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For every child, the right to inclusion! 

Background:
The UN Global Disability Fund (GDF) is a multi-stakeholder initiative that supports country-level joint programming to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Fund unites UN entities, governments, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), and civil society actors to catalyze systemic reforms in laws, policies, and service provision that ensure inclusive and equitable development for all. This effort aligns with the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS), which provides the framework for systematically addressing disability inclusion across all areas of the UN’s work. UNDIS promotes a twin-track approach that combines disability-specific interventions with mainstreaming efforts to ensure full and effective participation of persons with disabilities.

The UN GDF Joint Programme “Transformation of Social Service Delivery: Implementing a Human Rights-Based Approach for Children, Youth and Women with Disabilities in Uzbekistan” was implemented during 2021–2025 by UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA. It contributes directly to the UN Country Team’s commitments under UNDIS by building institutional capacity, engaging OPDs, and embedding disability inclusion across planning, implementation, and monitoring processes. The Joint Programme (JP) helped lay the groundwork for transforming the country’s approach to disability inclusion, particularly in social service delivery. A major outcome of Phase 1 was the establishment of the National Agency for Social Protection (NASP) under the President of Uzbekistan, alongside reforms to community-based care systems and enhanced OPD participation. NASP is also leading efforts to deinstitutionalize the childcare system and has drafted a resolution for alternative care of children, including preventive services.

An independent evaluation of Phase 1 (conducted in 2024) confirmed the programme’s strong relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability. The evaluation highlighted the Joint Programme’s alignment with national reform priorities and international human rights frameworks (UN CRPD and SDGs), its contributions to more inclusive service delivery and gender-responsive programming, and the successful promotion of rights-based approaches across sectors. It noted tangible impacts such as the nationwide scaling of early identification and intervention services and strengthened protection from gender-based violence. The evaluation also emphasized the need to further strengthen OPD capacity and ensure greater policy coherence and financial sustainability. These insights directly informed the design of Phase 2 (2024–2025), ensuring continuity, refinement, and scale-up of promising models and reforms identified in Phase 1. Phase 2, implemented in 2024–2025, builds on this progress and focuses on strengthening the capacity of social service providers, advancing human rights-based, community-centered services, expanding support to underrepresented groups, and scaling models of inclusive care for children and women with disabilities.

Scope of Work
The assessment will focus on documenting the implementation and results achieved under Phase 2 of the UN Joint Programme (August 2024–January 2026). It will build upon the findings of the independent evaluation of Phase 1, which has already provided evidence of the programme’s overall relevance, effectiveness, and strategic direction. Rather than repeating an outcome-level evaluation, this consultancy will concentrate on programmatic documentation of Phase 2—highlighting what was implemented, achieved, and learned, including key outputs, immediate outcomes, challenges, and good practices that can inform further scale-up and policy integration. Particular emphasis will be placed on the appraisal of pilot initiatives introduced under the Joint Programme, assessing their effectiveness, sustainability, and contribution to broader policy and system reform.

Thematic Focus: Community-based care models; Gender-based violence (GBV) services; Disability-inclusive child protection and social service provision; Inclusive social protection (e.g., disability-related costs, social support packages); and Capacity building for social service professionals and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs)

Target Groups: Children, youth, women, and men with disabilities, with particular attention to those living in rural areas or belonging to underrepresented groups based on GDS criteria and findings from recent SitAn.
Cross-cutting focus will include gender equality and the specific needs of girls and women with disabilities and meaningful participation of OPDs, parent self-help groups, and caregivers of children with disabilities

Impact Focus: In addition to the above, the assessment will capture what long-term change has been created in Uzbekistan through the GDF investment, the overall impact achieved as a result, and the key enabling triggers that allowed the country team to make this progress. This explicit focus on impact will help demonstrate how the Joint Programme’s GDF-supported interventions have catalyzed broader change in policies, systems, or attitudes over time.

