Consultant to conduct a mid-term review of the FGM regional programme
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Consultant Consultancy Purpose of consultancy:
The purpose of the International M&E Consultant is to lead the mid-term review of the DFAT-funded TUSIP programme on Female Genital Mutilation in Asia, implemented jointly by UNFPA and UNICEF and support the amendment of the monitoring and results framework and work plan as a result of the review. The consultant will also support other monitoring tasks as needed.
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.
Scope of work:
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Asia remains a deeply systemic yet frequently overlooked human rights crisis that affects an estimated 80 million women and girls across the continent. While global attention often focuses on the practice in Africa, the Asian context presents a distinct set of challenges characterized by lack of acknowledgement of the harm of the practice and a growing trend of medicalization. In countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the procedure is often integrated into formal healthcare settings, where it is performed by trained midwives or doctors and occasionally even bundled into maternity packages. This shift toward a "clinical" environment creates a dangerous illusion of safety and legitimacy, despite the fact that the WHO emphasizes that the practice has no health benefits and causes lifelong physical and psychological trauma.
The persistence of the practice is largely driven by a complex blend of local cultural identity and a pervasive, though often inaccurate, belief in religious obligation. In many communities within India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, FGM is framed as a necessary rite of passage or a means to preserve "purity" and "modesty," with religious leaders sometimes incorrectly suggesting it is a requirement of faith. This social pressure makes the practice extremely resistant to change, as parents fear that failing to conform will lead to the social exclusion of their daughters. Legal protections remain sparse and inconsistent; for instance, while Indonesia has moved toward policies that discourage the practice, enforcement remains difficult in the face of deep-seated traditional and religious conservatism.
Within this landscape, the DFAT-funded "Breaking the Silence on FGM/C in Southeast Asia" programme, implemented by UNFPA, in partnership with UNICEF, has emerged as a pivotal initiative aimed at increasing the accountability of stakeholders across the region.
As the programme reaches its mid-term point, there is a need to take stock of progress to date, assess what is working well and what requires course correction, and draw early lessons to strengthen implementation in the remaining period. The mid-term review (MTR) is intended to serve as a formative and forward-looking exercise. It will review the progress, efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, coordination, and emerging sustainability of the programme, taking into account evolving regional and country contexts and incorporating any emerging priorities, risks, evidence, or operational developments that have surfaced since the programme began. The findings should inform Year 3–4 planning (July 2026 – June 2028). The key users of the findings and recommendations of this MTR will be UN programme staff implementing the programme at both national and regional levels. This MTR will also contribute to the mid-term review of the broad initiative “Towards Universal Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in Indo-Pacific (TUSIP)” and of the overarching Partnerships for a Healthy Region (PHR), led by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) of the Australian Government. The consultant will be expected to collaborate with the DFAT counterpart when necessary and requested.
The consultant will also support the amendment of the FGM MERL framework to include two new countries (Maldives and Sri Lanka) into the regional initiative and will draft a 6 months progress narrative report for the programme.
In details, this individual consultant will
Duration and working schedule:
The total duration of the consultancy will be 50 working days between the 20th of April to 10th October 2026. The selected consultant will develop a monthly workplan in consultation with the GBV team. Travel is not expected.
Place where services are to be delivered:
This consultancy is home-based.
Delivery dates and how work will be delivered :
Payments will be made in instalments (total 2 instalments) based on the supervisor’s approval of each deliverable. Each payment will be released upon submission and formal acceptance of the corresponding deliverable by the GBV Technical Specialist, UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office (APRO), in line with the agreed deliverable schedule.
While the type of deliverables is mentioned below, the exact number are not possible to be quantified at this stage given the majority of the work will be based on consultations with joint programme partners.
Deliverable 1: Inception report( estimated 8 days)
Deliverable 2: (estimated 22 days)
- Draft mid-term review, including findings from KII and FGDs conducted
- Updated draft MERL framework with updated activity log and work plan
60% of the total fee will be paid upon acceptance of deliverables 1 and 2 by UNFPA APRO.
Deliverable 3: Presentation and report of the validation meeting (estimated 3 days)
Deliverable 4: Final mid-term review with final MERL framework, updated activity log and work plan (estimated 7 days)
Deliverable 5: Six-month progress narrative report of the FGM programme and report of any contribution to the TUSIP and PHR initiatives MTR (estimated 10 days)
40% of the total fee will be paid after deliverable 3, 4 and 5 are accepted and approved by UNFPA APRO.
Monitoring and progress control:
A work plan/delivery monitoring schedule will be determined by APRO and the Consultant at the outset of the consultancy. A tracking sheet will be used to note progress against the TOR deliverables and deadlines.
Supervisory arrangements:
The M&E consultant will directly report to UNFPA APRO GBV Specialist with overall supervision from GBV Advisor.
Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner:
The consultant will use their personal laptop/computer. The consultant will closely coordinate with other consultants hired to conduct mid-term reviews of other programmes under the same initiative (SRH data).
UNFPA APRO will link the consultant to UNICEF partners, UNFPA Country Office Gender/GBV focal points and other key stakeholders as necessary.
Professional Experience and Required Skills:
UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.
Disclaimer:
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
