TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANCY
PRODUCTION OF STATISTICAL PUBLICATION
ON DISABILITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
IN VANUATU
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1. Purpose of Assignment
Children and adults with disabilities in Vanuatu face many barriers to full participation in society, but
very limited evidence is available on the actual impact of disability on different forms of participation.
The purpose of this assignment is to produce a concise, user-friendly statistical publication (monograph)
on the situation of children, women and men with disabilities in Vanuatu and to document the gaps in
access to basic services and participation between disabled and non-disabled persons through an indepth analysis of the Vanuatu 2009 Census and 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) datasets.
The report will be prepared in close collaboration with the Vanuatu National Statistics Office (VNSO)
and be used to: (a) strengthen evidence-based advocacy for the rights of people with disability; (b)
inform disability policy and programming; and (c) assist Vanuatu in fulfilling reporting obligations under
international human rights treaties related to disability.
2. Background
Disability statistics are essential for informing policy makers and building the case for advancement of
policies, funding and programmes that result in the fulfilment of the rights of children and adults with
disabilities. Both globally and in the Pacific region, there is growing attention for the issue of disability,
accompanied with calls to improve the state of disability statistics:
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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989) is the first human rights treaty to
explicitly address the rights of children with disabilities. It includes a prohibition against
discrimination on the grounds of disability (article 2), and obligations to provide services for children
with disabilities, in order to enable them to achieve the fullest possible social integration (article 23).
All PICs have ratified the CRC.
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Article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2008) puts an
obligation on governments to collect appropriate information, including statistical and research data,
to enable them to formulate and implement policies. To date, more than 130 countries worldwide
have ratified the CRPD, including Vanuatu.
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The report of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
explicitly states that (among other groups) those with disability must not be ‘left behind’ and calls for
all data to be disaggregated by disability.
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Member States of the UNESCAP have declared 2013-2022 as the ‘Asian and Pacific Decade of
Persons with Disabilities’ and adopted the Incheon Strategy to ‘Make the Right Real’ for Persons
with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. This Strategy includes a specific goal to improve the
reliability and comparability of disability data.
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In 2009, Pacific Island Forum member countries adopted the Pacific Regional Strategy on Disability
2010-2015. The 2nd Forum Disability Ministers’ Meeting in 2012 urged national and regional
stakeholders to work together to increase the disability data, research and knowledge and use this
to better inform decision-making.
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The 4th Regional Meeting of Heads of Planning and Heads of Statistics (HOPS) hosted by the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in 2013 recommended that Pacific Island Countries
review their data collection methods for adult and childhood disability and re-analyse existing
census and survey data on disability to obtain richer information, such as on “equalization of
opportunities”.
The definition of disability has evolved over time, and currently reflects a ‘spectrum’ of conditions that
impact on functioning. Environmental factors (for example, social attitudes, availability of assistive
devices) play an important role. International standards such as the International Classification of
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Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) developed by WHO have incorporated this complexity, and
provide guidance and operational definitions for disability.
The Vanuatu National Statistics Office (VNSO) has collected a fair amount of disability data. The 2009
Census included a question on activity limitations in four basic domains (seeing, hearing, walking,
remembering or concentrating), while the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (VDHS) included the
Short Set of Questions covering six core functional domains developed by the Washington Group on
Disability Statistics. To date, Vanuatu has not yet exploited this information to study aspects of social
exclusion for persons with disabilities. Further analysis of these existing census and survey datasets
can contribute substantially to what we know about disability because these datasets contain rich
information on other variables such as demographics, school attendance, educational attainment,
labour force participation, health, etc.
3. Scope of Work
Working in close collaboration with the National Statistics Office, the consultant will be responsible for
the data analysis and report writing of a publication with the following working title: “Social Inclusion of
Children, Women and Men with Disabilities in Vanuatu: What do the data say?”. The report will be
based on a detailed statistical analysis of the 2009 Census and 2013 VDHS microdata at the individual
and household level. In undertaking the assignment, the consultant is also expected to build capacity of
NSO staff and the Disability Desk Officer by transferring knowledge and skills on disability statistics.
The publication will describe the overall extent of disability and profile of children, women and men with
disabilities suggested by the data in the Census and VDHS. The main intended use of the data will be
to compare levels of access to basic services and participation in education, health, employment, family
life (and other relevant variables available in the datasets) for those with disability as measured by the
question set versus those without disability to see if persons with disability have achieved social
inclusion. The analysis may possibly also involve regression models to control for other factors such as
age and gender. A tentative, proposed outline1 for the publication is as follows:
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Executive summary
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Introductory chapter, including a description of data sources and disability measurement in a
census and survey context.
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Socio-demographic profile of children, women and men with disabilities, presenting evidence to
answer questions such as: How many children, women and men are reported to have a disability
(number and percentage, disaggregated by type of disability/functional domain)? What is the
association (correlation) between disability and other demographic factors such as age, sex,
location of residence (urban/rural), parental education, and orphan status? How many households
have one or more person living with disabilities? Etc.
