Consultancy – Birth Registration Cost of Inaction study at UNICEF Global

Consultancy – Birth Registration
Cost of Inaction study – Global Office of Research and Foresight –
approx. 62 working days – Remote/Work from home
Consultancy – Birth Registration Cost of Inaction study at UNICEF Tanzania July 2024
Job no: 573479
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Florence
Level: Consultancy
Location:
Categories: Child Protection, Social Policy, Research, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

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, answers.
UNICEF
Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight (UNICEF Innocenti)
works closely with researchers, governments, practitioners and other
partners in 190 countries and territories. Innocenti’s overall aim is to
contribute to more effective and sustainable outcomes for children,
including their rights and protection. UNICEF
Innocenti generates research, knowledge and analysis on child rights
and well-being globally, for UNICEF, partners, and the wider
international development and donor community. Its activities help to
identify key challenges for child rights, as well as effective solutions
and responses, working collaboratively with a wide range of
stakeholders to inform policy, guide practice and strengthen results
from investments.

Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS)
systems are crucial for capturing and maintaining essential demographic
data, including births, deaths, and marriages. These systems are
fundamental for human rights, protection, governance, planning, and
development. However, many countries do not prioritize investments in
scaling up and sustaining robust CRVS systems, leading to significant
gaps in registration and certification uptakes, coverage, and quality of
vital statistics. This has severe and recurring consequences on human
rights and development fronts and can lead to significant economic
consequences and missed opportunities, particularly in LMIC contexts
including those impacted by climate shocks and humanitarian crisis.
There is an urgent need and opportunity for UNICEF to conduct new
research which explores the cost of inaction by examining the financial
opportunities and efficiency gains associated with good practice
investment in CRVS systems amongst LMICs, and conversely, the cost of
inaction associated with underinvestment in the same systems.

How can you make a difference?
The
primary objective of this research is to quantify the economic impact
of not scaling up and sustaining Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
(CRVS) systems. Recognizing the challenges of incomplete data sets, the
analysis will also include assessment of data gaps which may limit this
analysis and indicate space for improvements in future analysis.
Keeping in mind this caveat, we aim to:
(I) Estimate observable
opportunity savings stemming from effective investment in CRVS systems,
drawing on good practice case studies from up to 5 countries. (Potential
countries to be explored include, but may not be limited to, Rwanda,
Tanzania, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone,
Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, Cambodia). Country selections will be
balanced by geographic diversity and data availability.

The
study will compare, to greatest extent possible, a baseline of
pre-implementation versus post-implementation progress achieved in
improvement of CRVS system inefficiencies, and the associated investment
costs of these improvements, to help make the business case for similar
investments in other contexts.

System inefficiencies to be explored can include, for example:
– Complicated business processes.
– Centralized systems.
– Lack of integration with health and National ID systems.
– Limited digitalization.
– Incomplete coverage of registration and certification.
– Poor coverage and quality of vital statistics.
– High operational cost.
– Incomplete and inaccurate population data for planning.
– Inefficient allocation of resources.
– Missed opportunities for economic growth and development.

(II)
Identify opportunity costs: Analyze missed opportunities in long-term
planning and policy formulation, including digitization, social equity
and inclusion, and resource allocation efficiency due to incomplete CRVS
systems.
This includes:
-Governance
-Vital statistics.
-Demographic insights.
-SDGs.
-Health-CR-National ID pathway.
-Digitalization.
-Gender responsiveness and Legal Identity as human rights.
-Resource allocation efficiency in social protection, healthcare planning, education programs, and infrastructure investment.

To
this end, the Consultant will deliver three outputs: (i) comprehensive
report containing analysis and country case-studies, (ii) policy brief
summarizing key findings and recommendations, and (iii) a presentation
package include PowerPoint and webinar to communicate findings to UNCIEF
and partner stakeholder audiences. Proposed Approach and Methodology.

The
consultant will work closely with UNICEF Innocenti and UNICEF Child
Protection (CP) section to conduct and deliver the study. To achieve the
objectives, they will employ the following methods:
 Literature
Review: Analyze existing studies, reports, and case studies related to
CRVS systems, with a focus on evidence describing the economic
consequences, including financial gains and losses, estimated from both
the presence of, and absence of, effective CRVS systems in multiple
country contexts. LMIC countries featuring effective CRVS systems that
have been in place for at least 10 years will be considered, and
selected in consultation with UNICEF Innocenti and Programme Group
(Child Protection). Estimates from these country contexts can then be
applied to high-burden countries to assess losses.
 Case Studies:
Conduct in-depth analyses of countries with effective CRVS systems to
identify best practices and estimate cost savings, quantified both in
terms of supply and demand side gains. Countries like Rwanda, Tanzania,
and Nigeria that have established a well-functioning CRVS system in a
short period of time can use it to highlight good practices and cost
savings in a pre- and post-analysis.
 Quantitative Analysis:
Utilize statistical techniques such as cost-benefit analysis and
scenario analysis to estimate the direct and indirect financial losses,
focusing on countries with best available data.
 Expert Interviews:
Engage with experts from government agencies, international
organizations, and academia to gather insights and validate findings.

