The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. We promote democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. We work for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, climate action and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action.
Approximately half of the world’s population is under 30 years of age, and one-fifth of it is made up of youth aged 15-25. Despite this high proportion, youth are vastly underrepresented in political institutions. Concerned by low levels of youth political engagement and the threat that this can pose to the future of democracy, the IPU promotes youth participation by supporting parliaments in opening up to youth and young parliamentarians by building their capacities and proposing concerted action.
Cognizant of the lack of data on youth participation in parliaments, in 2014, the IPU developed a first-of-its-kind sex-disaggregated database on the topic. Since then, the database has been updated regularly and made available publicly through IPU’s Parline database. IPU data is now an official reference for the monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal 16 by the United Nations.
In addition to presenting data, the IPU also provides policy guidance to parliaments and other stakeholders on how to enhance youth participation in parliaments. It produces a biennial report on youth participation in national parliaments that provides comparative data, analysis of trends and recommendations for policy-making. The most recent such report was published in 2023.
In 2021, the IPU took its recommendations to the next level by launching the I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign as a call for transformative action to encourage youth participation. The campaign calls on signatories to become changemakers by taking actions to enhance youth participation in parliament, namely: (i) promoting youth quotas; (ii) aligning the age of eligibility with that of voting; (iii) supporting youth channels in parliament; (iv) empowering young MPs; (v) mentoring young aspirants; and (vi) advocating for youth participation.
In 2025, the IPU will produce a new report on youth participation in national parliaments. In line with previous reports, it will inform policy action by:
- presenting up-to-date data on the participation of young men and women since 2023; and
- providing an analysis of existing legislation, policies and practices to promote youth participation, including through the prism of the pledges of the I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign.
In addition, it will inform action through research in the following new areas:
- New data on the pathways to parliament of MPs, the role of digital engagement, and policies and practices that hinder or promote youth representation, including data based on interviews and focus groups with current and former young MPs;
- New data and information with an additional focus on intersectionalities, particularly young women, including those in marginalized groups and/or vulnerable situations.
Based on the above, the report will provide key findings and recommendations to enhance youth participation in national parliaments.
Work objectives
Under the supervision and guidance of the IPU, the consultant will:
- Analyse IPU data and information on youth participation in national parliaments based on information received in a survey sent to parliaments, including on new areas of research. Additional research to complement IPU data can also be carried out.
- Design and conduct qualitative interviews with current and former young MPs on new areas of research, namely their pathways to parliament, the role of digital engagement, and policies and practices that hinder or promote youth representation, including through an intersectional lens.
- Draft the 2025 IPU report on youth participation in national parliaments, including data and information, key findings from the interviews, and a review of good policies and practices, including through the prism of the I Say Yes! campaign. The report recommendations will be framed as concretely as possible so that they provide practical guidance to MPs and stakeholders on how to enhance youth participation.
Methodology
To support the updating of IPU data and information on youth participation (objective i), the consultant will:
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carry out a desk review of existing literature on youth participation, with an emphasis on parliaments, as well as pathways to parliament and intersectionalities, especially young women, including those in marginalized and/or vulnerable situations;
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retrieve and take into account existing data received from previous IPU questionnaires on youth participation and archived in the Parline database (since 2014); comparisons with older historical data sets can also be considered;
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review, analyse and structure new data and information received from parliamentary responses to IPU questionnaires on youth participation; the questionnaires will be sent to parliaments and responses compiled by the IPU in advance;
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collate the data gathered into tables by year, country and region, based on the IPU geopolitical groups;
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create tables with rankings of countries based on numbers of young parliamentarians aged 30 and under and 40 and under, with a provisional presentation of data for parliamentarians aged 25 and under and 35 and under;
Given changes made to the IPU Statutes in October 2024 to now define a young MP as below the age of 40 (from the previous threshold of under 45), the consultant will analyse and present only limited data for MPs aged 45 and under.
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Analyse information from survey responses and the desk review on existing youth quotas, youth committees, youth parliamentary caucuses/forums or networks, youth parliaments, and other innovative youth-related initiatives undertaken by parliaments.
In designing and carrying out interviews and focus groups with current and former young MPs (objective ii), the consultant will:
- draft a questionnaire which focuses on: young MPs’ pathways to parliament; intersectionalities, especially young women, including those in marginalized and/or vulnerable situations; digital engagement; and practices and policies that promote or hinder youth participation, including those that may affect the retention rates of young MPs;
- carry out interviews and/or focus groups with 50-100 current and former MPs (some of these may take place during an IPU meeting, e.g. the 150th IPU Assembly in Tashkent in April 2025, and others online), and provide related summary reports. The reports should also capture recommendations to further promote youth participation, including for young women in marginalized and/or vulnerable situations, and key quotes and anecdotes to convey lived experiences.
