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How can you make a difference?ย
Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
The purpose of this consultancy is to assess the current social protection system in Eswatini and develop a comprehensive advocacy and action plan to transform the system towards greater child sensitivity. The assignment will explore fiscal space, administrative and programmatic requirements necessary for reforming the existing system to effectively address child poverty.
Background:
Eswatini, a lower-middle-income country in Southern Africa, continues to face significant development challenges, particularly in addressing persistent poverty and inequality. Despite notable policy efforts, child poverty remains widespread and entrenched. According to the latest data, 65.3% of children live below the international poverty line of $3.65 per day (2017 PPP), while 46.6% experience multidimensional poverty, characterized by simultaneous deprivations in health, education, nutrition, and living standards. These challenges are particularly acute in rural areas, where access to basic services is limited.
The Government of Eswatini has committed to building a comprehensive social protection system through frameworks such as the National Social Security Policy (2018) and the draft National Social Assistance Policy (2021). However, implementation remains constrained by fragmented programming, limited coverage, weak administrative systems, and chronic underfunding. Existing child-focused programs, such as the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Education Grant, Neighborhood Care Points, and the Child-Headed Households Program, are insufficient in scale and impact to meet the growing needs of vulnerable children and families.
At the same time, Eswatiniโs fiscal landscape is heavily reliant on volatile Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenues, leaving limited and uncertain fiscal space for sustained social investments. These fiscal and programmatic limitations have constrained the governmentโs ability to effectively respond to rising vulnerabilities and to prioritize child well-being as a core development outcome.
Recognizing these challenges, UNICEF is supporting the Government of Eswatini to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the national social protection system with a specific focus on improving child sensitivity. This assessment aims to generate actionable evidence to guide the transformation of the system into a more inclusive, efficient, and child-responsive framework. It will examine current gaps, explore feasible reform pathways, assess fiscal space, and recommend practical steps for policy and programmatic alignment with child rights and national development goals. The ultimate goal is to strengthen Eswatiniโs social protection system as a strategic vehicle for addressing child poverty and promoting long-term human capital development.
Scope of Work:
1. Comprehensive System Mapping and Gap Analysis
โข Review the existing social protection landscape in Eswatini, with a focus on programs targeting children and vulnerable households.
โข Assess coverage, adequacy, effectiveness, and equity of current interventions.
โข Examine the design and implementation features of child-sensitive social assistance programmes (e.g., OVC grants, Neighborhood Care Points, Child-Headed Households Programme) to assess their effectiveness in addressing both monetary and multidimensional child poverty.
โข Use available administrative and survey data, and where feasible, stakeholder and beneficiary perspectives, to analyze impacts on child well-being outcomes including education, nutrition, health, and household economic security.
โข Identify structural and programmatic gaps and constraints that limit effectiveness, inclusivity, or scale of these interventions.
2. Fiscal Space and Financing Analysis
โข Conduct a detailed fiscal space assessment to identify potential sources of sustainable financing for child-focused social protection expansion.
โข Analyze national and sectoral budget allocations and trends related to children and social protection.
โข Explore policy and financing scenarios to support scale-up or reform of key interventions.
3. Institutional and Administrative Capacity Assessment
โข Evaluate the administrative structures, delivery mechanisms, information systems, and human resource capacity within relevant ministries and implementing agencies.
โข Assess coordination mechanisms across sectors and levels of government.
โข Identify opportunities for system strengthening, including integration and interoperability of data and delivery systems.
4. Legal and Policy Framework Review
โข Review existing legal and policy instruments to assess their alignment with international and regional commitments (e.g., CRC, African Charter) and national development priorities.
โข Identify policy and legal gaps or inconsistencies that hinder the realization of child-sensitive social protection.
5. Stakeholder Analysis and Political Economy Mapping
โข Identify key actors and institutions involved in social protection policy, financing, and delivery.
โข Analyze stakeholder interests, incentives, and potential bottlenecks to reform.
โข Provide recommendations for strategic engagement and coalition-building to support reform efforts.
6. Development of an Advocacy and Action Plan for Reform
โข Translate assessment findings into a practical, evidence-based advocacy strategy to support policy dialogue and reform implementation.
โข Develop a costed, time-bound action plan outlining priority actions for transforming the social protection system into a more inclusive, child-sensitive framework.
Activities and Tasks:
1. Inception Phase
โข Prepare a detailed inception report and work plan, outlining the methodology, tools, stakeholder engagement plan, and timeline for the assignment.
โข Conduct initial consultations with key stakeholders as necessary to validate objectives and expectations.
2. Desk Review and Situation Analysis
โข Review existing documentation including national policies, strategies, budget reports, programme evaluations, and legal frameworks.
โข Conduct a diagnostic analysis of the current social protection system with emphasis on child-related components.
