Child Participation Expert

Result of Service Conduct activities related to the mandate’s participation strategy for preventing and reporting violence against children. Co-lead Protection Through Online Participation (POP). Digital version of participation mapping updated. Documentation of industry engagement, and in depth case studies.

Work Location Remote and New York

Expected duration One year

Duties and Responsibilities Guided by General Assembly resolution 62/141, in which the Assembly established the mandate, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children is a global, independent advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. Realizing every child’s right to grow up free from all forms of violence is a fundamental thrust of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its Optional Protocols. Participation is one of the four core principles of the CRC. The work of the Special Representative is based on a holistic and child-rights centered approach that emphasizes the role of children as agents of change and their capacity for leadership in building a world free from violence. Child participation takes place in a rapidly changing world where almost the universal access to information and communication technology enables children to communicate with each other beyond any geographical or cultural barrier and provides real-time access to what is going on in the world. One of the main problems identified, is that - for multiple reasons - children aren’t always successful in driving their participation towards change and positive outcomes for themselves and their peers. The aim of this consultancy is twofold: - First, to continue implementing the mandate’s child participation strategy (including mapping child led actions to grow the mandate’s digital participation map, develop child friendly versions of the mandate’s reports, activate intergenerational dialogues between children and the Special Representative, and implement the Special Representative’s briefings with children on the margins of the UN General Assembly, and the Human Rights Council). - Second, to coordinate the implementation of POP, by taking forward the initiative’s goals, growing its network of partners, supporting the development of a digital map, and conducting a deep content analysis of children’s online engagements.

Under the guidance of the Special Representative, the Consultant will:

Co-lead the POP ITU – Office of the SRSG-VAC project: - Coordinate implementation of POP, including mapping the information, partnering with children and young people to map child and youth led actions, activating an industry engagement strategy, developing a digital platform to host the collected data, identifying lessons learned, evaluating services, conducting a deep content analysis of children’s engagements online, develop a report with recommendations for activating and improving these services, representing the initiative, and permanently growing the network of partners. - Co-develop a participation website targeting children and young people.

Work with children, amplifying their actions, and documenting good practices - Quarterly collect children’s actions globally and make them available through the mandate’s digital participation map. - Include children’s participation at events organized or co-organized by the mandate during high level moments (HLPF / UNGA). - Support UN led working groups into including children’s participation and mainstreaming children’s rights. - Act as bridgebuilders between children who are leading meaningful participation actions around VAC, to facilitate cultural exchange, information sharing, and project scale ups. - Support partnerships around child participation with mandate’s civil society partners such a WOSM, and CovidUnder19. - Document the process of children’s participation in country milestones, such as the drafting of Chile’s new constitution. - Develop child-friendly assets to empower children with information. - Organize SRSG’s briefings with children around the UN General Assembly, and Human Rights Council. - Organize interactive dialogues between children and the SRSG.

Develop partnerships with key stakeholders within the UN and with CSOs - Position children’s participation as a key component of major youth led organizations approach towards preventing, addressing and reporting VAC. - Advocate for the inclusion of children’s participation in youth-connected agencies within the UN.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: Master’s degree on any of the following fields: social and behavioral sciences, communications, language and literature, social sciences, information sciences, philosophy and anthropology. Skills: - Strong communication and writing skills. - Sound knowledge of ICTs and web-based platforms. Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in human rights, political affairs, international relations, law or related area. Experience in the field of child rights and child protection is required. - Experience working with children and youth groups. - Experience working on violence against children related issues. - Demonstrated experience on previous publications Language: Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Fluency and excellent drafting skills in English. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.