International Disability Alliance is looking for a Global Assessment Researcher and Analyst

Terms of Reference

Global assessment of CRPD implementation (2006 –2026)

Type of assignment: Global research, analysis, and toolkit development.

Contract period: Start April 2026 (indicative) – end 3 December 2026 (final deadline)

Final delivery date: 3 December 2026 (International Day of Persons with Disabilities)

Purpose

Twenty years after the CRPD was adopted, it is timely to undertake a comprehensive OPD-centered global assessment that brings together: the reality of the situation of persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities measured against CRPD standards, including the level of participation in decision-making and independent living and inclusion in the community. This research project is to deliver a rigorous, accessible, and OPD-centered global assessment of CRPD implementation and the situation of persons with disabilities, marking 20 years of reflection after the CRPDs adoptions.

The research will:

• Assess CRPD implementation across all core and cross-cutting areas, including equality and non-discrimination, accessibility, legal capacity, liberty and security, independent living, education, work, health, protection from violence, political participation, data and statistics, international cooperation, and situations of risk/humanitarian emergencies.
• Provide case-studies and examples of persistent barriers as well as good practice, including emerging and innovative responses, with a country-by-country snapshot of the situation of persons with disabilities, highlighting progress, gaps, and structural barriers.
• Triangulate laws/policies/institutions and resourcing with lived experience and outcomes (access to services, inclusion, poverty, exclusion, deprivation of liberty, etc.).
• Identify global and regional trends and practical recommendations for governments, donors, UN actors, and other stakeholders.
• Conduct a global OPD survey on participation in decision-making and international cooperation (CRPD Articles 4(3) and 32).

Scope

Geographic coverage - Global.

Thematic coverage

• Cross-cutting obligations: non-discrimination, accessibility, women and girls, children, awareness-raising, data, national implementation/monitoring, remedies, international cooperation, OPD participation.
• Topics to include: inclusive education; independent living/ deinstitutionalization; legal capacity; deprivation of liberty; employment; health equity; violence; humanitarian and climate resilience; assistive technology/digital inclusion).

Analysis should address intersectional discrimination where data permits (women and girls, children, older persons, psychosocial/intellectual disabilities, Deaf and deafblind persons, Indigenous persons with disabilities, migrants/refugees, people in institutions, conflict-affected settings, etc.), and be explicit about data gaps.

Methodology requirements

A mixed-methods methodology is required, with minimum components:

• Global evidence synthesis drawing on CRPD Committee materials, other UN human rights mechanisms, SDG/national statistics, reputable sector datasets, national laws/policies, and OPD/civil society evidence.
• Global OPD participation survey (mandatory) aligned to Articles 4(3) and 32, designed to measure meaningful participation (accessibility, timeliness, influence, resourcing, feedback loops, representation), and delivered in accessible, multilingual formats.
• Consider other elements that have advanced implementation (and to what extent) such as government coordination mechanisms, donors/international cooperation actors, UN agencies/humanitarian coordination, NHRIs/independent monitoring frameworks - only where they add clear value and do not dilute OPD evidence.

Ethics, safeguarding, and data protection

The consultant must apply informed consent, do-no-harm approaches, safe participation protocols, secure data handling, anonymization, and clear data ownership and retention arrangements.

Deliverables (final by 3 December 2026)

• Inception report: methodology, indicators, sampling, accessibility plan, ethics/safeguarding, detailed workplan.
• OPD survey package: Using IDA’s idata platform.
• Global assessment report (final layout and accessible formats).
• Monitoring toolkit for OPDs to use the report for their ongoing advocacy work
• Communications pack for promotion of the report.

Timeline (indicative; deadline fixed)

• Inception: mid-April 2026
• OPD survey live: late May 2026; closes mid–late July 2026
• Interim findings: mid-August 2026
• Draft report: early September 2026
• Validation: October 2026
• Near-final package: early–mid November 2026
• Final delivery: no later than 3 December 2026

Management and coordination

• The consultant reports to an IDA focal point, with an IDA project team.
• Up to three consolidated review rounds (inception; drafts; final).
• A consultancy contract (as per Swiss law) will be signed between the selected consultant and IDA.
• Only applicants with valid commercial and/or consultant registration and/or tax numbers will be considered.

Required expertise

• Strong human rights and political experience, including in international human rights or multilateral diplomacy.
• Strategic understanding of human rights/CRPD advocacy
• Mixed-methods research capacity (survey design, qualitative methods, comparative analysis).
• Clear approach to meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and OPDs in governance and delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver accessible outputs and manage multilingual workstreams.

Proposal submission requirements

Applicants submit four items only:

• Concept note (2–3 pages): approach, methodology, OPD participation plan, deliverables, risks/mitigation.
• CV(s) (max 2 pages per person).
• Indicative workplan (1–2 pages).
• Financial proposal.

Interested individuals are invited to submit all of the above to [email protected] indicating in the subject of the email “CRPD 20 Disability Right Assessment”. The deadline for applications: 23 March 2026, 4:00 PM CET

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