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Comparison of persons with and without disabilities, presenting evidence to answer questions such
as: To what extent are children with disabilities attending school (compared to their non-disabled
peers)? To what extent are children, women and men with disabilities accessing health services
(compared to their non-disabled peers)? To what extent are young and older men and women with
disabilities participating in the labour market (compared to their non-disabled peers)? How strong is
the link between disability and household poverty/wealth? What are the statistically significant and
important correlates of non-fulfilment of the rights of people with disabilities? Etc.
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Conclusion and recommendations, with a focus on the implications of findings for national policies
and programmes.
The assignment is anticipated to entail the following steps:
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Design of an analysis and tabulation plan (statistical excel template outlining required indicators,
cross-tabulations, correlation and regression analysis from the Census and VDHS).
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Statistical analysis of census and survey (micro-)datasets to extract cross-tabulations and populate
the template (working closely with VNSO staff to extract data tabulations and/or direct analysis of
datasets in CSPro, STATA, SPSS or other statistical software package).
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Production of the report, including interpreting the data, creating summary tables and graphs with
key results, descriptive analysis, write-up of methodology and key messages.
To be further discussed and developed by the consultant as part of the assignment.
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Production of a stand-alone summary and powerpoint presentation with key messages.
Reports should be written in English. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that the final report is
edited and proofread to ensure it is of publishable quality.
4. Deliverables and Work Schedule
Activities/deliverables
Location
Estimated time
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Teleconference with VNSO and UNICEF at the start of the
assignment.
Home-based
1 week
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Inception report including:
VNSO (Port
Vila,
Vanuatu)
3 weeks
Home-based
1 week
o
Project plan
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Analysis and tabulation plan (statistical excel template
outlining required indicators, cross-tabulations,
correlation and regression analysis from the Census and
VDHS).
o
Detailed annotated outline for the report.
o
Summary factsheet of the disability monograph
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Data analysis and report writing (in collaboration with VNSO
staff).

Facilitation of participatory workshop (1 day) with VNSO and
other stakeholders to interpret data.

Presentation of draft report and findings to (senior) stakeholders.
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Finalising report (including addressing feedback and comments
received on draft report), stand-alone summary and powerpoint
presentation.
5. Payment Schedule
Payments by UNICEF are delivery-based, i.e. payments are triggered by satisfactory submission of
specified deliverables and accompanying invoices. Any deliverable not meeting the required
specifications will have to be reworked and resubmitted at no additional cost to UNICEF. The proposed
payment schedule for this assignment is as follows:
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35% of the total fee upon satisfactory submission of the inception report.
65% of the total fee upon satisfactory submission of the final report, stand-alone summary and
powerpoint presentation, raw data (e.g. in excel format).
6. Type of Supervision that will be Provided
UNICEF Pacific will issue the contract for this assignment. Overall guidance and feedback on
intermediary outputs will be provided by a small steering committee of representatives from VNSO,
Disability desk and UNICEF.
7. Consultant’s Work place and Official Travel Involved
The assignment will be partially home-based and partially based in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu.
The consultant will be provided with office space at the VNSO while on mission in Vanuatu, however
he/she will be required to work on his/her own laptop during the course of the assignment. UNICEF will
reimburse travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route.
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8. Data Access Agreements
The consultant is expected to sign a data access agreement with VNSO in order to have access to the
microdata of the 2013 VDHS and the Census of 2009. The microdatasets will be available in commonly
used statistical software formats. The license agreement will permit access to the microdata collected
under the Statistics Act, and outlines the conditions for access and usage.
9. Qualifications or Specialized Knowledge/Experience Required
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Advanced university degree (Masters or PhD) in statistics, demography, health, or other related
discipline relevant to this assignment.
Excellent knowledge and understanding of disability measurement and statistics.
Proven experience in working with data from census and/or household surveys and its use in policy
and programming. Able to use CSPro, SPSS, STATA or other statistical software packages.
Experience in data analysis and report writing to disseminate key data and findings to non-technical
audiences.
Excellent command of English required.
Analytical, methodical and precise style of writing.
Good communication and advocacy skills.
Ability to work in an international environment and under tight deadlines.
10. Application process
Qualified consultants with the above experience/competencies are strongly encouraged to apply by
submitting the following documents to [email protected] (CC: [email protected]):
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Application letter (maximum 2 pages)
Curriculum Vitae / UN Personal History Form (P-11)
All-inclusive financial proposal (daily rate, travel and other costs)
Names and contact details of at least two referees.
At least one sample of previous work similar to this assignment (for example, research reports or
publications).
