I. Introduction

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. As an independent development and humanitarian organization, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 80 years we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.

II. Background

Plan International Asia Regional Hub operates in a vibrant, fast growing, and challenging region, that is home to 650 million adolescents^[1]. Even though half of the youth population in Asia is female^[2], in many parts of the region, girls and women are undervalued and underestimated. Despite efforts made over the past decade to narrow the gender inequality gap, girls and young women continue to encounter gender-related restrictions and inequalities that keep them from reaching their full potential.

Girls often face gender discrimination even before their birth, particularly in countries where the culture preferences male children. Statistics shows that, for every 100 girls who are born alive in India, seven are aborted, and in China, nine are aborted, just because they are girls.^[3] Discrimination continues throughout childhood, and according to the 2016 Global Education Monitoring report four of every five out-of-school girls in South Asia will never enter the formal education system, compared to two out-of-school boys. These discriminatory attitudes and practices towards girls and women significantly limit their ability to enact leadership, to define goals that are in line with their values, and to act on them. With the ambition to help “Girls Get Equal”, Plan International Asia Regional Hub will invest in research into regional girls’ leadership in order to gain deeper insights into key trends and issues that enable or constrain the leadership and agency of adolescent girls and young women.

This research project consists of two phases. Phase I will include the following components:

Desk research to identify key enabling and constraining factors that affect how adolescent girls and young women across Asia develop leadership capabilities at different levels and;
Regional index to measure the opportunity of adolescent girls and young women in Asia to develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities.

Phase II research, to be carried out in mid-2019, will include surveys and case studies on adolescent girls’ and young women’s agency in selected locations.

III. Objectives of the ToR

Plan International Asia Regional Hub seeks a consultant or consulting firm to complete the following assignments:

conduct desk research to identify concepts, theories and emerging debates at the regional and global levels on girls’ and young women’s leadership and agency
conduct desk research to identify key enabling and constraining factors that affect how adolescent girls and young women across Asia develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities in different situations, including at family, community or national levels
create an Asia Girls’ Leadership index to measure the opportunities of adolescent girls and young women to demonstrate leadership capabilities and to act on their own choices

Suggested Methodology

At the minimum, the consultant or consulting firm will be expected to employ the following quantitative and qualitative research methods:

Desk research will include a review of literature and documents to identify key concepts, theories and emerging debates on girls’ and young women’s leadership and agency and enabling and constraining factors that affect how they develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities at different levels, including family, community or national and regional levels. The desk research should aim to answer the following key research questions:

What are the key concepts, theories and emerging debates on girls’ and young women’s leadership and agency the regional and global levels?

What are the enabling and constraining factors that affect how adolescent girls and young women[4] across Asia develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities across Asia develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities in different situations, including at family, community or national levels in the past decade (2008-2018)?
What are similar or contextually specific issues and trends across the region?

The desk review, at a minimum, will focus on the following areas: education, economic opportunities, safety[5], health (including sexual and reproductive health) and other basic services, political participation and civil liberty, empowerment and self-determination and discriminatory laws/policies. Where possible, the consultant or consulting firm will be expected to identify and compare contextually specific issues and trends across the region.

Composite index to measure the opportunity of adolescent girls and young women in Asia to develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities individually and collectively. The index will examine factors that enable or constrain women and girls’ leadership around the following domains: education, economic opportunities, safety, health (including sexual and reproductive health) and other basic services, political participation and civil liberty, empowerment and self-determination and discriminatory laws/policies. Based on the aforementioned domains, the consultant or consulting firm will develop a theoretical framework that provides the basis for the selection and combination of variables into a meaningful and reader-friendly index that can be strategically utilized as an influencing tool to draw the attention of the public , policy makers and regional intergovernmental institutions such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) encouraging them to invest more towards advancing equalities for adolescent girls and young women. Each domain will be represented by a subset of existing relevant indicators, to be drawn from globally comparable data sources such as UN Agencies, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, regional institutions, etc.

