Consultancy – Birth Registration Cost of Inaction study – Global Office of Research and Foresight – approx. 62 working days – Remote/Work from home
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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.

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 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.