Informed by previous editions of the report and data and information obtained under objectives i-ii, the consultant will draft a comparative report that will:
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explain the background of the research;
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present the main findings through multiple lenses of analysis, for example: at global and regional levels; between lower and upper chambers of parliament; from a gender perspective; from the perspective of groups in marginalized and/or vulnerable situations; longer-term trends, etc.;
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analyse correlations of the number of young parliamentarians with electoral systems, voting age, age of eligibility, proportions of young people in recent electoral candidacy lists, youth population proportions (for the “youth representation index score”), term limits, and the existence of youth parliaments, as well as with the existence and/or absence of particular youth-related measures or mechanisms (quotas, parliamentary bodies, youth parliaments, etc.);
Correlations will also be made taking into account intersectionalities, especially young women, including those in marginalized and/or vulnerable situations, as well as key factors raised that may hinder or promote youth participation in their pathways to parliament.
The consultant will be encouraged to identify other statistical relationships related to youth participation in parliament.
The consultant will be encouraged to make the presentation of data more concise than the previous report.
- present and report on the implementation of measures undertaken by parliaments to encourage youth participation, including: (i) promoting youth quotas; (ii) aligning the age of eligibility with that of voting; (iii) supporting youth channels in parliament; (iv) empowering young MPs; (v) mentoring young aspirants; and (vi) advocating for youth participation;
- present the main findings of the qualitative interviews regarding: pathways to parliament, intersectionalities (especially young women, including those in marginalized and/or vulnerable situations), and practices and policies that promote or hinder youth participation, including affecting the retention rates of young MPs. Special focus on the participation of young women, especially those from marginalized groups or in vulnerable situations is also expected.
The human story should be presented, including challenges and steps taken to overcome them.
Key conclusions and recommendations on the different dimensions above should be presented in a manner that highlights concrete guidance for key stakeholders.
Key conclusions and recommendations on the dimension of young women’s participation, especially young women from marginalized groups and/or those in vulnerable situations, will also be presented in a dedicated section.
The final document should be of publishable quality in accordance with the criteria set by the IPU.
The chronological order of the work to fulfil the objectives will be subject to the availability of parliaments and MPs and may differ from the order presented in these terms of reference.
The deliverables will be:
- datasets structured in Excel for data and information received and/or analyses conducted, in addition to what is already provided by the IPU. This includes graphs and figures which are easily extractable and help convey key messages in an accessible manner;
- reports from the MP interviews and focus groups;
- a comparative written report (approximately 20-30 pages without annexes) with tables and graphics presenting data and information on youth participation in national parliaments as indicated in the methodology above;
- a draft proposal for infographics to highlight key data and information on youth participation in parliament as well as participation of young women, including those from marginalized groups and/or those in vulnerable situations.
The outputs should be easily extractable so as to facilitate incorporation into factsheets or policy briefs for dissemination by the IPU.
Format
MS Excel for the presentation of the data and information and MS Word for the written report. All draft reports and the final report must be written in English or French.
Duration
50 working days between 5 May and 15 July 2025, with the following timetable (subject to final modifications):
- 5 May to 2 June: Research, including desk review, data gathering (including interviews), data entry and analysis. During this period, travel is also expected to an IPU meeting
- 3 June to 24 June: Preparation of draft version of the report and continued interviews. During this period, travel is may also be expected to an IPU meeting.
- 25 June to 7 July: Incorporation of comments and preparation of revised drafts.
- 15 July: Submission of the final version of the report as well as datasets, graphics, and audio-visual elements.
Location
Primarily home-based, with travel to an IPU meeting for interviews.
Required qualifications
Experience: The consultant should have advanced experience in quantitative and qualitative social science data collection, tabulation and analysis, ideally using MS Excel.
The consultant should also have strong experience in the study of parliaments, elections, youth political participation and youth policies. Global comparative experience in such topics is required.
The consultant should have conducted comparative research on youth political participation and provided policy guidance on the topic. Recently published research would be a strong asset.
Skills: The consultant should have advanced proficiencies in research collection and analysis, as well in drafting high-quality concise reports. He/she should also be able to write in a style and in language that is accessible to the general public.
He/she must also be proficient in the use of MS Word and Excel.
Academic achievement: An advanced degree (Masters/PhD) in the area of social sciences is required, with a PhD degree highly desirable.
Languages: The consultant should have excellent drafting and oral skills in English or French. Knowledge of both languages would be an asset. Knowledge of other languages, such as Spanish or Arabic, would also be highly desirable.
Remuneration
The IPU shall pay the consultant an agreed lump sum based on a daily rate upon satisfactory delivery of the deliverables described above.
How to apply
Interested applicants should submit a resume and a covering letter describing previous experience in assignments of this kind. The covering letter should also include a quote for the consultant’s daily rate and confirmation of availability within the timeframe indicated for this consultancy, including the availability to travel to an IPU meeting as indicated above.
The budget allocated for the consultancy allows for a daily rate of 300-400 CHF, subject to the experience and skills of the candidate.
Interested applicants are requested to send their applications to job@ipu.org no later than 14 April 2025 at 23:59 (Central European Time). Applicants will only be contacted if they are under serious consideration. Incomplete applications or those received after the deadline will not be accepted. Applications shall be addressed to:
Director, Support Services
Inter-Parliamentary Union
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Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland