Terms of Reference: Consultancy for Concluding Observations and Shadow Report Analysis and Policy Briefs from a Disability Inclusion Perspective

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is a non-political, non-religious, not-for-profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) established by blind and partially sighted (BPS) youth in Nepal. It was founded in 2011, registered with the District Administration Office in Kathmandu in 2012, and affiliated with the Social Welfare Council of Nepal. It is the only organization established by BPS youth in Nepal. Currently, BYAN has more than 500 members, organized into 10 district chapters located in Jhapa, Morang, Bara, Kathmandu, Chitwan, Kaski, Rupandehi, Banke, Surkhet, and Kailali districts. Memberships and chapter expansion are ongoing. As a rights-based organization, BYAN intends to play a proactive role in formulating, amending, and implementing legal provisions related to youths with disabilities. It also focuses on organizing and capacity-building of youths with disabilities across the country. BYAN has strong networking and cooperation with different government and non-government stakeholders working in various domains of disability. Additionally, BYAN is a member of the National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal (NFDN), which serves as the umbrella organization for organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in the country.

Consultant: Concluding Observations and Shadow Report Analysis and Policy Briefs from a Disability Inclusion Perspective

Organization

Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN)

Duration

25 working days across two assignments

Nepal is a State Party to several major international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and undergoes periodic review under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Through these mechanisms, treaty bodies have issued Concluding Observations containing specific recommendations to the Government of Nepal, while civil society organizations, including organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), have submitted shadow reports documenting implementation gaps.

Despite progressive frameworks such as the Constitution of Nepal (2015), the Act Relating to Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2017) and the Act Relating to Children (2018, children with disabilities continue to face systemic exclusion in education, health, protection, and participation. Out-of-school children are at the highest risk when it comes to disabilities. Recommendations issued by treaty bodies are rarely tracked systematically from a disability inclusion perspective, and follow-up advocacy at federal, provincial, and local levels remains fragmented.

Under the SANKALP, supported by Save the Children, BYAN works to strengthen the capacity of civil society actors, including children, to monitor, report, and follow up on duty-bearers' commitments to child rights. As an organization of persons with disabilities guided by the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us,” BYAN seeks to produce an evidence-based analysis of Concluding Observations and shadow reports that will serve as a foundational advocacy and monitoring resource. Building on this analysis, BYAN also requires a set of evidence-based policy briefs to carry the findings into sustained engagement with duty-bearers at federal, provincial, and local levels. These two assignments are combined under a single consultancy to ensure coherence between the evidence base and the advocacy products.

2. Objective of the Consultancy

The consultancy has two interlinked objectives: (a) to prepare a comprehensive analytical document examining the Concluding Observations issued to Nepal under the CRC and CRPD, relevant UPR recommendations, and associated shadow reports, from a disability inclusion perspective, and to generate actionable recommendations for BYAN's advocacy and monitoring work, and b) to develop evidence-based policy briefs on BYAN's priority advocacy themes for use with duty-bearers and coalition partners.

The consultancy comprises two interlinked tasks.

Task A

Concluding Observations and Shadow Report Analysis (15 working days)

Task B

Development of Policy Briefs on Advocacy Priorities (10 working days)

The consultancy is primarily desk-based, drawing on treaty body documents, state party reports, shadow reports, UPR documentation, national laws and policies, and available administrative data. The consultant will hold consultations with BYAN leadership and as agreed during inception, key informant interviews with selected OPD representatives, coalition members, and relevant government stakeholders.

All processes must be accessible and follow rights-based, GEDSI-responsive language and approaches. Persons with disabilities must be engaged as experts and informants, not as subjects of study. The policy briefs must build directly on the findings of the Concluding Observations analysis and be developed through participatory consultation with BYAN staff, board, and youth members with disabilities.

The assignment covers 25 working days in total, spread over a maximum of 8 calendar weeks from the contract signing date. The consultant will report to the BYAN Programme Manager (SANKALP) and coordinate closely with the designated focal person.

8. Required Qualifications and Experience

The consultant must comply with BYAN’s and Save the Children's safeguarding, child protection, and code of conduct policies, maintain confidentiality of all information obtained, and obtain informed consent for any interviews. All intellectual property arising from the assignment rests with BYAN.

Interested candidates should submit the following to [email protected] by 27 July 2026

Please use the subject line: “Consultancy: Concluding Observations and Shadow Report Analysis and Policy Briefs" while sending your applications.

https://www.jobsnepal.com/terms-of-reference-consultancy-for-concluding-observations-and-shadow-report-analysis-and-policy-briefs-from-a-disability-inclusion-perspective-143253