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, Results 

UNICEF works to protect the rights of every child in Sri Lanka. Our goal is to ensure that all of our children survive, thrive and fulfill their vast potential.

In a world that is rapidly changing, children are faced with complex challenges and unprecedented opportunities. UNICEF’s programs are designed to reach and benefit all children so that they can withstand these challenges, leverage these opportunities and be the drivers of their own destiny.

UNICEF is committed to creating a country in which every child is free to learn, play and grow. Our programs work towards providing all children in Sri Lanka with shelter, nutrition, protection and education, wherever they may be. We strive to create communities in which children can live with dignity and hope, free from discrimination, violence and fear.

We make every effort to create and maintain environments that will enable and empower children to be the very best that they can be.

In this way, all children will not only benefit from economic and social growth but will become the driving force behind sustainable national development.

For over 50 years, with the help of our vast network of partners, UNICEF has made significant strides in raising health, education and protection standards for children in Sri Lanka. From achieving Universal Child Immunization (1989) to establishing The National Child Protection Authority (1998) to providing decades of crucial relief in the wake of devastating conflict and natural disaster, UNICEF has played a pivotal role in creating an environment in which children have the best chance to survive and thrive.

Yet, many challenges still exist, especially for the most vulnerable. Some national and regional bodies require resources and reinvigoration. Individuals and institutions need to be strengthened, coordinated and aligned with global standards so that children enjoy support in their schools, communities and homes to help them overcome challenges and unleash their full potential into the world.

Due to our long-standing reputation as an experienced, neutral and collaborative partner, UNICEF is ideally suited to drive these efforts. Our history of success in Sri Lanka is built on our ability to tap into a wide network of national and international partners which, in turn, is bolstered by our own far-reaching presence in the field. In working closely with these government, non-government and private entities, UNICEF takes a leadership role, drawing on our technical expertise to accurately assess existing challenges and develop, execute and coordinate solutions that are relevant and scalable on the ground.  For more information about UNICEF Sri Lanka and its work visit: http://www.unicef.org/srilanka

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose-

The aim of this assignment is to provide technical support to improve planning and budgeting processes from a child-rights perspective, with the aim of contributing to strengthened data availability on social sector spending.

 

Background:

Background: At present, in most countries in South Asia – and indeed in the world – it is challenging to track budgets and expenditures for vital services that support children. The primary reason for this is that these services are multi-sectoral, spread across several Ministries and delivered across a range of ministerial and organizational boundaries. It is very difficult to effectively plan and coordinate services that are delivered by a range of large organizations, with broad remits, and entirely separate budgets. While many government officials are keenly aware of the intersectionality of their services with other departments and agencies, it is challenging to effectively plan and coordinate them without an easy mechanism to consider budgetary allocations as a whole.

A budget tagging exercise can be used to support the monitoring of budget allocations and expenditures for multisectoral services, such as Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) and nutrition, offering an additional lens to support holistic planning and budgeting processes, and evidence-based policymaking more broadly. A government-owned monitoring system that can track resource flows can support cross-departmental planning processes for agencies and improve linkages between budgets and child outcomes for multisectoral initiatives. Such an exercise would build on the SDG budget tagging exercise that the Government is implementing led by the Ministry of Finance and introduce additional tags from a child-rights perspective. This exercise will contribute to strengthening the availability of social sector budget analysis that affect children’s well-being and ultimately contribute to ensuring that children in Sri Lanka benefit from adequate and effective social sector budgets, which is the objective of the EU-UNICEF Public Finance Facility in South and Southeast Asia.

Scope of Work: In close collaboration with government stakeholders, the consultant will provide technical assistance to define the scope of two child-related budget tags (ECCD and nutrition), conduct the mapping exercise and agree on the approach, and make suggestions how to ensure process continuity.

