UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to a clean, healthy, safe and sustainable environment!
Kazakhstan is experiencing climate change at an accelerated rate, with rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and increasing water stress threatening the well-being of its population — particularly children, youth, and vulnerable communities. The spring 2024 floods displaced over 75,000 people, including 45,000 children1, and caused extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods, highlighting the country’s exposure to climate-related disasters2.
Children and youth (over 11 million people aged from 0 to 35) are disproportionately affected. Air pollution, heatwaves, and poor water quality contribute to health risks and premature deaths, especially among infants. Climate change also threatens food security, with wheat yields projected to decline by up to one-third by 2030, directly impacting rural families and youth employment prospects.
According to the UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index3, Kazakhstan is ranked as medium-high risk country to climate change. 55 percent of children in Kazakhstan face water scarcity, 34% of children are exposed to natural disasters, about 84% of children are affected by extreme heatwaves, which pose serious health risks, especially in areas with limited access to water, and 73% are exposed to air pollution (PM2.5 ≥ 10 μg/m³), exceeding safe levels and contributing to respiratory illnesses. Additionally, 42% of children are exposed to pesticides, raising concerns about long-term impacts on health and development.
As per the 2024 study of the European Training Foundation and UNICEF on engaging youth in the green economy and climate action, despite growing awareness among young people, many feel unprepared for the green economy and lack confidence in government climate commitments. Education systems are not adequately equipping youth with green skills, and opportunities for meaningful participation in climate policymaking remain limited4.
The General Comment No. 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child explicitly mentions the climate emergency and the related obligations of the States to protect the lives and wellbeing of children.
To address the above challenges and in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Government of Kazakhstan has been developing the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.05 and has committed to decrease the GHG emissions by 15 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990, as well as to integrate child’s, youth’ and social sectors’ perspectives to the updated document. Moreover, the Government will finalize by the end of 2025 and start implementing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in 2026 onwards.
UNICEF has been working with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, NDC Partnership and other critical stakeholders in this process (UNDP, Stockholm Environmental Institute and others) to elaborate the child- and youth-sensitive inputs for NDC 3.0 and for NAP. UNICEF has been also technically supporting the National Education Academy under the Ministry of Education in integrating climate resilience into education and training methodologists and teachers. Moreover, UNICEF and Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) have joined efforts in promoting the meaningful youth engagement in climate policy development and implementation and climate action. To systematically capture youth perspectives, UNICEF’s U-Report platform is used to conduct regular surveys and consultations, including on climate change and environmental protection. According to recent data6, 42% of young people in Kazakhstan identify air pollution as the most pressing environmental issue in their communities, and 60% believe their actions can positively influence climate policy. These insights inform programme design, needs assessments, and enhance transparency in climate policy. At the local level, UNICEF has created 6 young volunteering hubs, where environmental protection and climate action are among priority areas young people are interested in. With AFD’s support UNICEF has started the Water Education project in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan aimed at nurturing a caring attitude towards water conservation among youth in both countries (Aral Sea Basin area). In health sector, UNICEF has been supporting the Ministry of Health in within the Healthy Environment for Healthy Children programme aimed at strengthening the PHC system in child environmental health via enhancing the data and information systems, health workers capacities building and general public awareness raising, including youth engagement in environmental issues.
How can you make a difference?
1. Support integration of child rights into national climate and environmental policies via providing technical expertise to ensure that national strategies explicitly address the vulnerabilities, needs, and contributions of children and youth.
2. Strengthen child-sensitive monitoring and reporting systems via supporting incorporation of child-focused climate and environmental indicators and safeguards into national monitoring frameworks.
3. Facilitate the development of inclusive climate finance proposals through contributing to the design and review of climate financing proposals (e.g. to the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, NDC Partnership) that prioritize child protection, resilience, and equitable access to climate adaptation resources.
4. Advance climate education and green school initiatives via providing strategic inputs to the conceptualization and piloting of the “green schools” model, incorporating infrastructure, curriculum, and governance components that promote environmental sustainability and climate literacy.
5. Technical and coordination support in the 2026 Central Asia Environmental Summit through contributing to the design, preparation, and follow-up of the 2026 Regional Environmental Summit in Astana, ensuring meaningful participation of children and youth in the “Children, Youth, and Climate Action” track and setting up the Regional Green School Platform and in the development of the Summit’s final action agenda.
6. Expert support in implementation of the UNICEF local level climate programming in a number of climate prone regions: water education in Kyzylorda region, green skills on green jobs in Mangistau region etc.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:
UNICEF ToR_Climate and Environment national expert_eng.docx
UNICEF ToR_Climate and Environment national expert_kaz.docx
UNICEF ToR_Climate and Environment national expert_rus.docx
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: Master's degree in Climate, Ecology, Environment or related field
- Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant work experience in climate change or environmental issues, with a focus on children and youth or social services.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English, Kazakh and Russian languages and ability to write quality reports on climate or other related environmental fields
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role].
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.