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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, a voice.

How can you make a difference? 

BACKGROUND

The UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia seeks to establish a roster of experts dedicated to upholding and advancing children’s rights through specialized child protection interventions for deployments throughout the region. Becoming a child protection consultant on the UNICEF roster is based on a standard one-off application that may potentially open the door to multiple assignments. Successful applicants will be eligible for direct recruitment by the Regional Office or any of the 21 Country Offices in the region for a period of up to four years, with the possibility of renewing the roster, to update the status of persons previously on the roster as well as opening the roster for new candidates. UNICEF will make extensive use of the roster for its consultancy requirements, thus reducing the time required to process contracts and for a consultant to become operational. This is therefore a unique opportunity for qualified individuals to submit a single application and, if successful, to be considered immediately for assignments in the relevant areas of expertise.

The UNICEF Child Protection Roster for Europe and Central Asia serves as a human resources repository from which the Regional Office or Country Offices can draw pre-vetted, well-qualified child protection experts quickly and efficiently, who can advance UNICEF’s mission to protect and realize children’s rights as enshrined in the CRC.

SCOPE OF WORK AND DUTIES

The Child Protection Roster is designed to meet the consultancy needs of the region for the next three (3) years. In this regard, UNICEF’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia invites qualified experts to express their interest in being joining the Experts’ Roster. This roster aims to provide specialized services, access to knowledge, and technical expertise to UNICEF's child protection portfolio, particularly in the areas of:

1. Access to Justice
2. Justice for children and
3. Child rights

a) Applicants are required to indicate one or more of the areas of expertise for which they would like to be considered. Legal and policy reforms related to child justice, access to justice and child rights, including drafting legislation, strategies, and action plans. Strong understanding of government child justice reform processes, and demonstrated experience in supporting government reforms.

b) Supporting governments to integrate child rights into national and subnational legal and policy frameworks, including the development of strategies, roadmaps, and action plans to strengthen child rights-based approaches. Assessing the impact of laws, policies, and governance systems on children’s rights and well-being, ensuring alignment with the CRC and international child rights standards.

c) Child-friendly legal aid for children, including developing legal frameworks and capacity building programmes.

d) Design, implementation and evaluation of diversion programs, restorative justice approaches, and non-custodial measures tailored for children in conflict with the law that respect children’s rights, promote their rehabilitation, and prevent re-offending.

e) Child-friendly justice including promoting child-sensitive judicial and administrative proceedings and supporting capacities of the justice system to respect child rights and the child’s best interest and avoid retraumatisation and re-victimisation.

f) Access to justice for children, in particular equitable access to justice for the most marginalized children, including refugees, children with disabilities, children without parental care and those affected by migration.

g) Supporting reforms and capacities in in family law, guardianship, and civil proceedings to protect children’s rights and well-being.

h) Supporting multi-disciplinary, integrated approaches for child victims and witnesses of crime, with a focus on violence, abuse and exploitation.

i) Specialization of the justice system, including training and capacity building for justice professionals.

j) Prevention of child offending, including holistic and early interventions and restorative approaches and protection of the rights of children at risk of offending.

k) Rehabilitation and reintegration of children once they are out of the system, including reintegration into families, education systems, and communities, while addressing stigma and ensuring access to services that support their well-being and development.

l) Climate justice and other emerging challenges impacting justice systems and access to justice for children.

m) Support services for children with complex emotional and behavioral needs at risk of offending and their families and alternatives to institutionalisation and detention solutions.

n) Empowering children to know and claim their rights and strengthening mechanisms for child participation in justice processes and decisions affecting their lives.

o) Monitoring of child rights violations and supporting mechanisms for complaints and remedy – including independent human rights mechanisms.

p) Expertise in multi-disciplinary collaborative approaches for children at risk of offending or in contact with the law, including social services, mental health and community-based interventions.

q) Other – Please specify.

The range of tasks for consultants may include design and conduct of research and analysis, including legal and policy analysis, assessment, and evaluation, drafting of technical documents, content development of knowledge products, documentation of good practices, strategic programme design, provision of high-level policy and operational guidance, development of policy papers, communication and advocacy, training, mentorship, and capacity strengthening, monitoring and evaluation services, information management system services, data analytics, and others as required.

Precise tasks, outputs, reporting and working relationships will be specified at the time of contracting for the given assignments.

SKILLS REQUIRED

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

Requirements applicable to all Experts

• A first University degree in law, social sciences, social work, psychology, international development, statistics, or another related field. A Master's degree in the same discipline is considered is an asset.
• Minimum 7 years relevant professional experience in one or more of the thematic areas of child protection as specified in this TOR.
• Excellent knowledge of the UNCRC, its General Comments, and the legal and policy frameworks derived from it.
• Specialised knowledge and understanding of child rights and protection issues in development and/or emergency settings, linked to the specific thematic areas listed in this TOR;
• Proven track record in the successful delivery of high-level expert advice, capacity development and technical support in the formulation, design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of child protection policies in the relevant areas, programmes and activities, to government bodies, UN entities, independent human rights institutions with a child rights mandate, civil society organisations or academia is an asset;
• Research and analytical skills, including of legal and policy analysis, and the ability to use data as evidence is an asset;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Demonstrated excellent analytical, reporting, writing skills as well as excellent negotiation and advocacy skills;
• Training and presentation skills, including the ability to share and impart knowledge, provide technical and policy guidance, build capacities and promulgate good practices for child protection as per relevant areas of expertise;
• Previous work experience with UNICEF, other UN entities, NGOs, governments or other implementing partners on child protection and related thematic areas is an asset;
• Previous experience with child protection issues in Europe and Central Asia is a strong asset.
• Adherence to UN’s values and ethical standards, understanding of UNICEF’s mission and mandate, sensitivity and adaptability to diverse contexts.
• Excellent spoken and written English, with another UN language or major language used in the ECA region an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are invited to:

1. Duly complete the online UNICEF application
2. Duly complete & attach P-11 History Form (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/careers/documents/p11-form)
3. Submit a financial proposal with daily rate in USD or EUR (applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered)
4. Submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) including a list of relevant publications (with links)
5. Submit evaluation of work by UN if applicable (e.g., PER)
6. Submit a Cover Letter
7. Select relevant areas of expertise from SCOPE OF WORK AND DUTIES section and provide a summary of max 350 words summarising the expertise and relevant experience for each. Include proof of relevant works in any of the mentioned areas, such as inclusion of links and references.
8. Names and contacts of three (3) referees (applications without referees will not be considered).

Please apply to the Regional Roster by the indicated online deadline of 10 January 2025.

Please note that only candidates who are under serious consideration will be contacted. Once pre-qualified, consultants will be eligible for direct recruitment by UNICEF offices in the region for a three-year period. In the selection of its staff and consultants, UNICEF is committed to gender balance, inclusion and diversity without distinction as to race, sex or religion, and without discrimination of persons with disabilities. Well qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.