PROJECT BACKGROUND 1. General background The global forced displacement crisis has grown in scale and complexity in recent years, with 123.2 million people forcibly displaced worldwide by the end of 2024 (UNHCR). Forcibly displaced persons (FDPs), including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), face acute vulnerabilities such as loss of assets, psychological trauma, limited rights, protection risks, disrupted education, and uncertain futures. Host communities (HCs) likewise struggle to sustain their own development amid these challenges. In response to these considerable challenges, the ‘PROSPECTS’ Partnership — launched by the Government of the Netherlands in 2019 — brings together the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNHCR, UNICEF, and the World Bank. The partnership adopts a holistic approach across eight countries (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Sudan, and Uganda), leveraging each agency’s comparative advantages and expertise to improve access to education, decent jobs, protection, and critical infrastructure for FDPs and HCs. In 2024, the partnership launched Phase II, building on the results and lessons learned from Phase I (2019–2023) to maximize impact. This new phase addresses core challenges through PROSPECTS’ three original pillars—education and skills, employment and economic inclusion, and protection and social protection—while introducing a fourth pillar on critical infrastructure to respond to evolving needs. 2. PROSPECTS IN Jordan Under PROSPECTS in Jordan, the ILO focuses on strengthening the labour market and creating sustainable livelihoods for both Jordanian host communities and Syrian refugees. Interventions are structured around three integrated pillars: (1)  Education and Learning, through market-driven skills training, recognition of prior learning, and career guidance to enhance employability; (2) Economic Inclusion, which includes improvements to labour market governance and employment placement services, promoting fundamental principles and rights at work; and value chain development using the Access to Inclusive Markets Systems (AIMS) approach (3) Protection and Social Protection, through strengthened social protection schemes for vulnerable groups including expanding social security outreach to workers and tackling child labour. Phase II (2024–2027) of PROSPECTS further expands on lessons learned while introducing new interventions aligned with Jordan’s evolving priorities. As part of PROSPECTS mandate to strengthen protection and social protection, the ILO will collaborate with key partners to ensure protection of workers and promote Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW), with a particular focus on combatting child labour. Through targeted interventions, the ILO aims to contribute to the elimination and prevention of child labour in the agriculture sector by implementing a comprehensive set of initiatives. These efforts will address the issueat multiple levels, including system strengthening, and individual empowerment, ensuring a holistic and sustainable approach to the child labour issue.   ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND Based on the 2024 ILO-UNICEF Global Estimates, child labour remains a major concern in most countries and continues to affect approximately 138 million children aged 5 to 17 years worldwide, representing 7.8 percent of the global child population. Of these, 54 million children are engaged in hazardous work. While significant progress has been made since 2000, when 245 million children were in child labour, the pace of progress has slowed considerably. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest burden at 21.5 percent of children affected. In the Arab States, around 4.6 million children aged 5 to 17 years are economically active, with a prevalence rate of 9.1 percent. Agriculture remains the dominant sector across all regions, accounting for 61 percent of child labour globally, although this varies by age group and region.  There are root causes that make children vulnerable to child labour, including poverty, inability of parents to bear the cost of education, poor education quality, and lack of access to social protection. Moreover, lack of awareness and appropriate systems to prevent and address child labour contributed to its persistence over time. In Jordan, child labour continues to be among the most prevalent and persistent forms of exploitation experienced by vulnerable children. According to the National Child Labour Survey (NCLS), almost 2 percent of children aged 5-17 accounting for almost 76,000 were working in 2016. Of these, nearly 70,000 are engaged in child labour (more than doubled since 2007). Almost 12,000 are Syrian refugee children and another 4,000 children of other nationalities are engaged in child labour activities. Retail and trade are the major employers of children with 29 percent followed by agriculture with 28 percent, and transformative industries and construction each employ 11 percent. The survey noted that over 64 percent of child labourers were engaged in work considered "hazardous" and 28.4 percent were under the age of 14. The survey further reveals that in general, 32.9 percent of working children work over 48 hours per week and 12.3 percent work anywhere between 36 and 48 hours a week. Over 58 percent of Syrian children work more than 48 hours per week, while 59.8 percent of Jordanian children work less than 36 hours a week. School attendance is high among Jordanian children (94.8 per cent) but is lower among Syrian children (72.5 percent). Enrolment drops sharply (approximately 35 percent) among those aged 16-17, which could be attributed to that quite a percentage who are allowed to work drop school to join the labour market and earn an income. The main reasons for this group were due to illness/disability (50 percent), lack of affordability (lack of interest in education 17.9 percent, school cost 13 percent, and rejection from family 8.3 percent). A significant number of Syrian children are living and working with their families in agricultural farms across Jordan. Likewise, a number of Jordanian children continue to be engaged in child labour on agricultural farms. Regardless of the estimate, the large inflow of Syrian refugees has impacted local economies and labour markets in Jordan, including through an increase in the number of child labourers. Child labour affects health, education and children’s well-being, and has an impact on the socio-economic development of households, communities, as well as the country as a whole. The scale of child labour in agriculture, as well as the inherent dangers involved in agriculture work, make it a key sector for the ILO's work in Jordan. There are numerous socio-economic and cultural factors that contribute to the incidence of child labour in Jordan particularly in the agricultural sector. The most cited factors include:  Poverty, lack of employment opportunities and social protection are among the top drivers of child labour in Jordan, with families relying on children's income to cover basic expenses and navigate the difficult economic situations they encounter. Jordan’s high unemployment rate of 21.4 percent at the end of 2023, remains a pressing challenge that further contributes to child labour.  Forced displacement/crisis: The influx of Syrian refugees significantly impacted the Jordanian labour market and local economies contributing to an increase in child labour including amongst Syrian children, which families resort to as a survival strategy to ease dire economic situations.   Barriers to education: Low enrolment in school is attributed to various factors including poverty, lack of affordable and safe transportation, low-quality education for Syrian children, and onerous requirements for enrolment.1 Also,the lack of nearby schools, overcrowded classrooms and school-related expenses are additional reasons for low enrolment and/or attendance.  Lack of labour law enforcement: Despite the above legislative and institutional advances, enforcement remains challenging, particularly in informal sectors such as agriculture. Limited inspection capacity, and the sponsorship system typically hinder full implementation.  Lack of awareness on child labour rights: In general, the level of awareness on child labour rights is low among children, caregivers and workers. Yet notably, awareness is lower among children themselves standing at only 21 percent, 46 percent of workers and 50 percent of caregivers. Legislative framework Jordan’s approach to eradicating child labour is anchored in a combination of international commitments, national laws,and policies aimed at protecting children from economic exploitation and hazardous work. The country is party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which obliges governments to protect children from all forms of economic exploitation and work that may interfere with their education or harm their development. Jordan has ratified the ILO child labour conventions including the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 128) the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Jordan has also ratified the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105). In addition, in 2009 Jordan ratified the Palermo Protocol. It has since demonstrated increased commitment to the elimination of child labour. These ratifications reflect Jordan’s commitment to aligning its legal framework with international norms and advancing children’s rights through policy and practice. The national legal framework has been adapted to provide protection from child labour. The Jordanian labour code serves as the main legal instrument regulating child labour. The law sets the minimum age of employment at 16 in line with the ILO Minimum Age Convention 1973 (No. 138)4 and restricts employment of those aged 16-17 to non-hazardous work. Article 73 of the labour code prohibits children under the age of 18 from engaging in hazardous, exhausting, or health-endangering work, as defined in the Minister of Labour’s Regulation No. 77 of 2014 on hazardous occupations prohibited for minors. Furthermore, the law limits the employment of juveniles to six hours per day, prohibits night work, overtime, and employment on official holidays, requires the written consent of the child’s parent or guardian and mandates employers to maintain records verifying the age and medical fitness of any juvenile employee. Violations of these provisions are subject to administrative penalties and fines. Yet, challenges remain. The degree to which the provision concerning minimum age is enforced is not clear, as both agriculture and domestic work sectors are not covered by labour inspection.  In 2021, the government enacted Agricultural Bylaw No. 19 which represents a significant step toward extending labour protection to agricultural workers, including children of working age. For decades, the agricultural workers were not covered under the Labour Law, leaving all workers including children working in the sector outside formal protection mechanisms. The bylaw introduced provisions to improve occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, regulate work permits, and strengthen inspection coverage in rural and agricultural areas where child labour is prevalent. This alignment with international labour standards was supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through capacity-building workshops for labour inspectors and relevant authorities. The Government of Jordan expressed a strong political commitment in addressing child labour, building on progress achieved over the past few years. It has launched the National Framework to Combat