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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, education.

We operate in the Pacific, specifically in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. These 14 Pacific islands countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth. They inhabit more than 660 islands and atolls that stretch across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean. This area is comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, only a third are on track with reporting obligations. You can explore the different areas of our work at the link provided here: www.unicef.org/pacificislands

Background of Assignment: 

The foundation of the Pacific region’s human capital is developed in the early years. However, early childhood development (ECD) indicators show young children are deprived of opportunities to develop to their full potential. Young children are the most vulnerable group in any community, considering their almost total reliance on adults to provide them with safe and nurturing environments and the critical nature of the early years in shaping lifelong trajectories. This vulnerability is further exacerbated by the destabilizing impacts of climate change, disasters and other environmental shocks. When young children are exposed to toxic stress and deprivation, they are more likely to struggle with cognitive, behavioural and emotional difficulties and experience delays in their development, which can have multi-dimensional and long-term impacts into adulthood. With their whole life ahead of them, any deprivation because of climate change at a young age can result in a lifetime of lost opportunity. Furthermore, if the needs of the youngest are not addressed with the right resources at the right time, this vulnerability extends to the whole community and into the future life of these individuals.

Decades of research show that policies and programmes focused on ECD provide on the most cost-effective, comprehensive, immediate and enduring paths to boosting human development and building climate resilience and sustainable development. Positive experiences in the early years form a buffer to adversity and offer opportunities to develop coping skills critical for building resiliency. Multi-faceted ECD programmes – across early learning, WASH, child protection, health, nutrition and other sectors, as well as coordinated multi-sectoral programmes such as parenting programmes - offer a promising combination of interventions that build protective competencies essential for resilience. Young children can be resilient – and overcome adversity and threats to development - if they are in an environment which supports forming and using coping abilities, which are recognized as part of the Pacific. Parents, teachers, caregivers, and other significant adults around the child are critical as they are the main architects of these environments.

PICTs have been making notable developments in ECD. In February 2023, a Pacific Early Childhood Development Forum with the theme Building a Resilient Blue Pacific Through Early Childhood Development, was held in Nadi, Fiji. The conference brought together 15 PICTs, including Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Pacific Island governments also discussed advances made since the declaration of the Pasifika Call to Action on ECD – the region’s ten-point action agenda that lays out critical national efforts to secure the optimal development of young children.

In addition to forming part of the expanded Pasifika Call to Action, this commitment is well in line with the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy and Pacific Culture Strategy, and Pacific regional sectoral commitments and priorities set by the Pacific Ministers of Education, Health, Women and others, and is expected to be informed by these, while also contributing back to the implementation of the same.

OBJECTIVE/SCOPE OF WORK

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop the technical guidance and action plan to support the implementation of Pasifika Call to Action Point #10 on ECD and climate change at both regional- and country-levels.

This is expected to include concrete actions and practical guidance for both PRC4ECD and individual Pacific Island Governments to advance ECD and climate change adaptation and resilience, and a monitoring framework to ensure that the implementation of the Action Point 10 can be assessed over time. This should align with the overall implementation guide and monitoring framework of the original 9-point Pasifika Call to Action, developed and disseminated to countries at the 2019 Pacific ECD Forum in Nadi.

A key recommendation from the 2023 Pacific ECD Forum is that the technical guidance note be concrete and practical so it can have meaningful impact in the countries. It should be guided by the strategic leadership of PRC4ECD and the outcomes document of the ECD Forum, be informed by the Blue Pacific 2050 Strategy, the Pacific Culture Strategy, the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) and other relevant documents and draw on the engagement of key regional bodies such as PIFS, SPC and USP, as well as other regional/international organizations. It should be informed by and developed with the active engagement of Pacific Island governments, with participation within each engaged country across relevant government bodies, including those responsible for climate change and resilience, as well as those responsible for every other aspect of the Pasifika Call to Action to ensure a cross-cutting approach that embeds action for climate resilience across all sectors and aspects of young children’s lives.

Under the auspices of PRC4ECD, it is expected that a taskforce will be formed to provide closer guidance to the work, with representatives of at least three Pacific Islands governments (including responsibles for climate change, resilience and other aspect of the Pasifika Call to Action), in addition to key regional bodies such as PIFS, SPC and USP, and other regional/international organizations, with the composition to be endorsed by PRC4ECD. The consultant is expected to be guided by the taskforce, with technical oversight from UNICEF and associated partners such as PIFS.

In addition to the development of the regional plan and guidance, dedicated support to approximately three Pacific Island countries (expected to be RMI, Fiji, Samoa) is expected, not only to support similar relevant plans and guidance for those countries, but also to ensure that the resulting technical guidance and action plan is relevant and feasible for use at country-level, and reflective of the diversity across the Pacific. Engagement with these countries is expected to be well-informed, starting with a review of ECD and climate policies and plans, and relevant sectoral policies and plans that may inform ECD actions for climate change and resilience. In-country consultations are expected, and should include a review of any existing actions related to ECD linking to climate change and resilience, as well as key gaps and opportunities for action. It is expected that for the 3 countries where the consultant will have an in-depth engagement, they will also be available to provide technical assistance to the Governments to further develop priority actions and monitoring approaches for the implementation. integrate and implement, monitor and report key priority actions from the respective country plans. The detailed scope of work for each country will be defined in collaboration with that country in the inception phase.

The process to develop the technical guidance and action plan should be highly participatory and consultative, and well-grounded in Pacific methodologies and frameworks. The consultant is expected to provide technical support and facilitation based on the latest evidence and experience on ECD and Climate Change, framing and positioning relevant actions and guidance in line with frameworks, priorities and commitments as set by PRC4ECD and other regional structures, as well as those for each of the relevant countries. The consultant is expected to design and facilitate consultations with all 15 countries with leadership from the taskforce, to ensure the regional guidance and plan are well-informed by evidence and voices from all countries.

The activities and deliverables are listed below, but the work may require parallel engagement on regional- and country-level guidance and plans to build in an iterative process that will ensure country-level guidance is in line with the regional framework, while also contributing to the development of the same.

The consultant will work remotely ensuring availability to work at times suitable to the Pacific Islands region when required. All costs related to the work will be included in the financial proposal and subsequent contract. Daily monitoring and supervision will be provided by the ECD Specialist in collaboration, with the Climate and Environmental Specialist, though in-country day-to-day supervision would be by the relevant UNICEF staff in-country.

Please refer to the ToR ( TOR- ECD and Climate Change.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines.

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:

Please submit a CV and brief technical proposal as well as a separate financial offer along with your application. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a break down for the following:

• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above.
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel).
• Living allowance where travel is required.
• Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), travel insurance, communications, and other costs.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Education:  

• A Masters degree in human and sustainable development, human rights, psychology, sociology, economics, international law, climate change and other social science fields is required. A PhD in one of the previous fields is an asset.

 Experience and Skills :  

• A minimum of 15 years of professional experience in social development planning and management including early childhood development and climate change and/or other related areas at the international level.
• Experience designing and implementing participatory processes engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, including government.
• Work experience in climate, environment and disaster resilience building is required.
• Work experience serving in a developing country is required.
• Work experience in the Pacific Islands region is an asset.
• Experience working in UNICEF or a UN system agency is an asset.
• Proven ability to work independently under difficult conditions.

LANGUAGE

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here.

Remarks:  

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. 

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. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.