TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) TENDER NO. 24/06/FY26 CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR REGIONAL RESEARCH ON HARMFUL PRACTICES IN EAST AFRICA ETHIOPIA, KENYA, SOMALIA

• Plan International and Amref Health Africa are implementing regional initiatives aimed at preventing and responding to harmful practices affecting girls and young women across East Africa. The programme seeks to contribute to the elimination of harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), Child Early and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU), and other harmful social and cultural practices through community-led, gender-transformative and rights-based approaches.
• The programme operates in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, while also strengthening regional policy dialogue and accountability mechanisms through collaboration with regional and continental bodies including the East African Community (EAC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union (AU), the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). The programme contributes to regional and global commitments aimed at advancing gender equality and protecting the rights of girls and women, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African Union Agenda 2063, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), and other regional frameworks aimed at eliminating harmful practices and promoting gender justice.
• The need for strengthened evidence on harmful practices remains urgent. Despite ongoing efforts by governments, civil society organizations, development partners and communities, harmful practices continue to negatively affect the health, education, protection, dignity and overall wellbeing of girls and women. Persistent social norms, gender inequality, weak enforcement systems, cross-border dynamics, conflict, climate shocks, displacement, and limited access to services continue to sustain these practices in many contexts. These challenges are often amplified in fragile and conflict-affected settings, highlighting the importance of adopting a humanitarian-development-peace nexus perspective that recognizes the interconnected nature of protection, resilience and long-term social transformation.

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