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For every child, results.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

The purpose of this project is to document the work and achievements of the Global Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) since its establishment in 2016, with a brief introduction to its predecessor, the Child Protection Working Group (CPWG). The assignment includes planning and facilitating consultations and interviews, conducting surveys, carrying out a desk review, drafting the document, gathering feedback, and finalizing the document. This documentation will include good practices and lessons learnt to support the continuation of child protection coordination within the integrated Protection Cluster, as per the decisions of the IASC Principals on the Humanitarian Reset on 17 June 2025.

The final document will likely include:

• A short history of the CPWG and a more detailed account of the CP AoR
• Interviews with current and former global and country-level coordinators, co-coordinators, and IMOs
• Interviews with partners and donors
• Documentation of key achievements, particularly the impact of global efforts on country-level coordination
• Lessons learned, including areas that did not go as planned, missed opportunities, and aspects that could have been done differently or more effectively
• Good practices from both global and country levels

The document will draw on key learnings from the period of the existence of the CP AoR, reports, strategies, the UNICEF Humanitarian Review, CLARE I and II (Evaluation of the UNICEF Role as Cluster Lead (Co-Lead) Agency), the assessment that led to the split of the CPWG into the CP AoR and the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action as well as in-depth conversations with the current and previous Global CP AoR/CPWG team, current and previous country CP AoR coordination teams, the Global CP AoR Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) and other key partners and stakeholders. The document will also draw key practices and lessons to support the process of the integration of the CP AoR into the Protection Cluster.

Background and rationale

Humanitarian reset: The humanitarian community is confronted with a significant funding crisis that has and continues to have substantive and devastating effects on crisis affected populations, the presence and capacities of humanitarian actors and the delivery of quality humanitarian prevention, response and coordination actions. Whilst humanitarian coordination is vital, the current humanitarian coordination system requires an overhaul. The Emergency Relief Coordinator has called for urgent work to reform and reimagine how we work, including humanitarian coordination. The latter has culminated in a decision endorsed by the IASC Principals on 17 June 2025 to consolidate the Protection Cluster and its four Areas of Responsibility (AoR), which basically means the end of the Child Protection AoR as an entity.

Since the cluster coordination mechanism was established, child protection actors and donors have invested considerable resources and efforts to professionalize the delivery of child protection humanitarian services and coordination and to build a robust body of inter-agency policy and standards to effectively prevent and respond to risks affecting children in humanitarian crises. The Global CP AoR has consistently supported more than 40 humanitarian crises as well as contexts faced with possible new or escalating emergencies, to prevent and respond to the protection risks and needs of children as well as on inter-agency and inter-sectoral collaboration. It is important that these significant advancements, investments, achievements and lessons learned for child protection in humanitarian action and coordination are documented and preserved in a public document, which can also inform the continued and future coordination of child protection in humanitarian action.

This consultancy is therefore aimed at documenting the history and achievements of the CP AoR since its inception and to a lighter extent its predecessor, the CPWG, and informing the continuation of CP coordination within the integrated Protection Cluster.

Scope of Work

In collaboration with the Global CP AoR Coordinator, Deputy Coordinators, Information Management Specialist, and Global Help Desk—and with input from other members of the Global CP AoR team, country CP AoR coordination teams, the SAG, and other key partners and stakeholders, including members of other clusters/AoRs and former members of the CPWG—the service provider will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Conduct a desk review of relevant documents, including, but not limited to: Global CP AoR Strategies, workplans, annual and donor reports, newsletters, dashboards, tools, and guidelines; the assessment that led to the split of the CPWG into the Alliance and the Global CP AoR; CLARE I and II; and IASC Independent reviews and guidance.
2. Conduct interviews with current and previous members of the Global CP AoR / CPWG team; country CP AoR coordination teams; current and previous members of the SAG; partners at global and country level (including local and national actors); donors; other stakeholders, such as members of other clusters/AoRs (it could also be foreseen to do a light survey among CP AoR members at country level).
3. Develop a draft document narrating the history, advancements, investments and achievements of the CP AoR. This document will also include interviews with stakeholders, lessons learned, good practices, and impact stories. An annex will be added with key resources, tools, guidance, etc. developed by the CP AoR.
4. Facilitate a review of the draft document.
5. Revise and finalize the fully designed document, based on feedback received.

Work Assignment Overview

Technical specifications:

• The primary audience: All Child Protection practitioners, experts, coordinators, UNICEF and other International Organizations, national and local NGOs, etc.
• Purpose of the final product: Internal learning, advocacy, external dissemination, legacy document.
• Expected format: PDF (number of pages TBC later with the selected company/consultant) with Annexes
• Visual design: GCP AoR will support graphic design
• Access to Stakeholders: GCP AoR will share the contacts / facilitate access where needed
• Language requirements: The language of the deliverables is English. Although the interviews may need to be conducted in English, Arabic, Spanish, and French. Where needed, GCP AoR may facilitate interpretation – TBC.

Estimated Duration of the Contract

40 working days between September and December 2025

Consultant's Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be home-based with no travels foreseen.

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 40 working days to undertake this assignment.

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

Required:

• Masters in International Affairs, Political Science, Management, or other relevant fields
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience
• Significant experience in conducting reviews, assessments and/or evaluations of humanitarian issues.
• Previous experience on projects that require a highly iterative and consultative inter-agency process, with capacity to incorporate a range of feedback and perspectives in final products.
• Knowledge of the institutions of the UN humanitarian system.
• Excellent writing skills and outstanding skills in drafting compelling narratives.
• Excellent command of spoken and written English is required.

Desirable:

• Work experience in the humanitarian sector and/or the child protection in humanitarian action sector, including experience in the field.
• Knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian assistance, the humanitarian architecture and coordination mechanisms, in particular of the Global Protection Cluster and CP AoR Coordination is considered a strong asset.
• Good knowledge of French/Spanish/Arabic is considered 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.

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 include 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.