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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 livable planet. 

UNICEF South Africa

We work to promote the rights of every child.

South Africa, alongside other signatories of the Paris Agreement, is currently in the process of revising its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This third revision of the NDCs, also referred to as NDC 3.0, is expected to be published for consultation in the first quarter of 2025 and will include renewed commitments for the country to contribute to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
While the current NDC 2.0 makes reference to and is inclusive of children and youth people, it was rated category C based on the assessment that it is not sufficiently rights-based nor holistic and multisectoral.

Moreover, while children are identified as a vulnerable group, they are not seen as drivers of change and there are no child-sensitive commitments included for health, education, energy, water, sanitation, social protection, nutrition, and disaster risk reduction. The Government has expressed a need for support to improve the rating and number of child-sensitivity indicators in NDC 3.0.
Given the impact of the NDCs in the country’s response to climate change, advocating for more child-sensitive NDC 3.0 and meaningfully involving children and youth in the process, is a key priority area for climate action for UNICEF South Africa.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of this assignment is to support the government of South Africa in strengthening and developing a more child-sensitive NDC 3.0 compared to NDC 2.0, UNICEF aims to:

1. Understand and capture children and young people’s voices and experiences within key areas of climate change and climate action to amplify and incorporate these into policy advocacy for NDC 3.0
2. Produce a set of advocacy and communication materials summarizing findings, opportunities and key advocacy asks to make NDC 3.0 more child-sensitive and improve their rating
3. Disseminate and present results of this exercise in a policy advocacy event with children/youth, government, and key partners

To achieve the aims of this project, under the supervision of the UNICEF Programme Officer and Climate Action Coordinator, the consultant is expected to conduct a desk review and series of consultations with children and youth to understand their perspectives, as well as with government and partners to understand key priorities and opportunities. These consultations are to be summarized in a comprehensive and visually appealing advocacy brief, complemented with concise communications materials that include clear advocacy asks. Subsequently, the consultant is to organize and facilitate an advocacy event to present the results and materials.

The consultant is expected to lead in the following activities and deliver the following outputs:

1. Prepare an inception report including a workplan outlining the approach for completing the deliverables of this consultancy.
2. Assess current NDC 2.0 and draft NDC 3.0 (once available) and identify concrete gaps and opportunities for making NDC 3.0 in South Africa more child-sensitive and improve its rating. This should be based on a desk review and at least 5 consultations with government officials and partners.
3. Conduct an online poll through UNICEF platforms to obtain views and experiences with climate change and climate action from children and youth across the country. The consultant is expected to prepare the poll questions and analyze the results. 
4. Organize an in-person consultation workshop with minimum 50 children and youth to further understand their perspectives and experiences. These should be inclusive of children and youth from different backgrounds, genders, locations, ages, and abilities. The consultant is expected to plan and facilitate the in-person consultation and prepare a summary with the results. Consultation participants will be identified in collaboration with UNICEF and partners. 
5. Based on above activities, prepare a visually appealing advocacy brief and a set of advocacy and communications materials identifying current gaps, recommendations, and a clear call to action to make NDCs 3.0 in South Africa more child-sensitive and improve their rating. 
6. Organize and facilitate a policy advocacy event including children and young people, government officials and partners to present the brief and advocacy messages.
7. Prepare an event report with reflections and recommendations for next steps. 

All deliverables will be thoroughly reviewed by UNICEF staff and feedback will be provided before they can be considered finalized. Specific dates for the event and deliverable schedule will be agreed upon with the consultant, in consultation with partners.

Deliverables:

1. 5 days
   • Inception report and slides for presentation.
2. 20 days
   • In-person consultation workshop with a minimum of 50 children and youth organized and conducted.
   • Prepare and disseminate online poll using UNICEF platforms.
   • Prepare a summary with results from the poll and in-person consultation.
3. 20 days
   • Desk review conducted.
   • Minimum 5 consultations conducted with government and partners.
   • Visually appealing advocacy brief and set of at least 10 advocacy materials identifying current gaps, recommendations, and clear call to action to make NDCs 3.0 more child-sensitive and improve their rating.
4. 10 days
   • Event organized and facilitated.
   • Event report including recommendations and next steps.

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

• A minimum of a university degree in International Development, Communications, Climate Change, Public Policy, or related fields
• A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience developing communications and advocacy materials is required, preferably in the field of climate action and/or children's rights or related areas
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the climate policy landscape
• Understanding of child’s rights is desirable
• Capacity to engage with diverse stakeholders, including international organizations, governments, children and youth, and civil society organizations, among others
• Intermediate experience with qualitative and quantitative research
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information, issue practical recommendations and design clear frameworks and roadmaps that can be put into action
• - Fluency in English, with excellent written communication skills
• Prior experience working for UNICEF or a child´s rights organization is a strong asset
• Communications and advocacy experience
• Experience in climate change policy
• Good record in child and youth engagement
• Qualitative and quantitative research experience

Additional skills and training

• Journalism
• Environmental studies
• Data analysis

Please indicate your ability and availability; and attach a technical proposal and financial proposal in ZAR to undertake the terms of reference above (including admin cost if applicable). Proposals submitted without a detailed financial proposal aligned to the assignment will not be considered.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

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

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

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. 

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.