The consultant or consulting firm will be expected to assess the availability of data sources, identify and justify which data would best would serve the purposes of the study, complete the calculations of both sub-domain and overall index scores and analyze the relationships and trends between the findings of desk research and sub domain and overall index scores. The consultant or consulting firm shall include a detailed methodology for the development of the composite index in the inception report. We welcome suggestions and ideas on approaches to the methodology which may improve the expected outcomes.

Keys Deliverables

The consultant or consulting firm will directly report to the Regional Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) Specialist and work in close collaboration with the Girls Leadership Research Working Group. The following deliverables are expected from the consultant or consulting firm after signing the contract:

Table of Deliverables

Deliverable	Format	Length	Due
1. An inception Report, at a minimum, should include: 1.1. A tentative list of available literature, relevant documents and data sources to be used 1.2. A detailed methodology for the desk study and index development 1.3. A detailed work plan with timeline, estimated no. of work days for each deliverable and date for deliver 1.4. A tentative structure/outline of the final master report	Word	Maximum 10 pages	By March 22
2. First draft report combining the findings of desk research, index scores and conclusions	Word doc	Maximum 40 pages	By April 25
3. A presentation of the findings of the draft of the report	PowerPoint Presentation	N/A	By May 5
4. Second draft of the report	Word doc	Maximum 40 pages	By May 15
5. Final report (including Executive Summary)	Word doc	Maximum 40 pages	By May 20
6. Technical report on the index development methodology and complete final set of data used for the development of the index	Word doc and Excel or any other appropriate formats	N/A	By May 20

Tentative timeframe and Estimated Working Days

The assignment is estimated to be completed within 45 days beginning from February 2019 and to be completed by May 2019. The timeframe is indicative and can be reevaluated in consultation between Plan International and the consultant or consulting firm.

Task	Timeframe	Estimated no. of work days
Hold an initial meeting to discuss the overall research, methodology, and deliverables	By mid-March	1
Develop and submit an inception report, detailed work plan and methodology	By March 22	4
Inception report and work plan approval	By March 29	N/A
Conduct desk research and produce a narrative report	By April 10	10
Develop index including methodology, indicators selection for each sub domain, weighting, index score calculation, etc.	By April 20	10
Develop and submit a draft research report including an analysis of the findings of desk research and index scores	By April 25	5
Incorporate the first round of Plan International’s feedback and revise the draft report	By May 1	7
Hold a face to face or virtual meeting to present the second draft of the report	By May 5	2
Incorporate the second round of Plan International’s feedback and finalize the report	By May 15	6
Submit the final master report and complete set of data used for the index development	By May 20	N/A
Total		45

Qualifications

Academic qualification:

Advanced university degree in social sciences or other related fields

Technical Knowledge, skills and experience:

Minimum 10 years of professional research experience preferably in the field of gender, youth development, women empowerment, girls’ and women’s rights or other related issues.
Expertise in developing indices required
Strong knowledge of and experience working with existing relevant global data sources required
Good knowledge on quantitative and statistical analysis as well as qualitative research required
Strong understanding of the gendered challenges faced by girls and women in Asia
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to quickly incorporate feedback from different individuals
Previous engagement with and/or knowledge of Plan International’s work is desirable

Evaluation criteria

Candidates will be evaluated in following

Criteria	Weight
Academic qualification	20%
Technical knowledge, skills and experience	40%
Methodology	20%
Financial proposal	20%
Total	100 %

How to apply?

Interested applicants should provide a proposal covering the following aspects:

Detailed response to the TOR
Proposed methodology
Proposed timelines
Curriculum Vitae
Three references
Example of previous work
Detailed budget, including daily fee rates, expenses, etc.

Please send your application to supornchai.nawataweeporn@plan-international.org and Chamaiporn.siangyen@plan-international.org referencing “Regional Research on Girls’ Leadership in Asia” in the subject line and including support documents as outlined. Application deadline is February 25, 2019 (5 PM, Bangkok time).