Child Marriage Research Strategy

About

In preparation for its second phase (2020–2023), the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage conducted a series of stocktaking exercises to review what had been learned in Phase I through programming, policy work, advocacy and research. These exercises clearly pointed to the need for a research agenda for the Global Programme so it could be a more effective consumer and producer of evidence that is focused and rationalized – designed to fill local knowledge gaps and strengthen global understanding of what works to end child marriage in specific contexts.

Building on global research priorities, and achievements and gaps in learning in Phase I, the Global Programme has developed this research strategy for Phase II and beyond to improve, unify and amplify its contribution to evidence on child marriage both nationally and globally. The strategy aims to ensure that quality evidence can inform national and subnational policies and programmes, and improve their effectiveness in preventing child marriage and supporting married girls in scalable, sustainable, rights-based and gender-transformative ways. The strategy also supports the Global Programme’s aims of making enhanced contributions to the global knowledge base as a global good. Finally, the strategy supports improved accountability for results in the Global Programme, particularly at the outcome and impact levels.

The primary audience for this research strategy is Global Programme focal points in UNFPA and UNICEF global, regional and country offices, and their partners and stakeholders – to help improve their understanding of what works, how and why, to reduce the incidence of child marriage and mitigate its impacts in the specific contexts where they work.