpoint presentation to and discussion with relevant stakeholders to facilitate their
validation of the draft.
● A report with key feedback from the stakeholder meeting for the validation of the
report, which is to be organized and convened by the consultant.
● Final research report with recommendations to guide the development of a policy brief
and national consultations with key stakeholders. The main report should not exceed 80 pages
excluding annexes.
● Three (3) case studies
● Evaluation of methodology used, including recommendations for future
research/studies focused on disability and violence/risk factors
● A policy brief with evidence informed recommendations and roadmap to strengthen
the capacity of carers to address stigma and discrimination and prevent and respond to GBV
and promote protection measures for women and girls who are survivors of GBV for adoption
at national level.
Ethical considerations:
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) promotes, protects, and
ensures the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and freedom by persons with disabilities
and promotes respect for their inherent dignity. Ethical implications for research that emerge
from the CRPD are listed below:
Before commencing research:
● The research principles of respect, consent and privacy are core aspects of ethical
research. Strategies for respectful research practice (including respect for privacy and seeking
consent) require planning, especially in settings where privacy may be challenging to ensure
or where interpreters may need to be used to facilitate communication between researchers
and participants.
● Be familiar with ethical research’s values/principles/standards and legal and ethical
duties regarding data protection, confidentiality, capacity to consent, and supported decision-
making.
● Be cognizant that ethical responsibilities apply throughout the research process.
● Reflect on the value of professional integrity and what one needs to do to develop and
practise this value.
● Include experts by experience as co-researchers and involve them in planning and
designing the research.
● Obtain ethical approval from a Research Ethics Committee with some expertise in the
area to be researched.
Obtaining informed consent:
● Ensure accessibility in the process of obtaining informed consent.
● All participants in the research must take part voluntarily, free from any coercion or
undue influence, and their rights, dignity and autonomy should always be respected and
appropriately protected.
● Do not use other people, such as family members or carers, as proxies; they can
consent to be interviewed as key informants but not to interpret the thoughts and feelings of
others.
● Remind potential participants of the research’s purpose and implications and of their
right to decline to take part or withdraw from the research without consequence.
● Provide easy-to-understand information and alternative formats, when necessary, for
example, easy-to-read documents, videos, or digital formats for people with an intellectual
disability.
Data collection:
● Ensure that communication methods are adapted to suit everyone and that research
venues are physically accessible.
● Should a research participant disclose abuse during an interview or focus group
discussion, have procedures in place.
● Offer research participants the opportunity to review and amend a transcript of their
interview.
Data analysis and dissemination:
● Including experts with experience in data analysis should be considered, as they can
bring new insights and may challenge researcher biases.
● Take an ethical approach to analysis and document all decisions, including their
rationale.
● Disseminate research findings in appropriate and accessible formats and make efforts
to ensure they reach the research participants.
Duration and working schedule:
The assignment is for an individual consultant for 70 working days that will commence on
February 2025 or on the day the contract is signed and be completed no later than 31 August
2025.
The work plan to be submitted by the consultant shall allocate time as deemed appropriate to
complete the following assignment phases.
● Desk Review
● Inception Report
● Tool development (KII and FGDs)
● Ethical clearance
● Qualitative data collection
● Data analysis and drafting of the report
● Validation meeting
● Final Report
The exact timeline will be decided jointly by the consultant and UNFPA through a work plan
at the inception of the assignment.
Place where services are to be delivered:
The consultant will work off-site and avail him/herself if requested by UNFPA for meetings
virtually. Travel will be required for data collection in Dodoma, Shinyanga, and Dar es
Salaam.
Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic,hard copy etc.):
Once reviewed and approved by UNFPA, the final validated and proofread report will be
delivered in English in electronic format (Word document) no later than 20 August 2025.
All documents and background documents reviewed and data collected and transcribed as part
of the assignment must be shared in a designated Google drive, created by the consultant and
shared by UNFPA.
Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:
As part of the application process, the consultant will submit a detailed work plan with a brief
outline of its understanding of the scope of work and proposed methodologies. This plan will
be further refined during the inception phase of the assignment after consulting with UNFPA.
