Consultant to Conduct a Gender Analysis and Develop a Gender Equality Workplan for the UNICEF Caribbean Multi-Country Office, Eastern Caribbean Area, Barbados & Remote no travel, 3 months

The Caribbean Multi-Country Office (MCO) represents a transition to a unified UNICEF programme covering twelve English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States, structured around shared regional priorities and outcomes. The 2027–2031 Multi-Country Programme is anchored around three programmatic outcomes:

• Equitable access to primary health care, learning and skills
• Protection of children from all forms of violence
• Child poverty reduction and resilience strengthening

Gender equality is a cross-cutting programming principle and a corporate priority under the Gender Policy, 2021–2030 and UNICEF’s Gender Equality Action Plan (2026–2029), recognizing that gender discrimination shapes outcomes for children from early childhood through adolescence. Evidence from the region highlights persistent gender inequalities affecting both girls and boys, including:

• High rates of violence against children and gender-based violence
• Gendered disparities in education participation and outcomes
• Adolescent vulnerabilities, including early pregnancy and disengagement of boys from education
• Unequal impacts of poverty, climate shocks and social exclusion on different groups of children

Additionally, UNICEF and partners in the Caribbean have generated substantial evidence and programming approaches through initiatives such as:

• Gender Programmatic Reviews (GPRs) (e.g. Belize; Guyana/Suriname; ECA; Jamaica)
• Country Programme Preparation documents (e.g. CPDs; Programme explanatory notes)
• Spotlight Initiative Caribbean Regional Programme (2019-2023), particularly on gender-based violence and social norms
• CARICOM and regional frameworks for gender equality, education, child protection and resilience

However, a critical gap remains in translating these into a coherent, actionable, multi-country gender workplan aligned with the new MCO structure and results framework.

The UNICEF Adolescent Girls Strategy (currently being updated, document to follow soon) promotes a multisectoral, rights-based, holistic approach to deliver more deliberate, girl-focused programming; placing the rights, well-being, and leadership of adolescent girls at the very core of UNICEF work. This includes targeted, measurable actions that promote adolescent girls’ voice and agency – to shift power towards girls - alongside their health, nutrition, learning, and skills, as well as protection against violence, exploitation, abuse, and harmful practices.

However, the Caribbean notes significant challenges with the academic performance of adolescent boys and associated entanglement with gangs, violence, drug trade and intimate partner violence. Boys’ disengagement from education remains a major concern and a pressing issue despite its recognition as such by countries, and past initiatives to address it. At the upper secondary education level, gender disparity at boys’ disadvantage remains wide in enrolment. Young men are also particularly disadvantaged in tertiary enrolment in Latin America and the Caribbean region, where 81 young men for every 100 young women are enrolled in tertiary education. These challenges are further reflected in juvenile justice systems across the Caribbean, where gaps in diversion, rehabilitation, reintegration, data and institutional capacity continue to affect responses to children in conflict with the law, with boys disproportionately represented among those entering the justice system.

UNICEF recognizes that gender discrimination begins before birth and impedes the realization of rights through childhood, adolescence and beyond. Investments in gender equality beginning in early childhood and continuing throughout adolescence are therefore integral to lifelong positive outcomes for children and their communities. As the organization mandated to protect and promote the rights and opportunities of children and adolescents during the time of life when gender norms are learned and solidified, UNICEF has a unique responsibility to ensure that gender equality is at the core of everything it does. The core of responsive programming lies in recognizing how gender intersects with factors such as race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and geography. These intersecting identities shape individuals' exposure to systemic discrimination, marginalization, and heightened vulnerability during crises like natural disasters and armed conflict.

The Multi-Country Office (MCO) covers twelve independent states; Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. All participating countries and territories across the coverage area are classified as high- or upper-middle-income

• Purpose

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the UNICEF Caribbean MCO to develop a practical, results-aligned Gender Equality and Children Workplan for the 2027–2031 programme cycle, and to shape and refine country programme planning alignment with the UNICEF Gender Equality Action Plan 2026-2029 (UGEAP).

The workplan will:

• Integrate gender equality goals across the three MCO programme outcomes
• Align with national and UNICEF global priorities, including the Adolescent Girls Strategy
• Incorporate lessons from the various GPRs and the Spotlight Initiative
• Reflect national gender priorities and country-level implementation capacity
• Align with CARICOM and regional frameworks
• Provide clear actions, indicators, and accountability mechanisms for implementation through Annual Work Plans (AWPs)
• Specific Objectives

The consultancy will pursue the following objectives:

• Conduct a comprehensive analysis of gender and child-rights issues across the MCO countries.
• Assess the status of implementation of previous GPR recommendations.
• Identify priority gender inequalities in alignment with new Country Programme , inequities and gaps, as well as barriers and bottlenecks affecting girls, boys and adolescents.
• Review and integrate relevant recommendations from the Spotlight Initiative, particularly on GBV, VAC and social norms.
• Map national gender priorities, policies and institutional capacities for implementation.
• Align with CARICOM and other regional frameworks/workplans relevant to gender equality and children.
• Map gender priorities to the three MCO programme outcomes and working group structure.
• Develop a practical and cost-conscious gender workplan aligned to MCPD outcomes and AWPs.
• D