Job description
Purpose of consultancy:
The consultant will analyze, synthesize, and document regional evidence on shifting social norms around child marriage and FGM. The expert will generate seven high-impact, strategic knowledge products and advocacy briefs to showcase UNFPA investments on addressing social norms.
Scope of work:
UNFPA’s Strategic Plan (2026–2029) aims to accelerate the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action through four transformative outcomes:
- Accelerated progress on meeting the unmet need for family planning.
- Accelerated progress on ending preventable maternal deaths.
- Accelerated progress on ending gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage.
- Strengthening societal resilience by adapting to demographic change through evidence-based policies.
Outcome 3 of the Strategic Plan directly responds to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 5.3 to eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM) and female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite recorded global progress, East Asia and the Pacific remain home to 95 million women and girls married before the age of 18. The 2026–2029 Strategic Plan strongly emphasizes integrated programming that bridges humanitarian and development actions. This integration ensures that support structurally reaches the most vulnerable populations navigating an era of global polycrisis.
To realize these outcomes, UNFPA has leveraged critical funding and programmatic streams, including the DFAT- Funded Towards Universal SRHR in the Indo-Pacific programme (TUSIP) and the long-term UNFPA-UNICEF Global Joint Programme to End Child Marriage. As UNFPA transitions into this new strategic cycle, there is a vital need to systematically document evidence, strengthen programmatic approaches, and position UNFPA’s work on addressing social norm change in the Asia-Pacific region.
UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office (APRO) therefore seeks an experienced expert to analyze, synthesize, and document successful approaches, strategic impacts, and lessons learned from UNFPA-supported interventions addressing CEFM and FGM.
The assignment will generate strategic knowledge products that support advocacy, resource mobilization, programming decisions, and future investments in ending harmful practices.
In line with this vision, UNFPA APRO seeks an International Consultant to analyze, synthesize, and document regional evidence on shifting social norms around child marriage and FGM. The consultant will generate seven high-impact, strategic knowledge products and advocacy briefs:
- Brief 1 (TUSIP Catalytic Impact): Map out funding pathways and identify where seed or catalytic funding unlocked larger state resources, institutional shifts, or policy changes addressing both CEFM and FGM.
- Brief 2 (Adaptive Management): Utilize case studies to show how programs modified operations during unexpected crises (e.g., climate disasters, economic shifts, political instability) without compromising core social norm transformation objectives.
- Brief 3 (Long-Term Investment Brief): Balance qualitative narrative shifts in community behavior with quantitative data showing long-term drops in child marriage rates across targeted hot-spots.
- Brief 4 ( Evidence-based approaches to end FGM in Indonesia): Document evidence based holistic approaches used by UNFPA and partners in Indonesia to address FGM
- Brief 5 (Comparative Advantage): Map organizational mandates. Focus on UNFPA's strategic mandate on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), bodily autonomy, adolescent health, and gender-responsive data systems vis-a- vis other partners. Highlight the strengths of their joint efforts.
- Brief 6 (From drivers to strategic interventions): Construct a visual and conceptual framework mapping the divers of CEFM and the strategic interventions implemented across 6 countries in the region.
- Brief 7 (Pronatalism and CEFM): Develop a regional brief on pronatalism and child marriage, based on past scoping review undertaken by UNFPA APRO.
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Finally, the consultant will also accompany at least 4 countries in the region in measuring social norms change initiatives through the development and rollout of a harmonized tool.
Duration and working schedule:
The total duration of the consultancy will be not more than 155 working days between 1 November 2026 - 30 October 2027. The selected consultant will develop a workplan in consultation with the UNFPA APRO GBV team.
This consultancy is home-based.
Delivery dates and expected deliverables:
Deliverable 1, by 15 December 2026:
- Inception Report & Analytical Framework with a detailed desk review summary and timeline
- Stakeholder mapping and draft outlines for all 6 briefs.
Deliverable 2. by 30 Mar 2027: First Drafts of Knowledge Products 1, 2, & 5
Deliverable 3, by 30 June 2027: First Drafts of Knowledge Products 3,4,6 & 7
Deliverable 4: by 20 October 2027:
- Validation Workshop Slides and report & Consolidated Final Drafts
- Tool for social norms change measurement
- Report with a summary of the accompaniment provided to countries
It is estimated that the total amount of workdays required to complete all deliverables is 155 workdays.
The payment will be made in 4 installments upon deliverables are satisfactorily accepted by UNFPA APRO as below schedule:
- 10% of the total fee will be paid upon accepted by UNFPA APRO of the deliverable 1
- 35% of the total fee will be paid upon accepted by UNFPA APRO of the deliverable 2
- 35% of the total fee will be paid upon accepted by UNFPA APRO of the deliverable 3
- 20% of the total fee will be paid upon accepted by UNFPA APRO of the deliverable 4
Supervisory arrangements: The consultant will report to the UNFPA APRO GBV Advisor.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education
● Advanced degree (Ph.D. or Master's) in Gender Studies, Sociology, Human Rights, Public Health, or International Development,
Professional Experience and Required Skills:
- At least ten years of relevant experience in research and programming experience in addressing harmful practices and changing social norms.
- Demonstrated experience in managing and conducting research and/or documenting programmes on social norms change/harmful practices/ GBV
- Demonstrated experience on UNFPA/ UNICEF programming on addressing harmful practices
- Expert-level capability in writing clear and concise policy briefs and strategic documents for high-level institutional donors.
- Strong writing and documentation skills
- Proficiency in English.
Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner:
The consultant will use their personal laptop/computer. UNFPA APRO will link the consultant to Country Office Gender/GBV focal points wherever necessary.
UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.
Disclaimer:
Selection may be subject to background and reference checks, and other administrative requirements.
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.