Closing date: 11 June 2021

Duty Station: Home-based or New York, USA (as to be mutually agreed between UNFPA and the consultant)

Background

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) has been recognised as a critical gender-based violence primary prevention strategy which serves to support young people entering into and maintaining respectful relationships free from violence. It also serves as a key platform through which gendered and discriminatory social norms may be challenged and transformed thereby addressing the drivers of gender-based violence. As a gender transformative and rights-based approach to working with young people, CSE can contribute to ending violence against women and girls. 

FBOs and religious actors, including female faith leaders, play an important role in either sustaining or challenging social norms on gender and GBV. And some FBOs support giving young people full and honest information about sexual and reproductive health and actively support CSE. 

Existing literature reviews speak to the potential of CSE as a strategy to prevent GBV, both in terms of primary prevention and early intervention. However, to date,  there are no current or comprehensive evaluations of the impact of CSE interventions on violence or implementation guidance to support GBV prevention specifically. This gap provides a niche area to build on existing lessons and to collect data related to the impact of the interventions led by faith communities and FBOs, and the impact these interventions have on GBV and on the norms, attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate GBV. The short-term aim is to contribute thought leadership over this area of work toward the long-term aim of contributing to the changes to violence-related attitudes and social norms.

Purpose of Consultancy

The purpose of the consultancy is to build upon existing literature and evidence to support the implementation of CSE as a critical and transformative GBV prevention strategy. This would include reviewing  the evidence for the role of faith communities in GBV prevention, and in particular the provision of CSE. In addition to the use of CSE as an entry point for engagement with in- and out-of-school young people, it provides a platform to embed gender transformative approaches to preventing violence before it starts or serves to provide access to support services early to break the cycle of violence. A whole-of-system and -community approach, including FBOs, is critical in ensuring that CSE can be used to shift gendered social norms and end GBV. 

In building upon the outcomes of UNFPA-led peer-to-peer webinar of faith leaders and actors designed to examine CSE as a gender transformative approach that can contribute to ending violence against women and girls, and the range of existing research including literature reviews and evaluations, the consultancy will also  develop an implementation framework to complement the international standards for CSE, to ensure that there is increased understanding of how to frame and implement CSE GBV prevention programme. 

This framework will include a model monitoring and evaluation framework to support systematic evaluations of CSE as a GBV prevention programme to build the evidence base. This framework will form a key component of the planned UNFPA GBV Operational Plan falling under the UNFPA Gender Strategy (2022-2025).

To ensure sustainability, identify leading institutions to establish a partnership toward advancing GBV, CSE and social norms change able to draw upon and take forward CSE as a GBV prevention strategy as part of the UNFPA GBV Operational Framework to enable implementation against the UNFPA Gender Strategy and the upcoming UNFPA Strategic Plan (2022-2025).

Deliverables

A 4-5 page technical paper on CSE as a GBV prevention strategy to be included as part of the technical series of UNFPA GBV publications: informed by review and analysis of webinar proceedings (Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a Gender-based Violence Prevention Strategy in Faith Settings), from follow-up with select webinar participants to supplement and substantiate the information gathered from the webinar and analysis of research including existing literature reviews and evaluations.

An implementation plan with an M&E framework for CSE as a GBV prevention strategy to be incorporated into the UNFPA GBV Operational Plan.

A stakeholder mapping report with recommendations of key research institutions leading GBV, CSE and social norms change able to draw upon and take forward CSE as a GBV prevention strategy as part UNFPA GBV Operational Framework to enable implementation against the UNFPA Gender Strategy and the upcoming UNFPA Strategic Plan (2022-2025)

Expected Travel

None

 Required Expertise and Qualifications

 Education:

Post graduate or equivalent in gender, international development, international relations, or other social science fields. 

Knowledge and Experience:

At least 10 years of experience in the practice of as well as strategic development, research and training including experience on GBV and CSE.

Experience in capacity building on GBV and CSE and in facilitation. 

Experience in provisioning of technical assistance, programme, policy analysis, and strategic planning.

Experience working with, and mobilizing human capacities and partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field.

Languages:

Fluency in English required; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably French and/or Spanish, is an asset.

How to Apply

Please send your application and a short letter of motivation with "GBV CSE Consultant" in the subject line  to endgbv@unfpa.org by 11 June 2021.