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, hope
Together with the Malaysian government and others who are truly passionate about child rights, UNICEF works in Malaysia to ensure every child has the opportunity to grow healthy and happy; live safely; and achieve their full potential.
With the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the 12th Malaysia plan as our guides, we endeavor to change minds, change policies, and in turn change the lives of all children in Malaysia.
https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/
Background
UNICEF works towards realization of the rights of children as prescribed in the Convention of the Rights of the Children. These rights pertain to child survival, protection, development, and participation.
As outlined in UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025, advocacy is an essential change strategy to realize UNICEF’s child rights mandate, both with the public at large and with policy makers. In the past few years, UNICEF Malaysia has worked to increase capacity of its staff and its partners on conducting advocacy to promote child rights in Malaysia, through office-wide training on advocacy strategy development and on the parliamentary system, procedures and the law-making process.
UNICEF Malaysia has embarked on the process of developing a new Country Programme Document (2026-2030) and there is a clear ongoing need to strengthen the office’s advocacy approaches in order to effectively influence decision makers, stakeholders and relevant audiences to support and implement actions that contribute to the realization of children’s rights in Malaysia. The development of the new Country Programme Document (2026-2030) is a crucial opportunity to ensure that the office develops sustainable, integrated advocacy strategies that will accelerate results for every child.
In light of this critical juncture and building on previous capacity-building initiatives, UNICEF Malaysia seeks an expert consultant to provide ongoing technical advice and support on advocacy planning, strategizing, implementation and monitoring, with a particular focus on parliamentary advocacy.
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to provide high-quality technical advice and support to UNICEF Malaysia and its key partners in order to strengthen capacity to develop and engage in strategic, impactful and effective advocacy for the rights of all children in Malaysia.
Objective
The objective is to set up a Long-Term Agreement to facilitate and expedite the process of contracting an expert consultant to provide the abovementioned technical advice and support as needed on a consistent basis over a longer period.
How can you make a difference?
Major Tasks to be Accomplished
1.Provide technical advice and support on advocacy planning, strategizing, implementation and monitoring for UNICEF Malaysia’s advocacy priorities across different programme areas:
- Child protection: priority areas include social service workforce strengthening, justice for children, children affected by migration and child immigration detention.
- Social policy: priority areas include public financing for children.
- Engagement of adolescents.
- Other areas that may be identified.
2.Advise on strategic engagement with key MPs, policymakers, parliamentary select committees and all-party parliamentary groups.
3.Provide technical support and capacity-building on parliamentary engagement and advocacy, including through briefing sessions, workshops, and other forms of support as needed to UNICEF staff and partners including non-government stakeholders and CSOs.
4.Conduct review, analysis and provide feedback and recommendations on specific laws, policies or issues as needed.
5.Provide ongoing strategic advice and inputs as per the requirement of the office.
Qualifications/ Specialized Knowledge/ Experience/ Language Skills required
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University Degree in Law (qualified in a country with a common law system). Master’s degree in democracy and politics is preferred.
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At least 10 years’ experience in public advocacy, law or policy making, including experience working the UN, parliamentarians, and CSOs in Malaysia. Previous experience working with UNICEF on parliamentary engagement is preferred.
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Demonstrated specialist knowledge in the field of parliamentary democracy, public policy and legal reform in Malaysia.
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Experience in providing high level technical advice and guidance for advocacy planning, strategizing, implementation and monitoring.
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Experience in facilitating engagement, consultations and coordination with government and non-government stakeholders on public policy and legal reform.
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Experience in developing training materials and conducting capacity building on parliamentary procedures with a variety of stakeholders and audiences, including youth and adolescents.
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Solid knowledge and understanding of international law and standards on child rights.
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Knowledge of UNICEF’s mandate, programming and advocacy for children in Malaysia.
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Excellent communication skills, and ability to articulate clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
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Open to Malaysian nationals only
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Fluency in oral and written English and Bahasa Malaysia is required.
How to apply:-
The application to be submitted through the online portal and should contain following separate attachments:
- Cover letter explaining suitability for position (to be uploaded online under “Cover Letter” tab)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) (to be uploaded online under “Resume” tab)
- Minimum of three work samples as described above i.e. examples of previous relevant work on public advocacy (in the last 3 years), including sample advocacy strategy document, policy analysis, training module on parliamentary advocacy or publication on parliamentary procedure in Malaysia (to be uploaded online under “Other – Applicant” as a single document containing work samples for all categories applied)
- References for similar consultancy assignments (including contact details of 3 referees) (to be uploaded online)
- A financial proposal indicating daily professional fees in USD. (To be uploaded under other supporting documents).
- Certificates of mandatory courses (Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF (2020 version); Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (2021 version) & Prevention of Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA) (2021 version) consolidated in one single pdf. Please note that completion of these courses is mandatory, and applicants are required to complete them and to attach the certificates as part of the application. Note: If the LTA will include the optional fees for travel assignments, then BSAFE will be a mandatory course requirement to be added to the list of certificates to be uploaded at the time of application.
Important Note: Please do not indicate financials anywhere else in the online application form, please mark "n/a or 00", under the fee related questions in the online application form.
Without all the above 6 documents your application will be considered incomplete and invalid and will not be considered further.
Additional Note:
- Any attempt to unduly influence UNICEF’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant.
- Joint applications of two or more individuals are not accepted.
- Please note, UNICEF does not charge any fee during any stage of the process.
- Women, trans, non-binary and gender diverse candidates meeting the requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.
- UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds including persons living with disabilities to apply.
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.