International Consultant - Social Policy and Climate, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, Nepal, Kathmandu
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Job no: 573466
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Kathmandu
Level: Consultancy
Location: Nepal
Categories: Social Policy
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, a future
How can you make a difference?
Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
South Asia is home to over 600 million children and has the highest number of young people globally. South Asian countries are among the most vulnerable globally to the impacts of climate change.
Children are especially vulnerable to climate change due to their unique physiology and stage of development, and these impacts can last a lifetime, affecting their health, education, and overall development. As the risk of climate shocks increases overtime will particularly be detrimental to vulnerable populations, especially children.
Children and families need a healthy and clean planet to survive and thrive. However, national climate policies often overlook children's unique needs, and vulnerabilities. Lack of age or gender disaggregated data on their experiences further hinders effective policy design. To address this, the need to integrate children's needs throughout climate decision-making, including national plans is key. Climate financing is also crucial to expand investments in policies that strengthen children's and vulnerable populations’ ability to adapt, cope and recover from climate change. Additionally, investing in making social protection systems more responsive to shocks, especially in this region, is crucial. Climate change is a major threat to children's rights.
UNICEF’s strategic objective and commitment focuses on advocating for child-centered and child-sensitive climate policies, catalyzing transformational sectoral change through programming at scale to ensure that every child deserves a liveable planet, and equitable chance in life. UNICEF ROSA has made a strategic effort to leverage its evidence and advocacy to strengthen its climate action, and social policy agenda for children, through the development of a strategic guidance and framework for action to inform climate action and social policy agenda, and programming efforts.
UNICEF RO in South Asia is therefore seeking the services of a professional in social policy and climate action to provide technical support to the Regional Office (RO) to develop a comprehensive internal framework for South Asia that connects social policy and climate action by leveraging existing experience within the region and best practices from a global lens as a roadmap to guide UNICEF’s for internal efforts, and external programming.
Scope of work:
This assignment aims to develop a strategic internal framework for the South Asia region that effectively integrates social policy and climate action priorities. By leveraging existing regional experience and analyzing global best practices, the consultancy will support in developing a comprehensive internal framework document for the region. This framework will not only guide internal efforts but also guide UNICEF’s approach to external engagement with partners, engagement and fundraising efforts and inform strategic sectoral collaboration.
Main deliverables:
1. Discussion with UNICEF ROSA advisory group (regional and country colleagues).
2. Development of updated concept and outline.
3. Development of methodological note for consultations, would include but not limited to:
- One 1hr discussion with each engaged country (assuming 5 countries).
- Two to three 45 min partner discussions per country at and regional level. These would be one on one with partners rather than as a group (Total 18 discussions). Partners to included programme partners and funding/potential funding partners
4. Development of background note on partner engagement on climate and social policy (social protection, child poverty, public finance for children).
5. Background research and development of approach by social policy area and initial draft or framing. Thematic group discussions with regional colleagues (given small teams with multiple responsibilities most efficient approach TBD).
- Child poverty
- Social protection
- Public finance
- Policy influence
6. Development of case studies and examples
7. Develop presentation, discussion and receive written comments from social policy.
8. Delivery of final draft and accompanying slide deck.
Note: This is a remote based consultancy and no travel is required. Please submit your application along with the financial proposal. Applications without the financial proposal will not be considered.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education:
- Masters degree in economics, Social Sciences, International Development, Public Administration, Public Policy, Social Policy or other relevant disciplines.
- A first university degree in economics, Social Sciences, International Development, Public Administration, Public Policy, Social Policy or other relevant disciplines.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills and Competencies required:
- Over 10 years of relevant work experience in social policy, children’s rights, environmental and climate change issues, international development.
- Knowledge and working experience on climate change and social policy development, and analysis.
- Proven capacity to work with cross-functional teams in collating, managing, sharing knowledge and learning.
- Excellent analytical and writing skills, as well as advocacy skills.
- Publication record.
- Experience in working within UNICEF or other UN/international entities and/or familiarity with the work of UNICEF is an asset.
- Advanced level of English.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Advertised: Nepal Standard Time
Deadline: Nepal Standard Time