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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 clean drinking water

How can you make a difference? 

Therefore, robust sanitation policy guidelines are essential for addressing the challenges unique to South Asia. The Guidelines will assist governments to develop sanitation policies that reduce inequalities, improve health outcomes, and foster economic growth; elements that collectively uplift communities and pave the way for a healthier, more equitable future.

Scope of Work:

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established on 8 December 1985. The Secretariat of the Association was established in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 17, 1987. SAARC has eight member countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri-Lanka).

The objectives of the Association are:

• to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life;
• to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region; and
• to provide all individuals with the opportunity to live in dignity and to realise their full potential.

SAARC also aims to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries and to collaborate with international and regional organisations that share similar aims and purposes.

Given the above, SAARC seeks to engage an individual consultant preferably working in consortium with other individual consultants to draft the South Asian Sanitation Policy Guidelines (SASPG), which will guide South Asian governments and local authorities on reviewing, revising, and developing sanitation policies and associated implementation strategies. Additionally, the Guidelines will guide the process and recommend the content of a sanitation policy. Policy, in this context, refers to a national or subnational framework that provides overall guidance on scaling up safely managed sanitation within a given jurisdiction.

Objective of the Assignment:

1. Review the existing sanitation policies, guidelines, and plans
2. Conduct consultations with stakeholders
3. Develop draft sanitation policy guidelines.

Scope of work

The policy guidelines should be developed to be relevant to all countries in South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), recommending adaptable policy options and institutional arrangements.

Description of Activities

1. Review sanitation policies, guidelines, and plans.

The consultant(s) will review existing sanitation policies, guidelines and plans of South Asian countries to identify the scope of these policies and pinpoint gaps, where additional guidance is required to aid in the development or updating of sanitation policies.

2. Conduct consultations with key stakeholders.

The consultant will hold consultations with key government officials and stakeholders (development partners, CSOs, private sector) in all eight countries. These consultations aim to foster national ownership of the Guidelines and build political will to adopt them in developing or updating national sanitation policies. They will also help develop an understanding of the different national contexts, enabling the alignment of the Guidelines with national and regional priorities as well as international best practices.

3. Develop draft sanitation policy guidelines.

The consultant(s) will develop practical and actionable sanitation policy guidelines. The Guidelines should, at a minimum, include chapters on the following:

• The process of developing a sanitation policy that ensures coordinated, equitable, and effective delivery of services.
• The structure of a sanitation policy. For example, it should include sections on: the vision, systems and services, institutional arrangement, roles and governance. financing and cost recovery models, regulation, human resource development and institutional strengthening, strategies for sustaining sanitation services including behavior change at various level, and monitoring and evaluation. The Guideline should place strong emphasis on both rural and urban sanitation, including faecal sludge management (FSM) and emerging areas such as digital sanitation solutions, climate adaptation and gender equality, disability & social inclusion.
• Steps to develop practical and actionable implementation plans at both the national and subnational levels.

Travels: There are expected travels to all eight countries in the region for consultation meetings with the countries and stakeholders. Countries to be visited are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. If there are additional travel requirements- the consultants will be guided by the supervisor.  Each travel duration varies from 5-7 days based on the need and will have to be approved by the supervisor before the actual travel dates. Once the travel dates and days are final, the consultants are responsible for arranging their own travel. Consultants in coordination with UNICEF ROSA will prepare a cost estimate and expenses will be reimbursed upon receipt of invoices for travel. Consultants will require to submit the poof of payment for tickets and boarding passes and any other reimbursable payments agreed as per contract. Travels authorization for Pakistan and Afghanistan will be arranged by ROSA.

Main Deliverables:

Inception Phase

• Meeting with SAARC and UNICEF to agree on the approach to the inception phase.
• Prepare a detailed methodology for the assignment, including a timeline and proposed schedule of consultations. The report should be presented to the Steering Committee for review, input, and validation in an inception meeting

Review Phase

• Conduct a comprehensive desk review and key informant interviews as required to identify critical gaps in the existing sanitation policy framework of South Asian countries.

Consultation Phase

• Conduct consultations with all key stakeholders as described in the methodology and use their feedback to develop the Guidelines.

Drafting Phase

• Prepare an initial draft of the guidelines for review by the steering committee. The drafting should be iterative with regular feedback loops by the steering committee until it signs off on the draft for finalization

Notes:

1. The consultant is expected to use a participatory and evidence-based methodology.
2. The consultant may propose working with a consortium of individual consultants. The applicant will be considered the main consultant and have ultimate accountability for delivering the assignment to both quality and time.
3. The timeline provided is indicative. UNICEF will consider any reasonable timeline in the technical proposal.
4. The work phases outlined above can run concurrently.
5. All deliverables will need to be signed off by the Steering Committee before being finalised by the consultant.

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

Education: Advanced university degree (PhD or Masters) in relevant field such as in Public Health, Environmental Health, Engineering, Puplic Policy, or related field relevant to international WASH, Public Helath programming

This assignment is open to South Asian and international consultants, though preference will be given to South Asian consultants. To qualify for this assignment, the consultant and any individuals working in consortia will be required to meet the following:

Lead Consultant:

• Advanced degree in public policy, environmental health, civil engineering, water and sanitation or a related field
• At least 10 years of experience in sanitation policy development and sector reform
• Strong understanding of the South Asian WASH context
• Proven experience facilitating multi-country of regional policy processes
• Previous experience working with government officials in South Asia is desirable
• Additional experience working in the social sectors with an emphasis on policy analysis is an added advantage
• Fluency in English and/or any other language widely spoken in South Asia with excellent writing, analytical, communication, and stakeholder facilitation skills.

Contributing team members:

• The contributing team members' qualifications and abilities should complement those of the team lead to deliver the consultancy's needs.

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 

 

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

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.