To develop 12 country Snapshots on Children’s Rights and A Regional Snapshot on Children’s Rights in the Eastern Caribbean Area

To inform transformational and lasting change for children, adolescents, their families, and their communities in the Eastern Caribbean.

Title: Consultancy services to develop 12 country Snapshots on Children’s Rights and A Regional Snapshot on Children’s Rights in the Eastern Caribbean Area.

Purpose: To inform transformational and lasting change for children, adolescents, their families, and their communities in the Eastern Caribbean.

Location: Remote

Duration: 6 months

Start Date: 3 March 2025

Reporting to: Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Background:

The UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area (UNICEF ECA) is dedicated to supporting 12 countries[1] in the region to uphold and protect children's rights in alignment with international best practice and the commitment they made under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The Snapshots on Children’s Rights are part of the Situation Analysis of Children‘s Rights in the Eastern Caribbean Area (the SitAn) which is a flagship product, designed to analyze and inform policy dialogue, partnerships and interventions that improve the lives of children and their families. These country snapshots essentially examine the implementation status of children’s rights and the issues that affect realization of these rights, helping to focus on knowledge gaps related to inequities and child deprivations.This is a timely undertaking given UNICEF’s global re-focused leadership on children’s rights and commencement of the consultative process to develop a new country programme for the Eastern Caribbean Area 2027 – 2031.  

By promoting the broad engagement of all stakeholders, the SitAn is used to urge all levels of governments and civil society to use the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a guiding mechanism in policy making and legislation to:

• Develop a comprehensive national agenda.
• Develop permanent bodies or mechanisms to promote coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of activities throughout all sectors of government.
• Ensure that all legislation is fully compatible with the Convention and, if applicable the Optional Protocols, by incorporating the provisions into domestic law or ensuring that they take precedence in cases of conflict with national legislation.
• Make children visible in policy development processes throughout government by introducing child impact assessments.
• Analyze government spending to determine the portion of public funds spent on children and to ensure that these resources are being used effectively.
• Ensure sufficient data is collected and used to improve the situation of all children in each jurisdiction.
• Raise awareness and disseminate information on the Convention and the Optional Protocols by providing training to all those involved in government policymaking and working with or for children.
• Involve civil society – including children themselves – in the process of implementing and raising awareness of child rights.
• Strengthen UNIICEF’s strategic and intentional children’s rights advocacy

Moreover, a sustainable mechanism is required to collect information and to observe the situation of children's rights across the ECA, and possibly the wider CARICOM region. An independent Observatory on Children’s Rights will present the status of children’s rights and analyses that influence a holistic and dynamic policy landscape for the evolving needs of children.

Specific Tasks:

The specific objectives of these studies are:

• To provide up-to-date information from multiple sources to understand the realisation of children’s rights in the ECA.
• To support awareness about challenges faced by children and adolescents among policymakers, practitioners, and the public.
• To support evidence-based, holistic policymaking and programming on children’s issues, by Governments, civil society organizations and development partners, to improve children’s well-being and social inclusion.

 The key tasks are to: 

1)    Prepare 12 country Snapshots on Children‘s Rights and  A Regional Snapshot on Children’s Rights in the Eastern Caribbean Area

-       Task Overview:

• Conduct a thorough review of existing literature, data, policies, and reports to assess the current state of children's rights in 12 ECA countries.

-       Steps:

• Review and analyze available documents, policies, and reports on children's rights within the ECA region.
• Identify any data gaps and inconsistencies in the existing literature vis-a-vis the UNCRC and supporting international guidance on children’s rights.
• Where necessary, conduct key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders to supplement findings and ensure comprehensive coverage of the situation.
• Compile and synthesize data, ensuring alignment within the UNCRC and SDG frameworks.
• Draft the report using the format for Guidelines for periodic reports under the Convention (CRC/C/58/Rev.3)
• Prepare an Executive Summary for the Report which provides clear insights and recommendations for future monitoring efforts.

2)    Develop a Concept Note for the Establishment of an Observatory on Children's Rights

-       Task Overview: Design a comprehensive concept note outlining the purpose, structure, operations, and sustainability of a regional Observatory for Children's Rights.

-       Steps:

• Research international models of children’s rights observatories to identify best practices that could be adapted for the ECA and CARICOM context.
• Outline the Observatory’s primary functions, such as data collection, analysis, and dissemination of findings on children’s rights.
• Propose a governance and operational framework, including partnerships with regional and international stakeholders.
• Define the Observatory’s role as a repository for research, with a focus on producing an annual report on the state of children’s rights vis-a-vis international standard.
• Identify any potential challenges and strategies for ensuring the Observatory’s sustainability over time.

Methodology:

1)    The Consultancy Team will undertake analysis for each country  Snapshot on Children’s Rights using the UNCRC and SDGs as the reference framework and utilise available secondary and primary data sources, including reports and survey datasets, such as latest Survey of Living Conditions (SLC), Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS), Labour Force Survey (LFS), Populations and Housing Census (PHC), OECS and national Education and Health Statistical Digests, State Reports on the Implementation of the UNCRC and the Concluding Observations, Reviews of Country Legislation pertaining to Children and others.

2)    The Consultancy Team will provide a Concept Note for establishing a Children’s Rights’ Observatory for the Eastern Caribbean Area as part of the sustainable knowledge generation architecture within the Caribbean.

3)    The Consultancy Team will also conduct key information interviews and focus groups to engage with various key stakeholders to identify and build consensus around remaining or new challenges pertaining to the realization of children’s rights and to collectively formulate recommendations for actions that can further accelerate progress towards optimal fulfilment of rights obligations.

4)    In collaboration with the UNICEF Communication and SBC units, the views and voices of young people should be collected through U-Report, social media or other virtual means to enhance the qualitative findings and to hear from children themselves. There must be inclusivity in data collection (e.g., reaching marginalized groups like children with disabilities, migrants, and populations in sister islands and rural areas).

5)    The Consultant team will consult with a broader network of stakeholders, including government representatives, civil society organizations, and regional partners, as necessary. Therefore, pproposals must include a clear outline of stakeholder participation or consultation to both inform and validate country analysis and the proposed Children’s Rights Observatory.

6)    Taking the above into consideration the Technical Proposal must outline the methodological approach proposed by the Contractor for the two deliverables.

7)    The Consultant Team will work under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PM&E) Specialist, in collaboration with the Child Protection Specialist who will provide overall direction, ensure the consultant’s outputs align with UNICEF’s strategic objectives, and oversee the timely completion of deliverables.

The Consultant Team will be supported by an internal UNICEF reference team which includes the Heads of Sections, Child Rights Monitoring Specialist, Knowledge Specialist and National Coordinators.

Expected Deliverables:

1. The deliverables and timelines follow: -