Consultancy to develop a report on the status of early childhood development (ECD) in the Pacific Region, 90 days over 6 Months

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, Education.

The Pasifika Call to Action for Early Childhood Development (ECD) outlines 10 action points to accelerate investments and services that support the holistic development of the children in the early years, and to improve key child outcomes in the Pacific region. 15 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), namely Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, are signatories to the Call to Action. The Call to Action leverages the rich cultural heritage of the Pacific Region, its family values, and national strengths while emphasizing the critical need to support parents and caregivers. While the Pasifika Call to Action provides regional guidance for accelerating ECD results, countries have developed national ECD frameworks/policies/strategies to define and guide ECD programming at country level.

 

As the custodian to the Call to Action, the Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Development (PRC4ECD) unites Ministers and Permanent Secretaries from education, health, finance, and social welfare, and encourages countries to tailor the Call to Action to their specific contexts, and to drive collaboration among leaders, policymakers, and program implementers to address gaps in health, nutrition, protection, care, and stimulation that affect the development of young children across the region. These efforts align with broader regional priorities, such as the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, the Pacific Culture Strategy, and sectoral goals set by Pacific Ministers of Education, Health, and Women. Together, these frameworks underscore the importance of parenting engagement as a central element in the holistic development of young children.

From the inception of the Call to Action in 2017, UNICEF PMCO assumed the role of Council Secretariat, which mandates the organization to monitor the implementation of the Call to Action. To that end, PRC4ECD and UNICEF convened the Forum on Early Childhood Development in 2019, and again in 2023. A survey of all 15 countries resulted in a 2023 ECD Status Report, which was presented at the ECD Forum.

 

At the 2023 ECD Forum, the Pasifika Call to Action for ECD was expanded from 9 action points to include 10 actions, the latter to be focused on ECD and Climate Change, and there was a commitment to develop guidance and an action plan for this area of work. In addition, at conclusion of the 2023 ECD Forum, the Ministers of Education, Health, Social Services and Finance Sectors, and senior government representatives from the 15 PICTs committed to the following, among others:

• Develop and strengthen robust ECD legislations and policies with costed action plan and monitoring and evaluation framework which are supported by well-resourced and functioning multi-sectoral coordinating mechanisms.
• Undertake coherent and coordinated multi-sectoral approach to planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation which is accessible and informed by relevant, reliable and comparable data disaggregated by age, sex, disability, residence, ethnicity and wealth.
• Support and enhance multi-sectoral platform to coordinate financing and investment through national public financial management systems that are evidence based and make best possible use of budgets, ensuring efficacy, build synergies for ECD programmes and services at international, regional, national and sub-national levels.
• Coordinate mechanisms that translate normative framework and commitments to affordable quality services and support for all children, young people and their families, with particular attention to the most marginalized and vulnerable, such as children with disabilities by integrating ECD and taking a holistic approach when delivering policies and programs.
• Provide critical comprehensive and quality support to parents, caregivers and communities; to nurture a loving, safe and caring environment that is grounded in our culture, values, knowledge, and faith, all of which are critical to child-rearing in the Pacific; and support systems for the most vulnerable and marginalized including early interventions for children and young people with disabilities.

 

The PRC4ECD and UNICEF will convene the ECD Forum in May 2025, to be held in Samoa. The Forum will assess progress towards key commitments selected from the list above.  A Pacific ECE Systems Status Report was also completed in 2022 with a specific focus on documenting the status of all areas that comprise a strong early childhood education system across all 15 countries. The scope of these terms of reference does not include the ECE systems update. However, ECE and system strengthening will be addressed alongside the rest of the commitments through an evaluation that is planned for 2026.

These terms of reference outline the scope of work and tasks towards producing the ECD status report for 2025. The timeline for the exercise is January to June 2025, which includes an in-person presentation at the aforementioned ECD Forum.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of the consultancy is to produce actionable knowledge about the early childhood development in the Pacific Region vis-à-vis the 10 actions outlined in the Pasifika Call to Action while also taking into account other regional frameworks which contribute to ECD, that can enable the governments and leadership from the 15 PICTs to advance the objective of providing quality early childhood development interventions and services to all children in the region.

The objective of the exercise is to summarize the status of ECD in each of the 15 PICTs that are signatory to the Pasifika Call to Action for Early Childhood Development (ECD) building up on the 2023 ECD Status Update.

Methods: The consultant will conduct a desk-based review of existing documentation, to identify gaps, and to align efforts with regional frameworks such as the Pasifika Call to Action on ECD, the Pacific Culture Strategy and Pacific regional research frameworks, building on the methodology, findings and lessons from the ECD Status Report (2023), and the Global Evaluation of UNICEF work on ECD and early childhood education (ECE). Furthermore, the consultant will design and implement an updated survey to ensure that progress beyond 2023 is captured, and to ensure that the new commitments are documented and validated systematically and participatory way with Pacific Island country representatives.

The consultant will consider the separate but connected ECD Status Report (2023) and the ECE System Status Report (2024), as well as the Global Evaluation of UNICEF work on ECD and ECE (2024) which presents data, analyses, and recommendations on both ECD and ECE. It is expected that all these documents will be considered when designing the ECD Status Report for 2025, to maximize the synergies and alignment of information.

The consultant will design, in collaboration with UNICEF, a methodology that engages with representatives of all relevant sectors and countries, as well as with regional bodies, like the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Pacific Community (SPC), the University of the South Pacific (USP), as well as partners as relevant. UNICEF will facilitate connections to relevant officials and partners. The consultant will be expected to coordinate closely with a Pacific ECD expert or leader throughout the process and in the presentation of the findings. UNICEF will also facilitate this connection.

A subset of PRC4ECD members will be convened as a task team to support and provide technical guidance to the consultant, to review and validate the report, and to advise the Steering Committee and the full Council accordingly. The task team will engage with the consultant on a regular basis, including supporting co-construction of recommendations. The product of the consultancy – the Early Childhood Development (ECD) status report for 2025 – will be presented at the ECD Forum in Samoa. The main tasks for the consultancy are summarized in the ToR that is provided.

Please refer to the ToR ( Terms of reference_ ECD Status Report 2025_08 Jan 2025_shared.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines. 

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

The consultant for this assignment will be selected through a competitive desk review process as follows:

• Financial proposal including a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a break down for the following:
• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel
• Living allowance where travel is required

Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs

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

• A Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Early Childhood Development, Education, Family Health, or a relevant and/or associated field.
• A minimum of 15 years of professional experience related to early childhood, parenting and parent engagement in the early years, including policy, planning, programming and/or research.
• Experience designing and implementing participatory and inclusive processes engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, including governments, with attention to cultural and contextual relevance, and local ownership of processes and outputs.
• Understanding of the ECD context in the Pacific Islands region will be an added advantage.
• Experience working in UNICEF, a UN system agency or a CROP agency is an asset.
• Proven ability to work independently under difficult conditions
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

 

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 jobs-near-me.org 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 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.