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.

To provide technical support to design, implement, and operationalize child-centered Early Warning Systems (EWS) in Nepal and Maldives. The focus will be on enhancing the resilience of children by conducting child-centered risk assessments, integrating the Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) Disaster Risk Management (DRM) frameworks, and developing climate-change-calibrated scenarios for targeted interventions.

Background

Climate change poses significant and escalating threats to children in Nepal and the Maldives. In Nepal, rising temperatures, glacial melting, and erratic monsoon patterns contribute to severe health challenges, including heat stress, respiratory illnesses, and malnutrition. The increased frequency of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and unpredictable rainfall endanger critical infrastructure and safe water access, directly impacting children’s well-being. In the Maldives, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, such as tropical storms, cause severe flooding, coastal erosion, and significant disruptions to children’s lives. The degradation of coral reefs, vital for marine biodiversity, jeopardizes nutrition and health, particularly for children who rely on these ecosystems for food security.

Children in these countries face heightened vulnerability to climate change and are at risk of losing their lives and well-being. UNICEF’s Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (SCAP) 2023-2030 aims to address this child rights crisis and intergenerational injustice. Through targeted interventions, UNICEF prioritizes urgent climate action and systemic change to implement evidence-based, child-centric initiatives that address climate, environmental, and disaster risks.

With this background, UNICEF is seeking a technical expert to implement child-friendly Early Warning Systems (EWS) tailored to the unique vulnerabilities and needs of children in Nepal and the Maldives. This consultant will provide technical support to enhance the resilience of children and their communities aligning with UNICEF’s SCAP objectives. The initiative will benefit approximately 50,000 children directly and 800,000 indirectly by integrating advanced data-driven solutions, updating contingency plans, and promoting child-responsive disaster risk mitigation strategies.

How can you make a difference? 

To design, implement, and operationalize child-centered Early Warning Systems (EWS) in Nepal and Maldives, ensuring they are aligned with the latest climate change projections and address the specific vulnerabilities of children. 

Scope of Work 

The consultant will: 

1. Conduct child-centered risk assessments 

• Conduct child-centered risk assessments using the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) Disaster Risk Management (DRM) frameworks. 
• Identify key climate vulnerabilities faced by children and develop climate-change-calibrated scenarios for targeted interventions. 

2. Develop and integrate child-friendly EWS

• Design and implement child-friendly EWS tailored to local contexts. 
• Enhance existing systems to be accessible, understandable, and actionable for children and youth. 
• Integrate the CCRI-DRM into visualization tools like Geo-Sight or national platforms for enhanced accessibility. 

3. Develop and strengthen contingency planning 

• Update and revise contingency plans to explicitly address the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children. 
• Ensure alignment with the “Early Warnings for All” (EW4ALL) initiative. 

4. Capacity Building 

• Provide technical support to country office teams on implementation targeted interventions in areas of child-friendly EWS and DRR.
• Train government officials, community leaders, and youth on the application of CCRI-DRM and EWS tools. 
• Facilitate knowledge exchange on collaboration among key stakeholder on child-sensitive disaster risk reduction. 
• Develop an investment case for child-responsive disaster prevention strategies. 
• Provide technical support for incorporating child-sensitive criteria into national disaster risk budgets.
• Support advocacy and fundraising efforts on child-centered EWS. 

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone	Deliverables/Outputs	Delivery deadline
Inception Report	Draft inception report and detailed work plan including the methodology, mission schedules and timelines.	20 Feb 2025
Risk Assessment Report	Comprehensive risk assessment reports for Nepal and Maldives.	21 Mar 2025
Early Warning System	Operational child-friendly EWS tailored to each country.	9 May 2025
Contingency Plans	Updated contingency plans incorporating child-specific needs.	13 Jun 2025
Training and Capacity Building	Training modules and documentation for capacity-building sessions.	11 Jul 2025
Policy Briefs and Investment Cases	Policy briefs and investment cases for child-responsive risk mitigation.	8 Aug 2025
Final Report	A final report summarizing achievements, challenges, and recommendations.	5 Sep 2025
Total		60 days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

• Advanced degree in Climate Science, Disaster Risk Management, Environmental Engineering, or related fields.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in designing and implementing Early Warning Systems.
• Expertise in child-centered disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation solutions is required
• Proficiency in using data visualization tools and DRM frameworks like CCRI.
• Strong facilitation and capacity-building skills is required
• Familiarity with UNICEF’s SCAP objectives and a commitment to child-sensitive approaches.
• Previous experience working in the SAR region is an asset.
• Experience in developing strong business cases and concept notes for fundraising and strategies to strengthen partnerships.
• Familiarity with and commitment to the principles and values of the United Nations, particularly in the context of sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

Skills and attributes desired:

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills
• High level of analytical ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data, including using relevant software packages.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high quality, concise, analytical and insightful reports and presentations in English.
• Proven ability to conceptualize, innovate, plan and execute ideas.
• Strategic thinking and critical analysis.
• Commitment and drive, with a clear focus on results.
• Ability to manage competing priorities under pressure, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.

Languages:

• Strong writing skills and fluency in the English language is required. Knowledge of other languages relevant to the South Asian region is an added advantage.

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. 

Note:This is a readvertisement to seek a wider pool of applicants and candidates who have already applied do not need to Re-apply.

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.