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For every child, the right to protection

How can you make a difference?

Uzbekistan is undertaking wide-ranging social protection and broader social policy reforms to advance children’s rights and social inclusion, in line with its international obligations and constitutional status as a social state. Recent reforms have paved the way for stronger legal protection from violence, improved access to education, healthcare and social support, and a more integrated social protection system through establishment of “Inson” centres and unified information systems under the National Agency for Social Protection. National development strategies also prioritize investment in children, youth and human capital. These reforms have been accompanied by progress in measuring and reducing poverty: child monetary poverty declined from 21.5 per cent in 2021 to 11.4 per cent in 2024, while multidimensional child-poverty measurement has been incorporated into the Household Budget Survey to support more comprehensive policymaking.

Challenges remain despite sustained efforts to expand support for families with children. For instance, the Uzbekistan Child Poverty Report 2024 estimates that 21.4 per cent of children (approximately 2.7 million) experience deprivation in at least two dimensions, with particularly high deprivation in clean heating fuel, early childhood development and sanitation. Children also experience barriers relating to education, health, nutrition, safe water and housing, access to information, disability inclusion and protection from violence, neglect and family separation. Multidimensional and monetary poverty identify largely different groups: only 2.9 per cent of children experience both, indicating that income-based targeting alone cannot identify or address many of the deprivations affecting children. Targeted eligibility arrangements, uneven benefit adequacy, fragmented programmes and responsibilities, limited interoperability of administrative data, and disparities by age, disability, household composition and location further constrain equitable access, policy coherence and efficient use of public resources.

A comprehensive State Child Guarantee is therefore needed to translate Uzbekistan’s existing legal and policy commitments into a clearly defined, measurable and progressively realizable package of support for children. Drawing on international good practices, including the organizing principles of the European Child Guarantee, and adapting them to Uzbekistan’s national context would enable the country to combine adequate and predictable child- and family-related benefits with effective access to priority social welfare, child protection, early childhood development, education, healthcare, nutrition and other essential services. Such a guarantee would provide a common framework for coordinating existing programmes, closing gaps in coverage, adequacy and service quality, and linking income support with interventions addressing the multiple and overlapping deprivations experienced by children. It would also enable reforms to be phased according to evidence, implementation capacity and available fiscal space, while progressively advancing equitable access for all children, with priority given to those experiencing poverty, exclusion or heightened vulnerability.

To inform Government decision-making, UNICEF will engage an individual international consultant to develop an Investment Case for the establishment and progressive implementation of a State Child Guarantee in Uzbekistan. The assignment will map and cost existing child-sensitive benefits and services; assess their coverage, adequacy, accessibility, quality, effectiveness and current public expenditure; and estimate the economic and social costs of maintaining existing gaps. It will develop and compare feasible reform scenarios that integrate benefits and services and progressively improve their coverage, adequacy and quality, assessing their fiscal requirements and expected contribution to reducing monetary and multidimensional child poverty. Drawing on relevant and transferable international evidence, the analysis will examine the cost-effectiveness, costs and benefits, implementation requirements, fiscal space and sustainable financing options associated with each scenario. The resulting Investment Case will provide an evidence base and a phased, institutionally feasible roadmap to guide policy dialogue and government decisions on the design, financing and implementation of an integrated State Child Guarantee.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: External ToR TMC0005660.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

- An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in economics, public finance, public policy, social policy, development studies, statistics, or another directly relevant field.
- A PhD in a relevant field may be considered an asset

Work Experience:

At least ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in social protection, public finance, economics, social-sector financing, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated expertise in the design, assessment, or financing of child-sensitive social protection programmes, including cash benefits, social assistance, social services, or integrated packages of benefits and services.
Completion of at least two comparable assignments involving the development of an investment case or financing strategy for social protection or another social sector. Collectively, these assignments should demonstrate experience in:
- programme costing and quantitative scenario modelling;
- economic analysis, such as cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, cost-of-inaction, or return-on-investment analysis;
- fiscal-impact, fiscal-space, affordability, or financing analysis; and
- assessment of expected effects on poverty, child well-being, human capital, or other relevant outcomes.
At least one comparable assignment must have included the development of a reusable and editable costing, simulation, or investment-modelling tool, together with methodological documentation or user guidance.
Proven ability to lead complex analytical assignments and facilitate stakeholder consultations, technical validation, senior-level policy dialogue, capacity building, and knowledge transfer.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
Knowledge of Russian and/or Uzbek is a strong asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

Comprehensive knowledge of child-sensitive social protection systems, including child benefits, social assistance, social services, social protection floors, progressive universalism, and relevant UNICEF and ILO frameworks, including SDG target 1.3.
Strong understanding of monetary and multidimensional child poverty and its implications for the design, targeting, coverage, adequacy and financing of social protection policies.
Sound knowledge of public financial management, government budgeting, fiscal policy and the financing of social-sector programmes.
Advanced quantitative and data-analysis skills, including the ability to assess administrative, survey, programme, budget and expenditure data; identify data-quality constraints; and develop transparent, adaptable and user-friendly analytical tools using Microsoft Excel or other accessible software.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to document methodologies, sources, assumptions, uncertainties and limitations clearly; translate complex analysis into actionable policy recommendations; and effectively present and transfer technical knowledge to senior decision-makers and technical counterparts.

Desirables:

Experience undertaking policy analysis and engaging government counterparts in a low- or middle-income country context. Experience in Uzbekistan, Central Asia, or a comparable transition economy is an asset.
Previous experience working with national governments and at least one of the following: United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, or other international development partners.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal TMC0005660.xlsx
A detailed technical proposal:
A technical proposal of up to three pages outlining the proposed methodology, analytical approach, workplan and overall understanding of the assignment;
Contact details for two professional references; and
Examples of, or links to, at least two relevant analytical products. For confidential products, applicants should describe the assignment’s scope, their specific role, the methodology applied and the principal deliverables produced.

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

International Consultant to Develop an Investment Case for a State Child Guarantee in Uzbekistan, Social Policy Section, 3.5 months, Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Internationals only) Home based with travel