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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, passion.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

The overall purpose of the assignment is to support the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) in development of climate finance concept ideas across thematic areas in relation to UNICEF priority sectors (education, health, WASH, social protection). The assignment will also involve providing technical support and strategic oversight on climate finance to UNICEF Country Offices in the Europe and Central Asia Region.

Scope of Work

UNICEF's Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) showed that nearly 160 million children in Europe and Central Asia Region are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and environmental degradation, which threatens every aspect of their health and well-being - from pregnancy to adolescence. Climate change and environmental pollution present significant and escalating threats to the well-being of children globally, jeopardizing the progress achieved in child survival and development. Children are disproportionately impacted by climate change due to their unique physiological and psychological development. Air pollution remains to be one of the most pertinent health risk factors for children in the ECA Region. Nearly all children – 93% in Europe and Central Asia countries - are exposed to excessive levels of air pollutants detrimental to their health and development. Additionally, half of all children in Europe and Central Asia are exposed to heatwaves which is double the global average of 1 in 4.

While children face heightened vulnerability to climate impacts, climate finance investments remain largely inadequate and often overlook the potential of social sectors in both adaptation and mitigation. Globally only 2.4% of multilateral climate funds over the past 17 years have supported child-responsive projects. Education and health systems are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, particularly through outdated infrastructure and inefficient energy use. Despite this, these sectors remain underrepresented in climate finance portfolios. Unlocking climate finance to support low-carbon, climate-resilient transformations in schools, kindergartens, health facilities, and related services is essential, not only for safeguarding children’s health and well-being, but also for contributing meaningfully to national climate mitigation and adaptation targets. Considering the scale and severity of the problem, comprehensive child-centered action is urgently needed to integrate children’s needs into climate policies and financing frameworks.

UNICEF aims to protect the lives, health and well-being of children and the resilience of their communities by supporting their long-term development and the adaptation of essential social services – including social protection, health, WASH and education – to a changing climate and a degrading environment. Promoting child sensitive climate policies informed by child disaggregated data, plans and strategies and investments in health, education, WASH and social protection represent key priorities for UNICEF.

UNICEF’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia is seeking a highly motivated individual consultant to work on providing technical support for development of climate finance concept ideas and proposals and strategic and technical oversight to UNICEF Country Offices in ECAR. The consultant will focus on advancing climate finance opportunities across UNICEF’s priority sectors: education, health, WASH, and social protection. The key objectives and tasks of this consultancy include:

1. Support the COs in development of Concept Notes for Climate Finance opportunities
2. Provide technical support and strategic oversight to COs based on their requests

Work Assignment Overview

Estimated Duration of the Contract

80 working days between September and December 2025.

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be remote/home-based.

As part of this assignment, some international travels are foreseen. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 80 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as these will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

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

Required:

• Masters or post-graduate degree in Environmental Science, Climate Change, International Development, Climate Finance, Finance for Development, or any other related disciplines
• Minimum eight (8) years’ work experience in the areas of climate finance, climate change
• Demonstrated experience in design of climate finance proposals, climate finance investments cases, and resource mobilization
• Experience in working with International Financial Institutions (IFIs)
• Experience in capacity building, government relationship building, training and/or facilitation
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other languages spoken in the ECA region is an added advantage.

Desired:

• Experience in climate finance and track record of successful fundraising with multilateral climate funds
• Knowledge of the United Nations system or other international organizations
• Knowledge of international development, humanitarian issues and children’s rights
• Proven experience in proposal development
• Understanding of climate finance for children
• Excellent communication, facilitation and presentation skills. Demonstrated ability to produce high quality, concise, analytical and insightful reports and presentations in English
• High-level skills in analyzing qualitative and quantitative data using relevant software tools. Proven ability to conceptualize, innovate, plan and execute ideas
• Strategic thinking and critical analysis
• Commitment and drive, with a clear focus on results
• Ability to manage competing priorities under pressure, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines

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.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family 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 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:

Please submit a full CV and a Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.