Pilot Project(s): The assessment will include a dedicated examination of the pilot project(s) implemented under Phase 2 of the Joint Programme. The consultant will assess how each pilot was designed and implemented, and document the main learnings and recommendations emerging from these pilot experiences. If a pilot initiative has proven successful, the assessment should also explore how it could be taken to scale or replicated at the national level. UNICEF will provide the consultant with sample pilot guidance materials as well as a country-specific pilot outline to serve as reference. These samples are intended to help support the consultant in documenting the pilot outline.

Objectives of the Assessment
The primary objective of this consultancy is to document the implementation of Phase 2 of the Joint Programme, focusing on: (a) the outputs and short-term results achieved during the period August 2024 – January 2026, (b) implementation experiences and good practices, and (c) lessons learned from applying inclusive, gender-responsive, and rights-based approaches.

Building on this, the assessment aims to:

• Capture programmatic achievements in the selected thematic focus areas of Phase 2.
• Document operational insights from Phase 2 implementation – including what worked well and what required adaptation.
• Identify innovative practices and models with potential for replication or scale-up in Uzbekistan.
• Provide concrete, actionable recommendations for national partners and UN agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA) to inform future programming, scale-up strategies, and system reforms.

Note: This consultancy is intended as a learning and knowledge management exercise and does not aim to repeat a full evaluation of impact. Instead, it complements the Phase 1 evaluation by focusing on documentation of Phase 2 implementation and immediate results, while also highlighting longer-term changes where relevant (as outlined in the Impact Focus above).

Recommended Methodology
The consultant will adopt a mixed-methods approach, ensuring that qualitative insights complement quantitative data. The methodology will be finalized during the inception phase, but is expected to include:

• Desk Review: A thorough review of Phase 2 programme documents, implementation reports, studies (e.g. costing studies), training records, policy frameworks, and other relevant documentation.
• Key Informant Interviews: Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders such as representatives of NASP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, OPDs, caregivers, and social service providers. These interviews will capture diverse perspectives on implementation and results.
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Targeted FGDs (if needed) with beneficiaries – especially women and girls with disabilities, caregivers, and parent support group members – to capture qualitative insights and personal experiences.
• Stakeholder Validation Meetings: Presentation of preliminary findings to stakeholders (government counterparts, UN partners, OPDs, etc.) to validate results and refine recommendations. Feedback from these sessions will be used to ensure accuracy and ownership of the assessment findings.

Throughout all methods, the consultant will ensure participatory and inclusive approaches, allowing persons with disabilities and their representative organizations to actively contribute their views. Data will be triangulated across sources to increase the reliability of findings.

Ethical Review Procedure
Adequate measures will be taken to ensure that the process responds to quality and ethical requirements. The consultant is responsible for ensuring that the process is in line with the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection and Analysis. The consultant needs to clearly identify any potential ethical issues and approaches, including harm and benefits, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, payment and compensation and conflicts of interest.

Given the nature of this assessment, potentially involving interviews with people with disabilities, especially women with disabilities victims of GBV, external ethical review will be required. UNICEF maintains a global long-term agreement (LTA) with an independent external ethical review board, which will review the proposed methodology and data collection tools prior to the start of any fieldwork. The assessment cannot proceed to data collection until ethical clearance is granted. It is the responsibility of the international consultant to initiate and coordinate the ethical review process, obtain approval from the external Ethical Review Board, and include costs into financial proposal associated with it.

Management
UNICEF’s Programme Officer (Disability Inclusion) will act as the focal point for this consultancy. The Officer will coordinate with key stakeholders at critical milestones – for example, during the preparation of the inception phase, throughout data collection, and during the validation of findings and recommendations. The focal point will also ensure the consultant receives necessary operational support, including introductions to partners and assistance in organizing interviews or field visits. Close coordination with participating UN agencies (UNDP, UNFPA, RCO) and government counterparts will be maintained to facilitate access to information and alignment of the assessment with stakeholder expectations.