Child Labour in 2006, that was later updated in 2020. The framework aims to foster the collective ac􀆟on of key stakeholders in their fight against child labour. In 2022, the government also endorsed several plans to address child labour, including, the 2025 Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan (3RP) and the Na􀆟onal Strategy to Prevent Child Labour (2022–2030) and its ac􀆟on plan. The strategy provides a comprehensive roadmap for addressing child labour through an integrated approach that combines law enforcement, education, social protection, and awareness-raising. It assigns key responsibilities to the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development, and other partners to identify, withdraw, and rehabilitate working children, while addressing the root causes such as poverty, school dropout, and limited access to social services. In addition, the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) reactivated the multi-partner National Child Labour Task Group with members from the government (MoL, MoSD, PSD, MoPIC, MoE), NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies (ILO, UNICEF,UNRWA and UNHCR). As mentioned earlier, poor enforcement, limited capacity􀆟es of labour inspection, economic pressures on low-income households and the difficulty to separate between “child work” where children help their families in ways generally seen as acceptable and “child labour” which violates children rights in small scale farming communities usually hinder law enforcement. In summary, while Jordan’s legislative framework on child labour demonstrates a strong commitment to protecting children and adhering to labour standards, its success highly depends on sustained efforts to address informality, strengthened capacities of labour inspectorate, and social protection made more accessible for everyone who needs it.   PROSPECTS phase I (2019-2023): Previous initiatives on child labour   Under PROSPECTS phase I (2019-2023), the project successfully implemented a series of initiatives that contributed and laid the foundation for strengthened institutional capacities, enhanced community-level responses, and fostered collaboration among national partners. Key achievements include: I. improved quality of protection through strengthening the existing case management and referral mechanisms to be more inclusive. II. strengthened localized community-level monitoring and support for the elimination of child labour, in partnership with the Institute for Family Health (IFH). ILO PROSPECTS piloted four local child labour committees comprised of community members and local representatives from Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, as well as community-based organizations, farmers and cooperative representatives. Capacity building supported the members and introduced safe referrals, prevention and mobilization for the elimination of child labour, specifically in the agriculture sector, where its prevalence amongst Syrian refugee children is high. III. collaborated with UNICEF around the topic of child labour, with ILO providing training to UNICEF supported organizations on the new cooperative tool. IV. supported the development of the Occupational, Safety and Health (OSH) tool and the adaptation and translation of the role of cooperatives in eliminating child labour manual. Both tools have been piloted with the Jordan Cooperative Corporation (JCC). V. trained seven cooperatives and local child labour committees using the Arabic version of the cooperative tools on elimination of child labour5 and OSH. The cooperatives and CSOs were referred by JCC through UNICEF. Therefore, this initiative helped strengthen the joint work on child labour between the ILO and UNICEF. VI. conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) on SCREAM in partnership with UNICEF, UNHCR and a complementary ILO Jordan project (Addressing the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Agriculture). PROSPECTS phase II (2024-2027): Current and future initiatives on child labour The upcoming intervention under PROSPECTS phase II is in line with outcome 3 in the project’s logframe which calls for refugees and host communities to have increased access to strengthened community-based, local and/or national protection mechanisms/services. Building on past achievements, the ILO, through the second phase of the Prospects programme, is seeking a non-profit implementing partner to carry out various interventions to address child labour in agriculture. These efforts will be structured mainly around PROSPECTS pillar 3: Protection and Social protection with strong linkages with the programme’s first and second pillars: Education and learning (pillar 1) and Economic inclusion (pillar 2). These Terms of References (ToR) outline the framework for the next phase of action focusing on enhancing prevention and protection mechanisms, and promoting skills development and alternative livelihoods, in close coordination with key stakeholders, mainly the Ministries of Labour, Agriculture and of Social Development. The implementing partner will also cooperate with other PROSPECTS partners working on Child Labour to enhance referrals, the access of working children to education, and caregivers and older siblings' access to skills and livelihoods interventions. Under the implementation agreement, the ILO will aim to reduce child labour in Jordan’s agricultural sector, in areas that have high-intensive agricultural activities (Mafraq, Dhulail and Jordan Valley) to address the root causes that push children into hazardous work. The approach will be tailored to the specific needs of working children and their families, ensuring their withdrawal from child labour, while reinforcing preventative efforts through a coordinated and sustainable mechanism. SCOPE OF WORK For more details please refer to attached TOR