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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, answers

UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight is the dedicated research office of UNICEF. It undertakes and commissions research and foresight on emerging or current issues of relevance for children to inform the strategic directions, policies and programs of UNICEF and its partners.

With access to digital technologies growing worldwide, the environment in which children are growing up is fundamentally changing. They are exposed to new and rapidly evolving opportunities and risks – whether they go online to create and express their identities, to socialize and build relationships, or to learn and build skills for the future. Recent advancement in generative AI has accelerated this development, as AI systems are quickly becoming central to children’s digital environment through homework-helping chatbots, recommendation algorithms or automated decision-making systems.

These developments make digital skills a critical precondition for successful engagement with the world today and in the future. A study by the IFC found that by 2030, over 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills. An IMF study estimates that AI will affect 40% of global employment. The potential disruption of AI has great relevance for children’s future work life, as well as how and what education is provided to them today. There is a need to better anticipate the skills needed in the future workplace and adapt educational offerings accordingly. Overall, children must learn from an early age how to leverage digital and AI tools to their maximum potential, both in their daily lives, ongoing education and for future work, and education systems must prepare them as best as possible for the fast-changing digital environment.

Often absent from efforts to navigate this changing landscape are the voices of children themselves, which are critical if we are to better prepare children with the digital skills, they need in an AI world. UNICEF Innocenti is undertaking a project that aims to focus on this topic, with three phases: i) producing a rapid literature review of projections and state of evidence on (digital) skills needs and future work impacts; ii) conduct two multi-sectoral consultations with experts (including policymakers, the private sector, civil society and academia) on literature review findings and skills needs and projections; and iii) five virtual consultation workshops with children around the world to generate insights on children’s perspectives on digital skills today, the impacts of AI and their future skills needs. While the final methodology is still being defined, UNICEF is considering an interactive approach that may involve children brainstorming, debating, developing scenarios, and co-creating recommendations. As the consultations will take place online, each session is expected to last between 1-2 hours and include 8-10 child participants aged 13 to 17.

How can you make a difference? 

1. Develop a project plan, including timelines for the child consultations, an outline for the literature review, and key considerations for the child consultation methodology. Help to identify key stakeholders to get involved in the project, including participants for expert consultations.

2. Draft a rapid literature review (not longer than 10,000 words) to lay the foundation for the content and direction of this workstream. Topics to cover could include: state of digital and digital related skills today (globally and by income groups); review and horizon scanning of projected impacts of AI on jobs and state of evidence on skills needs and future work impacts, broken down by income groups and geography, to understand effects in global North and South; approaches to better anticipate changing market needs; and how education systems are responding. The structure and content of the report will be agreed with the consultant. The literature review will be an internal document but should be complemented by a public-facing article written by the consultant with the key takeaways (around 2,000-3,000 words). The article will be published on the UNICEF site.

3. Help plan, organize and participate in at least two online consultations with experts, presenting the findings of the draft literature review and glean insights to shape the child consultations methodology and final report with recommendations.

4. Drawing on the literature review and expert consultations, co-develop the child consultation methodology and materials. At least 5 online consultations are expected with diverse representation of children around the world. Questions include: How children feel about AI (what excites them, concerns them, where they see it going, etc.); How children think about their digital skills – do they feel equipped? Do they need support? What do children think about their future working lives? What support or opportunities do they want? The consultant is responsible for planning, implementing and writing up the consultations, including developing the consultation materials; preparing documentation for submission to global ethical review boards by UNICEF; liaising with UNICEF country offices and National Commissions and child-focused organizations, as needed, to recruit the children and obtaining parental consent and child assent; develop a pre-consultation ‘information pack’ for the participants; conducting training of co-facilitators; facilitating the workshops; and developing a coding scheme for analysis. The team at UNICEF Innocenti will facilitate connections to country office colleagues.

5. Code and analyze the consultation data and write a short child consultations report that will include key findings, illustrative quotes and insights. The findings should be co-reviewed and discussed with UNICEF.

6. Provide input into the planning of the consultations with the UNICEF Youth Foresight Fellows/Network and read the outputs of it. Provide inputs into the planning of the final visioning and scenario development activities, which draw on the expert, child and youth foresight consultations, and participate virtually in the activities. Review the final project report.

7. After the scenario development exercises, update the child consultations report with a short set of recommendations for policymakers, educators and tech companies on how best to support children’s digital skills development in an AI world.

8. As a principle, the consultant will work closely with the UNICEF team in ensuring alignment across the different aspects of the project. UNICEF will review all draft outputs. Based on emerging findings throughout the project, provide ongoing input into the consultation processes, such as helping to adapt key questions to ask or areas to explore.

9. Advocacy: propose events to target for maximum advocacy impact and visibility for the project, and policy/regulatory processes to influence in the future.

If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  GORaF ToR Children's digital skills in an AI world consultant EXT.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in in education, information and communication technology, computer studies, child development, economics or other related areas. A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree. 
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience at national or international levels conducting technology, child or digital skills related research, including managing, conducting or supporting child consultations or engagements, writing reports, and providing policy analysis.
• Demonstrated experience or knowledge of policy or practice related to children’s digital skills or workplace skills needs is required.
• Knowledge of impacts of AI on skills and the workplace, or how children’s digital skills can be developed, especially in developing country contexts, is desirable.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and excellent attention to detail. Proven experience of writing policy recommendations is an asset. Experience presenting outputs at expert meetings or conferences is an asset.
• Foresight or forecasting experience is an asset.
• Motivated self-starter, with demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively in geographically dispersed teams and across cultures.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment; experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset.
• Ability to organize own work and to carry out a project with limited supervision according to deadlines.
• Commitment to UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, transparency, and accountability.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language such Arabic, French, or Spanish is an asset. 

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 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:  

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.