Payment Schedule: Payments will be disbursed upon completion of key deliverables, as follows:

• 30% upon submission and approval of the Inception Report.
• 30% upon submission of the Draft Assessment Report (after completing data collection and initial analysis).
• 40% upon acceptance of the Final Assessment Report and accompanying deliverables.

Scope of activities - Deliverables - Days

1. Inception Phase. Reviewing programme documents and clarifying the assessment scope and objectives; developing the detailed methodology and tools; and designing the work plan and report structure - 20 days

Deliverable 1.1: Comprehensive Inception Report (to be approved by UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNDP). The report will contain:

• A clear articulation of the assessment objectives, aligned with the UNPRPD Phase 2 goals.
• The detailed methodology for data collection, including sampling strategy and data sources.
• Draft data collection tools (e.g. interview guides, survey questionnaires) and a plan for validation of findings.
• A work plan with a schedule of activities, milestones, and a stakeholder engagement plan defining roles and responsibilities.
• An annotated outline of the final report, with proposed sections/chapters, annexes, and formats.

Deliverable 1.2. Outline of the pilot project(s): A dedicated outline describing the pilot initiative(s) being tested within the Joint Programme – detailing each pilot’s objectives, design and implementation approach, and the consultant’s proposed approach for assessing/reviewing these pilot(s). This pilot outline will be shared with GDF as a draft for feedback and must be refined and agreed upon before being finalized (drawing on the provided sample guidance materials).

2. Data Collection & Analysis Phase: Conducting fieldwork and remote data collection activities, including interviews, surveys, and FGDs as planned. Ensuring an inclusive, accessible, and participatory approach throughout. Organizing and analyzing the collected data in line with the methodology - 20 days

Deliverable 2: Data Collection & Analysis Summary. This intermediate deliverable will include:

• A compilation of all qualitative and quantitative data collected, disaggregated as appropriate, and gathered through inclusive and ethical methods. The data should reflect the perspectives of persons with disabilities, caregivers, service providers, and other stakeholders.
• A preliminary analysis of the data, including systematic triangulation of information from different sources.

3. Reporting and Validation Phase: Drafting the assessment report, facilitating stakeholder review/validation, and finalizing the report and knowledge products. This includes incorporating feedback from UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, and key partners, and preparing a presentation of findings - 20 days

Deliverable 3: Final Assessment Report. This will include:

• A Draft Final Report submitted for review to UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, and partners, and subsequently based on consolidated feedback (comments and inputs from all key stakeholders).
• The Final Report in English, which comprehensively documents Phase 2 implementation, results achieved, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations. The report will contain a dedicated section on the pilot project(s) – detailing the pilot design, outcomes, lessons, and recommendations for scaling – as well as an analysis of the long-term changes realized through the GDF investment (impact focus).
• A PowerPoint presentation summarizing key findings and recommendations, to be presented at a stakeholder validation meeting. This presentation should be suitable for sharing with government partners and the PUNOs for advocacy and lesson-learning purposes.

Total: 60 days

Travel is required. 

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

Minimum requirements:

[Include the vacancy requirements aligned to the category and level of the position. You can see examples in the branded VA example.]

• Education: 
  • Master’s degree degree in law, social sciences, international relations, or other relevant field; advanced degree in the same fields will be an asset
  • An advanced (postgraduate) degree in the same or related areas will be considered a strong asset.
• Work Experience:
  • Minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, reporting, policy and data analysis and report writing on development issues, conducting the SitAn, or research in the areas of disability inclusion, social protection, or human rights.
  • Demonstrated experience in coordinating or leading interventions, particularly those related to inclusive development and/or disability rights.
  • Familiarity with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and sound understanding of disability-inclusive project management approaches.
  • Prior experience working in Uzbekistan or CIS region and/or with UNICEF or other UN agencies is an asset.
  • Proven track record in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, including analytical summaries and documentation of results and lessons learned.
  • Strong communication, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills, with demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with government counterparts, UN agencies, and civil society organizations.
•  
• Language Requirements:
  • Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.
  • Working knowledge of Russian is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.