Deadline: 03-Jun-2026
The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF has launched a Call for Expression of Interest to implement a Child-Friendly Local Governance Programme in the Central River Region North (CRR North) of The Gambia. The programme seeks a qualified Civil Society Organization to support local governance strengthening, child participation systems, and improved service delivery for children and adolescents.
Programme Objective
The main objective is to strengthen child-friendly local governance systems by ensuring that children’s rights, voices, and needs are integrated into local planning, budgeting, and public service delivery. The programme also aims to improve transparency, equity, and accountability in local governance processes, with a strong focus on vulnerable children and adolescents.
Geographic Focus Area
The intervention will be implemented in the Central River Region North (CRR North) of The Gambia, with a specific focus on the Kuntaur Area Council. This area is the newest local government authority in the region following administrative restructuring and faces significant development and governance challenges affecting children.
Key Governance and Child Rights Challenges
The region presents multiple structural challenges affecting child wellbeing and participation:
- Limited access to essential basic services for children
- Weak child participation mechanisms in governance processes
- Low institutional capacity at local government and community levels
- Poor awareness among children about council functions and governance systems
- Absence of structured feedback systems for children’s participation
- High levels of child deprivation, including sanitation-related vulnerabilities
Programme Focus Areas
The programme focuses on strengthening child-friendly governance through the following key areas:
- Public finance and local governance strengthening
- Improving transparency in budgeting processes
- Enhancing equitable allocation and execution of public funds
- Child participation systems
- Establishing structured child participation mechanisms
- Supporting children and adolescents in decision-making processes
- Child rights integration in governance
- Embedding child rights into local planning and budgeting frameworks
- Ensuring child-focused policy alignment at council level
- Institutional capacity building
- Training local government officials on child rights-based governance
- Strengthening administrative systems for child-sensitive planning
- Monitoring, evaluation, and accountability systems
- Developing child-friendly M&E frameworks
- Introducing participatory monitoring and feedback systems
- Community engagement and decentralisation
- Strengthening grassroots participation
- Enhancing community-level governance engagement structures
Implementation Strategy
The programme will be implemented through a partnership model where UNICEF collaborates with a qualified Civil Society Organization (CSO). The CSO is expected to:
- Support local government authorities in operationalizing child-friendly governance systems
- Facilitate community engagement and participation mechanisms
- Strengthen coordination between children, communities, and local councils
- Build sustainable governance frameworks for long-term child rights integration
Expected Outcomes
The programme is designed to achieve:
- Increased child participation in governance and planning processes
- Improved transparency and equity in local budgeting and service delivery
- Stronger institutional capacity of local government authorities
- Enhanced accountability systems responsive to children’s needs
- Better access to essential services for vulnerable children and adolescents
Why This Programme Matters
This initiative addresses systemic governance gaps that directly impact child wellbeing in CRR North. It strengthens inclusive governance by ensuring that children are not only beneficiaries but active participants in decision-making processes. By improving decentralised governance systems, the programme supports more equitable service delivery and long-term child rights protection.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible implementing partners include Civil Society Organizations with:
- Demonstrated experience in community engagement
- Strong background in decentralisation and local governance
- Proven expertise in local development programming
- Experience working with child rights or child-focused interventions
- Capacity to operate in The Gambia, particularly CRR North
Key Challenges Addressed
The programme responds to critical findings from recent assessments:
- Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis showing high child deprivation in Kuntaur
- Severe sanitation and basic service gaps affecting children
- 2025 social audit identifying weak child participation in governance
- Lack of awareness among children about council processes
- Limited feedback mechanisms for participatory governance
Application Purpose (What UNICEF Expects)
Applicants are expected to propose solutions that:
- Strengthen child-friendly governance systems at local level
- Build sustainable child participation frameworks
- Improve transparency in planning and budgeting processes
- Establish monitoring and feedback systems led or informed by children
- Enhance coordination between communities and local authorities
Conclusion
The UNICEF-led initiative under UNICEF aims to transform local governance in CRR North, The Gambia, by embedding child rights into public systems. Through partnership with a capable Civil Society Organization, the programme seeks to improve participation, accountability, and service delivery for children, particularly in underserved and high-deprivation communities like Kuntaur Area Council.
For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.