Deliverables
The research will result in the following deliverables:
●Deliverable 1: inception outline, detailing structure of comprehensive report and workplan
●Deliverable 2: initial draft of comprehensive report and briefing paper
●Deliverable 3: final draft of comprehensive report and briefing paper
●Deliverable 4: presentation package, including PowerPoint and webinar

Deliverable/Output:	Estimated number of working days	Deadline
Deliverable 1: Inception outline	10	One week after project start date
Deliverable 2: First draft of comprehensive report and briefing paper	30	Eight weeks after project start date
Deliverable 3: Final draft of comprehensive report and briefing paper, with second round of feedback integrated	20	11 weeks after project start date
Deliverable 4: Presentation pack, including powerpoint and webinar	2	12 weeks after project start date

The
consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNICEF
Innocenti Child Protection Specialist and in close coordination with
UNICEF Child Protection Section, HQ.

Reporting Requirements
Attendance in weekly or bi-weekly project management meetings with UNICEF Innocenti focal point

Conditions of Consultancy
●
UNICEF does not issue computer equipment to consultants. The consultant
will be responsible for providing the necessary computer equipment for
the consultancy themselves and should include the cost implications of
this responsibility in their bid for the consultancy. The cost of
software and subscriptions that may be necessary to complete the
consultancy (e.g., Microsoft Word) also needs to be factored into the
bid for the consultancy.
●UNICEF does not regard Individuals engaged
under a consultancy contract as “staff members” under the Staff
Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and
procedures. Consultants are therefore not entitled to benefits such as
leave, pension 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.
●Payment of professional
fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF
reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables
submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in
submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant. Prospective
consultants are encouraged to ensure that they fully understand (a) the
requirements of each deliverable and (b) the workload associated with
reaching a deliverable.
●UNICEF recognises that, due to the locations
of some of its research, events may occur that either delay
deliverables or prevent them from being completed. These events need to
be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine the impact on the
payment schedule of the contract. It is UNICEF’s objective to be fair to
consultants in situations where deliverables are delayed or no longer
attainable through no wrongdoing of the consultant.
●Consultants 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.

Administrative issues
The Bidder is requested
to provide an all-inclusive cost in the financial proposal, factoring in
all cost implications for the assignment as described above.
Where
travel is expected as part of the assignment, it will be clearly
specified by the bidder (e.g. location, duration, number of journeys),
and included in the estimate cost of travel in the financial proposal.
Any travel will be calculated based on economy class travel, and costs
for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable
daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the
International Civil Service Commission (ISCS), including unexpected
travel.
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To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• An
  advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in economics, political
  science, sociology, public health/social policy, sociology, or relevant
  fields in areas of UNICEF work is required.
• Strong familiarity with birth registration systems and programme design.
• Good familiarity with humanitarian and climate-shock-related contexts
  in LMIC settings, and broader humanitarian child protection issues.
• Established methodological expertise on the design and implementation
  of cost of inaction studies, preferably in the context of humanitarian
  and/or development contexts.
• Proven record of research-relevant publications and deliverables in this topic area.
• Clear record of deliverables in provision of high-quality research
  reports, briefs, and analytical outputs for mixed high-level policy,
  practitioner, and research audiences.
• Strong methodological expertise in economics, data analysis and modelling; strong writing skills.
• Professional, respectful and fully committed to maintaining ethical behaviours.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN
  language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

Other Requirements:
●Understanding the importance of timely delivery, validation and
feedback processes as well as precision when selecting and referencing
background sources.
●Excellent understanding and knowledge of
software such as, but not limited to, Microsoft Office applications,
Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.; basic statistical analysis and reporting
skills (percentages, means, and drawing of charts).

●Self-sufficient, comfortable organizing and managing time and
information to achieve defined goals and optimum results and able to
work to strict deadlines.
●Flexible, and able to work effectively on
multiple assignments simultaneously and to adapt to changing demands
and circumstances. Professional, respectful, and fully committed to
maintaining ethical behaviors.
●Familiarity with evidence synthesis processes would be an asset.
●Clean criminal record and does not subscribe to harmful gender attitudes.

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

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.
Go to our Homepage To Get Relevant Information.
Advertised: 05 Jul 2024 GMT Daylight Time
Deadline: 19 Jul 2024 GMT Daylight Time