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, 

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Tajikistan is now ranked 112th out of 146 nations in the Global Gender Gap Index, slightly worsening its position from 111th place in 2023. This lower ranking reflects challenges in political empowerment and economic participation, despite some improvements in health and educational attainment. Patriarchal gender norms are the root cause of multiple, interlinking missed opportunities for women and girls in Tajikistan. Patriarchal gender norms combine with other factors, such as poor employment opportunities, to result in high male labor migration and thereby uniquely shape Tajikistan’s gender-related issues. Women and children left behind during migration face specific vulnerabilities, receive little or no remittances to support their family and risk divorce and subsequent isolation. Gender norms and community practices, notably as it relates to marriage among young people, as well as early entry into motherhood and high rates of adolescent pregnancy affect most young women.  There are prevailing negative social norms and traditional attitudes towards women’s status and rights within the family and society in Tajikistan. The discriminatory gender norms are manifested and often institutionalized in every part of life.

Women and girls widely face discrimination and inequality in social, economic, and political life. Women and girls, living with extended families, receive the least investment; thus, they tend to be less educated, have less money spent on their health care and are less prioritized in civil engagement and employment opportunities than men and boys. Girls aged 11-17 are approximately twice as likely as boys to be deprived in school attainment, school attendance. Further, young women are more likely to be unemployed: 69% of working-age women are not working for pay, compared to 49% of men. In addition, 49% of women aged 15-24 in Tajikistan are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) compared to 7% of men.  The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its concluding observation highlighted increasing trend on early marriages. In Tajikistan, the minimum age for marriage is 18, but the court can make exceptional decisions related to marriage from 17 years old. Despite the concerns raised by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, this trend still is increasing.

Against the backdrop of prevailing gender inequality in Tajikistan, UNICEF has developed a Strategy Note which highlights strategic actions and intervention to address harmful gender norms in Tajikistan. The specific objective of this Strategy Note is to shift discriminatory and harmful gender norms, by promoting positive masculinities; empowering girls and women and increasing investment in them; and promoting gender responsive parenting in Tajikistan through a sector and system wide collaboration and cooperation. The note considers United Nations and other development agencies and development partners’ goal to accelerate achievement of gender equality, and women and girl’s empowerment in Tajikistan, to achieve development outcomes for children (girls, boys), men and women.

In parallel to elevating the gender agenda and convening partners and stakeholders to collectively invest in efforts to transform the discriminatory and harmful gender norms into positive gender norms, UNICEF Tajikistan will conduct a study on child marriage in Tajikistan, in partnership with the Republican Centre for Strategic Research under the Office of the President, and in collaboration with other UN agencies. This study aims to better understand the scope of the issue, its underlying drivers, and the social and gender norms that contribute to its prevalence. By defining these norms, we can address the factors that contribute to child marriage and develop evidence-based strategies to reduce and ultimately eliminate it.

How can you make a difference? 

Duration: 155 working days between 24 December 2024 - 19 September 2025

Supervisor: SBC Officer with oversight provided by the Deputy Representative, Programme.

The primary purpose of this consultancy is to facilitate the two major initiatives on gender equality, which UNICEF Tajikistan has embarked on.

Objectives:
1. To facilitate and provide technical, capacity and coordination support in successful completion of the Child Marriage Study, liaising with international experts, the Strategic Research Centre, and participating UN agencies.
2. To support the delivery of Gender Norms Strategy by ensuring inter-agency Programing, action planning, and coordination.
3. To support in documenting, share and report on processes and outcomes.

Work Assignment

The national consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Social & Behaviour Change Officer and oversight of the Deputy Representative Programme. The national consultant will also receive substantive supervision from the Chief of Social and Behaviour Change and Chief of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Key Tasks:

1. Support and coordinate designing of a national Programme on gender norms in collaboration with UN, government, and partner agencies, through existing forums and mechanisms.

a. Revise the strategy note with input received from all stakeholders and consultations.

b. Share and validate final draft of strategy note with all relevant agencies.

c. Coordinate regular meetings, exchanges, and forums on the initiatives, internally and externally.

d. Conduct workshops and consultations with relevant stakeholders for designing of longer-term Programme on gender norms.

e. Validate the design of the Programme with relevant agencies, departments, organizations, and groups.

f.  Coordinate the launch and delivery of the national Programme on gender norms.

2. Coordinate designing of ‘Child Marriage Study’ in collaboration with relevant UN agencies, Center for Strategic Research (CSR), and technical partners.

a.Establish and maintain ‘Steering Committee/Reference Group’ and ensure regular coordination between the UN Agencies, Center for Strategic Research Center and the contracting agency/consultant.

b. Onboard international research design partner and national data collection partner for the child marriage study.  Review proposed methodology and tools for data collection, liaise with Strategic Research Centre and international experts on data collection tools.

c. Conduct workshops and consultations for design the child marriage study with international and national technical partners, UN Agencies and CSR, by undertaking design workshops, discussions, and exchanges.

d. Oversee the pre-test data collection tools, revise, and finalize tools with Strategic Research Centre and international experts.

e. Carry out monitoring and mentoring during data collection for quality assurance and guidance.

f.  Organize and facilitate periodic meetings of the ‘Steering Committee/Reference Group’ during the design and delivery phase of the research.

g. Conduct validation workshop for research/design of study, with relevant stakeholders.

3. Effectively manage documentation and reporting of the process and outcomes

a. Manage and maintain shared repository/hub of all relevant resources.
b. Document process and outcomes and reporting for both assignments.
c. Quality assure Tajik and Russian translation of deliverables.

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

• Education: University degree in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, or related field.
• Work experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience in gender related issues, women empowerment, social and behavior change, social and gender norms related to children's issues.
• Proven expertise in gender equality, social and gender norms, protection from violence and related concepts and its impact on outcomes for children.
• Specialized Expertise: Demonstrated ability to convene, coordinate and collaborate with multiple stakeholders across agencies and levels. Experience of supporting evidence generation, quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Technical Skills:
  • Facilitation, negotiations with external partners
  • Planning and coordinating
  • Programme Development
  • Report writing
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in Tajik and English is essential.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

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.