Specifically, the objectives are to:

• In close collaboration with government stakeholders, including but not limited to the Ministry of Finance, Finance Commission, relevant line ministries (such as Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security, and Community Empowerment, Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, Ministry of Women and Child Affairs) and, if required, subnational authorities, support develop definitions/taxonomy of ECCD and nutrition service areas (and others if relevant), in line with national policies, strategies and action plans (such as National Policy and National Multisectoral Strategic Action Plan on ECCD, or Multi-Sector Action Plan for Nutrition 2025-2030).

•Facilitate consultations between government stakeholders to validate the definitions/taxonomy of budget tags and agree on the levels of government that will be tagged.

• In close collaboration with government stakeholders, conduct the mapping exercise, including:

Mapping of dedicated ECCD and nutrition programmes and interventions. Mapping

of ECCD and nutrition-sensitive programmes and interventions, suggesting “weighting” based on appropriate justification.

• At a consultation organised between UNICEF and government stakeholders, present an overview of the mapping and weighting, incorporate feedback from participants, and refine as necessary.

• Support stakeholders in compiling ECCD/nutrition budgets respectively.

• Based on budget tagging exercise, provide specific recommendations to ensure business continuity and utilization of the budget tagging. This should include identifying potential gaps or bottlenecks to institutionalisation, considering for example whether the creation of additional budget lines would be appropriate, as well as considering additional ways to maximise the utility of this exercise (such as internal or public dashboards, and so on).

• At the final stakeholder workshop organised by UNICEF, present and discuss recommendations with key stakeholders, refining the agreed recommendations and way forward.

 

UNICEF will provide technical backstopping (including participating in relevant technical discussions), identify relevant stakeholders, and organise required consultation and validation workshops.

 

Activities and Tasks: 

Prepare inception report with detailed information on approach, limitations, and workplan - Inception report

In collaboration with government stakeholders, conduct initial mapping of programmes/interventions of selected areas (at least ECCD and nutrition) - Initial mapping

Finalise the mapping following validation with stakeholders - Finalized mapping

Support compilation of ECDD and nutrition budgets and provide recommendations to ensure business continuity and validate them with stakeholders to agree on next steps - Final report, including agreed definitions/taxonomy, mapping, compilation of budget lines, and validated recommendations.

 

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

 

Minimum Qualifications required:

• Masters Social sciences, economics, development studies, or related fields.

 

Experience/ Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Years of experience:

• At least seven years of proven experience in public finance management (consultancy, research, teaching/training/capacity building) including policy analysis and development (five years if candidate holds a PhD).

• Experience in applying both quantitative and qualitative methods and ability to effectively communicate data and analysis.

• Strong experience in writing reports, documentation to convey programming efforts.

• Experience with the ethics of evidence generation; familiarity with ethical safeguards.

 

Skills:

• Strong analytical skills.

• Strong communication skills including professional writing skills and presentation skills.

• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.

• Knowledge of methods and approaches used in planning and budgeting processes in Sri Lanka.

• Thorough understanding of the public finance structure at national and subnational level, including the roles and responsibilities of national and subnational authorities.

 

Languages:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Sinhala and/or Tamil required.

 

Desirable:

• Experience of working with government stakeholders.

• Previous experience working with UN agencies is an asset.

 

Competencies:

• Drive to achieve results for impact (1)

• Works collaboratively with others (1)

• Builds and maintains partnerships (1)

• Thinks and acts strategically (1)

• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1)

• Innovates and embraces change (1)

 

Duration of the consultancy:  May 2005 – March 2006

Duty station – Home based, Sri Lanka

 

How to apply:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a resume and other relevant documents

Please complete your profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system. https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html

Please indicate your ability, availability and fee/rate in LKR to undertake the terms of reference above. (Indicate an all-inclusive fee (including lump sum travel, IT accessories, Internet and subsistence costs, as applicable) to undertake the tasks in the Terms of reference. Office 365 license will be provided by UNICEF, as applicable) 

Applications submitted without a fee/rate will not be considered  

 

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

 To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

Remarks:  

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. 

If you think this position might be for you, please take the time to review our Country Office Mutual Agreements before you apply.

If you believe you can team member that can uphold these everyday, then we look forward to receiving and reviewing your application.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.