11. UNICEF Standard Terms and Conditions
1. LEGAL STATUS
Individuals engaged under a consultant contract serve in a personal capacity and not as representatives of a
Government or of any other authority external to the United Nations. They are neither "staff members" under the Staff
Regulations of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures nor "officials" for the purpose of the
Convention of 13 February 1946 on the privileges and immunities of the United Nations. Consultants may, however,
be given the status of "experts on mission" in the sense of Section 22 of Article VI of the Convention. If they are
required to travel on behalf of the United Nations, they may be given a United Nations certification in accordance with
Section 26 of Article VII of the Convention.
2. OBLIGATIONS
Consultants shall have the duty to respect the impartiality and independence of the United Nations and shall neither
seek nor accept instructions regarding the services to be performed for UNICEF from any Government or from any
authority external to the United Nations. During their period of service for UNICEF, consultants shall refrain from any
conduct that would adversely reflect on the United Nations or UNICEF and shall not engage in any activity that is
incompatible with the discharge of their duties with the Organization. Consultants are required to exercise the utmost
discretion in all matters of official business of the Organization. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing,
consultants are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct in the
International Civil Service. Consultants are to comply with the UNICEF Standards of Electronic Conduct and the
requirements set forth in the Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation
and Sexual Abuse, both of which are incorporated by reference into the contract between the consultants and
UNICEF. Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the office concerned, consultants shall not
communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or other authority external to UNICEF
any information that has not been made public and which has become known to them by reason of their association
with the United Nations. The consultant may not use such information without the written authorization of UNICEF.
Nor shall the consultant use such information for private advantage. These obligations do not lapse upon cessation
of service with UNICEF.
3. TITLE RIGHTS
UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with
regard to material which bears a direct relation to, or is made in consequence of, the services provided to the
Organization by the consultant. At the request of UNICEF, the consultant shall assist in securing such property rights
and transferring them to the Organization in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law.
4. TRAVEL
If consultants are required by UNICEF to travel beyond commuting distance from their usual place of residence, such
travel at the expense of UNICEF shall be governed by conditions equivalent to the relevant provisions of the 100
series of the United Nations Staff Rules (Chapter VII) and relevant UNICEF policies and procedures.
5. MEDICAL CLEARANCE
Consultants expected to work in any office of the Organization shall be required to submit a statement of good health
prior to commencement of work and to take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement, including
confirmation that they have been fully informed regarding inoculations required for the country or countries to which
travel is authorized.
6. INSURANCE
Consultants are fully responsible for arranging, at their own expense, such life, health and other forms of insurance
covering the period of their services on behalf of UNICEF as they consider appropriate. Consultants are not eligible
to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to United Nations staff members. The responsibility of
the United Nations and UNICEF is limited solely to the payment of compensation under the conditions described in
paragraph 7 below.
7. SERVICE INCURRED DEATH, INJURY OR ILLNESS
Consultants who are authorized to travel at UNICEF's expense or who are required under the contract to perform
their services in a United Nations or UNICEF office, or their dependants as appropriate, shall be entitled in the event
of death, injury or illness attributable to the performance of services on behalf of UNICEF while in travel status or
while working in an office of the Organization on official UNICEF business to compensation equivalent to the
compensation which, under Appendix D to the United Nations Staff Rules (ST/SGB/Staff Rules/Appendix D/Rev.1
and Amend.1), would be payable to a staff member at step V of the First Officer (P-4) level of the Professional
category.
8. ARBITRATION
Any dispute arising out of or, in connection with, this contract shall, if attempts at settlement by negotiation have
failed, be submitted to arbitration in New York by a single arbitrator agreed to by both parties. Should the parties be
unable to agree on a single arbitrator within thirty days of the request for arbitration, then each party shall proceed to
appoint one arbitrator and the two arbitrators thus appointed shall agree on a third. Failing such agreement, either
party may request the appointment of the third arbitrator by the President of the United Nations Administrative
Tribunal. The decision rendered in the arbitration shall constitute final adjudication of the dispute.
9. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT
This contract may be terminated by either party before the expiry date of the contract by giving notice in writing to the
other party. The period of notice shall be five days in the case of contracts for a total period of less than two months
and fourteen days in the case of contracts for a longer period; provided however that in the event of termination on
the grounds of misconduct by the consultant, UNICEF shall be entitled to terminate the contract without notice.
In the event of the contract being terminated prior to its due expiry date in this way, the consultant shall be
compensated on a pro rata basis for no more than the actual amount of work performed to the satisfaction of
UNICEF. Additional costs incurred by the United Nations resulting from the termination of the contract by the
consultant may be withheld from any amount otherwise due to the consultant from UNICEF.
10. TAXATION
The United Nations and UNICEF undertake no liability for taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant
on payments made under this contract. No statement of earnings will be issued by the United Nations or UNICEF to
the consultant.
Prepared by Section Chief:
Name/Title:
Date:
Approved by Deputy Representative
Name:
Date
Date:
Date:
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