UNFPA Egypt Local Consultancy - Review FGM & Child Marriage Essential Services Package Guidelines

The Position:

The overall purpose of the consultancy is Review Essential Services Package (ESP) Guidelines to Enhance Response and Strengthen Referral Mechanisms for Adolescent Girls, Especially in Cases of FGM and Child Marriage

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

Since 2018, UNFPA coordinated the Essential Services Package (ESP) joint- program in Egypt in collaboration with 11 relevant ministries and key UN agencies (UNDP, UNODC, WHO and UN Women). The objective of this joint- program is to provide adapted guidelines on enhanced coordinated services for women and girls subjected to violence in the health, police and justice, social services, and coordination and governance sectors in the legal, social and medical sectors. The ESP outlines the necessary core services in the health, police and justice, social services sectors to ensure the rights, safety, and well- being of women and girls affected by GBV. Additionally, the ESP provides guidelines on common principles, characteristics, and foundational elements for quality service delivery, coordination, and governance. These guidelines aim to strengthen service delivery through a rights-based approach, promote coordinated multi-sectoral responses to GBVAWG, and ensure that existing essential services align with international standards. Implementing the ESP served to bolster national systems to respond to GBVAWG and operate in harmony with the quality Standards for Prevention and Response to Gender- Based Violence.

Given the heightened vulnerability of adolescent girls to harmful practices such as FGM and child marriage, it is crucial to review and adapt the Essential Services Package (ESP) guidelines. This review will ensure that the response mechanisms are specifically tailored to address the unique risks faced by adolescent girls. By strengthening coordinated referral mechanisms, the revised guidelines will provide a more effective and comprehensive support system, safeguarding the rights and well-being of these young individuals.

Objective:

The objective is to assess the current essential services package and create a detailed response plan that focuses on protection, health, and legal services for adolescent girls who are at risk of or affected by FGM and child marriage. Our aim is to provide coordinated, high-quality services that are suitable for their age and responsive to the needs of both adolescent girls and their families.

• Review the Current Essential Service Package including the six modules (Overview and introduction, Health, Justice and Policing, Social Services, Coordination & Governance and Implementation Guide )
• Assess the effectiveness and gaps in the existing service package and identify areas for improvement and integration of services.
• Develop a Comprehensive Response Package that includes protection, health, and legal services and ensure that the package is tailored to the specific needs of adolescent girls and their families
• Establish mechanisms for coordinated service delivery
• Develop quality assurance protocols to ensure high standards of service.

Scope of Work: 

The consultant will be expected to:

Conduct a thorough review of the current essential service package.

1. Mapping and assessment of the availability and accessibility of the current essential services package.
2. Analyze the challenges, opportunities, gaps and requirements for GBVAWG prevention and response services specific to adolescent girls
3. Review existing laws and policies that affect adolescent girls' access to essential services and assess the coordination mechanisms in place to ensure the effective delivery of these services for adolescent girls.
4. Engage with stakeholders, including service providers, adolescent girls, and their families, to gather insights and feedback. This should be done through consultations with a very clear methodology that should be clarified in the technical proposal.

Develop Response Package:

1. Design a response package that integrates protection, health, and legal services.
2. Ensure the package is culturally sensitive and contextually relevant.

Develop a coordination and implementation guideline:

1. Develop implementation guidelines including coordination framework training materials for service providers.
2. Establish monitoring and evaluation framework to track the effectiveness of the response package.
3. Provide recommendations for continuous improvement.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

• Advanced degree in law, social sciences, or a related field (Additional coursework in Women/Gender Studies is an asset)

Knowledge and Experience: 

• At least 8 years of experience in the field of preventing and responding to gender-based violence
  Experience with GBVAWG provision for adolescent girls, including on child marriage and female genital mutilation
• Familiarity with ESP and tools to prevent and respond to GBVAWG, including harmful practices
• Excellent analytical, communication, and report-writing skills

Languages: 

Excellent in writing for Arabic and English