The inception phase will also serve to agree on the report’s structure and format (content
presentation, case studies, visual elements, etc.).
Satisfactory completion of assignments will be measured against this work plan, timeframes
and the expected deliverables mentioned above.
The consultant will report on the progress of the desk review/consultation process and revision
of the current manuals weekly and ad hoc, when required.
Supervisory arrangements:
The consultant will work under the oversight of the UNFPA Deputy Representative and the
day-to-day guidance and supervision of the UNFPA Gender Equality and Human Rights
Advisor.
Expected travel:
Travel is expected to the selected district in the two regions where the research will take place
and to Dodoma for key informant interviews.
Qualifications and Experience: Knowledge and experience
The consultant/team leader is expected to comprise a team leader and an appropriate number
of team members with the following qualifications and expertise:
● At least 7 years of professional expertise in gender equality, gender-based violence,
care work and disability issues, including the intersections between these three areas.
●
Experience in leading research, particularly qualitative research, with the capacity to
design and implement appropriate research methodologies that enable the identification and
key informants and collection of sensitive and in-depth information on gender-based violence
against women and girls with disabilities as primary informants and engagement with unpaid
and paid caregivers.
●
Proven track record in assessments and analyzing issues pertaining to the inclusion of
persons with disabilities, using participatory, disability-accessible and inclusive
communication methodologies for reaching all stakeholders.
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Knowledge of human rights and protection, particularly with regard to the protection
of women and girls with disabilities from violence.
●
Experience in development of policy briefs to influence relevant national laws and
regulations and international and national guidelines for protection and unpaid care work.
●
Working level in Kiswahili and English is required.
●
Experience with editing and proofreading UN documents and familiarity with
UNFPA’s style is an asset.
Education:
An advanced university degree in social science, public health, gender/development
studies or a related area;
Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:
The consultant is expected to provide all equipment and software required for the satisfactory
completion of the assignment.
Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:
The payment will be issued in three tranches as follows:
● Upon UNFPA approval of the inception report, 20% of the total remuneration.
● Upon UNFPA approval of the draft full research report and case studies, 40% of total
remuneration.
● Upon UNFPA approval of the final validated full research report, the remaining 40%
of the total remuneration.
Application requirement
Interested consultants need to submit the following documentation in support of their
application:
● Cover Letter: Explaining why the candidate is the most suitable for the work
● Resume/Portfolio: Showing relevant experience and capability to do the work
required, including CVs of other team members (if any) intended to support the lead consultant
in accomplishing expected deliverables
● Technical and financial proposal, respectively
The budget for this consultancy shall include all costs associated with the study, including:
● Remuneration for any additional team members that complement the competencies of
the individual consultant e.g.., for data collection and analysis, KIIs and FGDs, and data
transcription and translation. These team members are to be subcontracted and are expected
to report to the individual consultant/team leader, who will be contracted by UNFPA.
● Conference package, per diem and travel expenses for the consultant and other
research team members for the training of interviewers.
● Travel to field sites for data collection (KIIs and FGDs) in the selected two focus
regions, tentatively selected as Dar es Salaam and Shinyanga, and to Dodoma for KIIs for the
individual consultant/team leader and other team members, as necessary.
● Payment of local transport (and airtime if needed) for key informants from the selected
regions.
● Procurement of services for sign language and provision of other accessibility
measures to facilitate smooth and inclusive communication in all parts of the research process
UNFPA will cover the cost on engagement of OPDs, who will be deployed as advisors to the
research team at national and regional levels.
UNFPA will also cover the cost of the conference package, travel and per diems for
participants in the validation meeting.
Required Competencies:
Values:
Exemplifying integrity,
Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
Embracing cultural diversity,
Embracing change
Core Competencies:
Achieving results,
Being accountable,
Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
Thinking analytically and strategically,
Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
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Compensation and Benefits:
The consultant will be paid as per the UNFPA individual consultant payment guideline.
Disclaimer:
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm
How to Apply:
To submit your application, please follow the link provided below.