3. Primary Data Collection and Stakeholder Consultations
โข Conduct structured interviews and focus group discussions with government officials, development partners, civil society, and community representatives.
โข Collect qualitative and quantitative information to complement desk review findings and inform recommendations.
4. Fiscal and Institutional Analysis
โข Conduct fiscal space analysis using a recognized framework to assess affordability and sustainability of proposed reforms.
โข Evaluate institutional and administrative readiness, including delivery infrastructure, human resource capacity, and governance mechanisms.
5. Synthesis and Development of Reform Options
โข Identify and assess policy and programmatic reform options based on evidence and stakeholder input.
โข Propose prioritized and sequenced actions with cost implications and expected outcomes.
6. Development of Advocacy and Action Plan
โข Draft a practical advocacy strategy, including key messages, stakeholders, and opportunities for policy engagement.
โข Prepare a detailed action plan with specific activities, responsible actors, timelines, and budget estimates.
7. Validation and Dissemination
โข Organize validation workshops to present preliminary findings and collect feedback from stakeholders.
โข Finalize the comprehensive assessment report and action plan.
โข Support dissemination of findings through presentations and policy briefs tailored to decision-makers.
Work Assignments Overview
Deliverables/Outputs
Deliveryย deadline
1. Inception report and Workplan:
Deliver a detailed inception report outlining the methodology, data sources, analytical framework, and a time-bound work plan.
Inception report
5 days
2. Situation Analysis of Social Protection:
Conduct a comprehensive mapping and diagnostic of the current social protection landscape, with emphasis on child-sensitive elements.
Situation Analysis report
20 days
3. Fiscal Space and Administrative Feasibility Report:
Produce a detailed analysis of fiscal space, financing options, and institutional readiness for reform implementation.
Combined Economic, Financial Viability, and Institutional Readiness report
20 days
4. ย Stakeholder and Political Economy Analysis Report: ย
Present a stakeholder map, political economy analysis, and engagement recommendations to support reform traction.
Stakeholder Engagement and Risk Assessment report
15 days
5. ย Advocacy Strategy and Costed Action Plan: ย
Develop a targeted advocacy strategy and an actionable, costed plan for implementing key child-sensitive reforms.
Advocacy Strategy and Costed Action Plan report
10 days
6. Final Consolidated Report and Dissemination Outputs:
Submit an integrated final report (full and summary versions), validated with stakeholders, and a presentation slide deck for high-level dissemination.
Final Reports, and Consultation and Dissemination Workshop materials (including slide deck)
10 days
ย
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will haveโฆย
๏ง Advanced university degree (Masterโs or equivalent) in economics, public policy, social protection, development studies, or a related field.
๏ง A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of social protection systems, with a strong focus on public finance and policy reform.
๏ง Demonstrated technical expertise in fiscal space analysis, institutional capacity assessments, and child-sensitive social protection program design.
๏ง Solid understanding of the political economy and governance dimensions of social protection reform in low- and middle-income countries; experience in Sub-Saharan Africa is highly desirable.
๏ง Proven ability to lead stakeholder engagement processes, including conducting political economy analysis, facilitating consultations, and building consensus.
๏ง Strong research and analytical skills, with a track record of delivering high-quality reports, policy briefs, and strategic plans for development partners and government stakeholders.
๏ง Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:
๏ง Deep technical expertise in social protection policy design, fiscal analysis, and institutional systems strengthening.
๏ง Proven ability to conduct comprehensive fiscal space assessments, public expenditure reviews, and costed action plans.
๏ง Strong experience in conducting stakeholder and political economy analysis, with the ability to translate findings into actionable engagement strategies.
๏ง Demonstrated capacity to work across sectors and coordinate multi-stakeholder processes.
๏ง Excellent analytical and report-writing skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into clear, policy-relevant outputs.
๏ง Proficiency in developing high-quality deliverables such as feasibility study reports, advocacy strategies, and programmatic action plans.
๏ง Strong communication and facilitation skills, with experience presenting technical findings to government and development partners.
Evaluation Criteria
A) Technical Evaluation (75 Points) B) Financial Proposal (25 Points)
โข -Education background (30 points)
โข -Relevant working experience (45 points)
If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about childrenโs rights and making a lasting difference on childrenโs lives, one of the global leading entities on childrenโs rights would like to hear from you.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.
UNICEF is also proud of a diverse workforce who are profoundly committed to supporting the full realization of childrenโs rights, and in uplifting a rights-based approach in all that we do.
The UNICEF competencies required for this post areโฆ
(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 othersย
[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role].ย
Click here to learn more about UNICEFโs values and competencies.
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.ย 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.
We offer aย wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks andย reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.ย
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:ย ย
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.ย
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered โstaff membersโ under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEFโs 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.ย
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.ย