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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, health

UNICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights. 

Supporting the Government’s vision of a prosperous  and  empowered upper-middle-income society, the country programme is aimed at contributing to sustainable socioeconomic development that provides all children, including adolescents, with opportunities to fulfil their potential, lead a healthy life, access quality learning and protection and meaningfully participate in society.

For more information about UNICEF Zimbabwe please click here

You can also access and explore all new UNICEF vacancies and create job alerts via the UNICEF Zimbabwe website link below:

https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/work-us

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF Zimbabwe is inviting applications for a national individual to conduct a Gender Programmatic Review that supports the Zimbabwe Country Office to take stock of progress towards compliance with UNICEF’s Gender Policy (2021-2030), the Gender Action Plan 2022-25 (GAP 3) and the gender priorities in the core commitment for children in humanitarian action (CCCs).

BACKGROUND 

UNICEF has embraced and prioritized gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment not only as core principles and practices, but as essential to the realization of the human rights of all children. Gender discrimination can start even before birth and impede the realization of rights across every stage of life - through infancy, childhood and adolescence, and beyond. During the adolescence period, both adolescent girls and boys face similar challenges, however, gender disparities begin to manifest in puberty where girls’ vulnerabilities get more disproportionately heightened than the boys, requiring targeted programming driven by evidence. For Zimbabwe, these disparities are evident in education, health especially sexual reproductive health and rights, adolescent pregnancies, menstrual health and hygiene, child marriage, gender-based violence, HIV, anemia, training and skills for employability.

Zimbabwe has made significant progress in promoting and sustaining gender equality as a human rights and development imperative. For instance, Zimbabwe has ratified most international and regional child rights instruments including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) and many other related child rights instruments. At national level, Zimbabwe has a progressive Constitution epitomized by Section 81 which is a Bill of Children’s Rights, and the Children’s Act Chapter 5; 06. Several policies and legislations have been put in place to address adolescent girls’ vulnerabilities, some of which indirectly address adolescent pregnancy. Such legislation includes the Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health policy, Marriage Act: 5.11 (age at marriage, age of consent for marriage) and the Public Health Act:15.09 (age of consent to access SRHR services) and the Education Amendment Act:2020 which has been amended to allow pregnant adolescents girls to attend school.

Zimbabwe has laws and policies in place that ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. These include the domestic violence Act (2007) which provides for protection of women by criminalizing domestic violence and condemning acts rooted in cultural or customary practices that discriminate against or demean women; Sexual Offences Act (2001): Criminalizes sexual violence and harassment; Education Act (2004): Promotes gender-equitable access to education; Administration of Estates Amendment Act (1997): Deals with the inheritance of property, including for women; Administration of Estates Amendment Act (1997): Deals with the inheritance of property , including for women ,among many.

UNICEF Zimbabwe adopted a Gender Action Plan 2022-2025 which stipulates that the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is central to the mandate of UNICEF and its focus on equity. The GAP specifies how UNICEF will promote gender equality across its programmes and workplace and emphasizes the importance of gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment in all sectors and contexts where UNICEF works. In order to achieve the results for children that UNICEF sets forth in pursuing its mandate and to realize the rights of every child, especially the disadvantaged, it is imperative to address gender inequality, one of the most fundamental inequalities that exist in the country.

Based on the situational analysis of the gender equality issues in Zimbabwe (2022) and on the global GAP III, the country office identified 3 targeted gender priorities, namely: Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy and support to adolescent mothers, Ending Child Marriages, and Prevention, response and mitigation of Gender Based Violence. During the Mid Term Review of the Country Programme, the Country Office further identified Adolescent Girls Programme as its key targeted intervention and management priority, bringing all programme sectors together in pursuant of delivering a comprehensive multisectoral girls skills and empowerment programme. The adolescent girls programme is informed by the Zimbabwe National Development Strategy (NDS2), the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026, the UNICEF Gender Policy 2021-2030, Gender Action Plan 2022-2025, and the Adolescent Girls Strategy 2022-2025. The programme will cover a 2-year period of 2025-2026.

UNICEF Zimbabwe will be preparing the new Country Programme 2027-2031 and a Country Programme Evaluation is being planned for to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNICEF's contributions to development results at the country level and the effectiveness of UNICEF's strategy in facilitating and leveraging national efforts for achieving development results. While the CPE will include questions on gender equality, a full Gender Programmatic Review will also be carried at the same time to inform the new Country Programme. Undertaking a Gender Programmatic Review (GPR) is a requirement of all Country Offices (COs) within a programme cycle, to ensure that programme results are aligned to the Gender Action Plan (GAP) and the UNICEF Strategic Plan. The GPR will therefore support the Country Office to prioritize key programme priorities that will assist in improving the programme design so as to align with GAP targeted priorities, GAP mainstreaming priorities, and programme budget on gender.  The GPR will be led by the Gender section in close collaboration with the Evaluation team to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication of efforts. 

The terms of reference therefore outline a brief description of the GPR, defines its scope, objectives, stakeholder involvement; deliverables; and qualifications required for the Consultant. This activity is expected to be carried within a period of 3 months, from May – July and solicitation of the Consultant will be expedited by tapping into the Regional LTA for Gender Consultants. This approach will assist in ensuring that the GPR is completed before CPE. Furthermore, during the overlap period of June-July, the GPR Consultant shall work closely with the CPE Consulting Firm to facilitate the alignment of the 2 processes

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

Education:

Master’s degree in social sciences, public health, or international development.

Experience:

•  At least 8 years of strong technical skills in gender, research and ability to support countries especially on gender assessments or reviews.
• Substantive and programmatic experience in gender issues, with an understanding of social change, is essential.
• Demonstrated experience in using the evidence base on gender in shaping and implementing programmes
• Strong analytical skills in gender programme design and assessment, ideally at the national level
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong interpersonal and presentation skills

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience working in Zimbabwe or similar context
• Some prior experience with UNICEF or UN agency programme planning

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Strong analytical skills in gender programme design and assessment, ideally at the national level
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong interpersonal and presentation skills

Language requirements:

Fluency in English is required

The detailed consultancy terms of reference is downloadable via this link

If interested and available to undertake the individual consultancy, please submit your application online and attach the required documents including the technical proposal and an all-inclusive financial proposal incorporating an approximate number of travel days for field (local) travel. 

Technical proposal: The Technical Proposal should articulate an understanding of the TOR and include the proposed Tasks/Milestones, Deliverables/Outputs, Timeline and level of effort by deliverable. The similar table provided in the TOR is indicative. Applicants may use the indicative table as a guide or deviate as per the proposed approach. The proposal should also cost-effectively propose the local travel proposed by the applicant to undertake the assignment.

Financial proposal: The Financial Proposal should include the costs (providing a daily rate as justification) for each task, including consultant fee, proposed travel costs and perdiem, communications costs and any other proposed cost.

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 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:  

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 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.