Children and Youth Participation Specialist

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

Since 2019, UNICEF has supported the city of Da Nang in the Child Friendly City Initiative (CFCI) to create a healthy, dynamic, and welcoming city for all children and adolescents. The Healthy Cities for Adolescents (HCA) project - phase 1 was carried out under the umbrella of CFCI from October 2020 to April 2022. The project has achieved significant results include securing high level support and commitment from local government; successful advocacy to ensure that priorities related to adolescents’ health and wellbeing are reflected in local plans; the formation of strong partnerships with all related stakeholders including local authorities, private sector, NGOs and youth-led organizations in promoting the Healthy Cities for Adolescents project; and the expansion of adolescent and youth participation in local decision making through innovative platforms, improving adolescents’ knowledge and skills and promoting knowledge exchange among medium sized cities. Following the successful completion of phase 1, the 2nd phase of HCA project will be implemented from 2023 to 2026. The primary goal of phase 2 is to support Da Nang in becoming a healthy, dynamic, and adolescent-friendly city in order to ensure the well-being and participation of adolescents and youth. The UN Volunteer will work in the Social Protection and Governance Programme (SPG) team managed by the Chief of Section. Specifically, the UN Volunteer will work under the direct supervision of the Social Policy and Governance Specialist, to support the implementation of SPG interventions at sub-national level, especially the CFCI and HCA 2 project in Da Nang, focusing on adolescent and youth engagement.

Under the direct supervision of the Social Policy and Governance Specialist, the UN Volunteer will provide support to implement SGP related interventions at sub-national level, especially to facilitate the implementation of CFCI and HCA project phase 2 and to enhance the engagement with adolescents and youth in Da Nang City. More specifically the incumbent will support the following tasks:

1. Strengthen children and youth participation in local planning and budgeting a. Support the design, implementation and monitoring of interventions to promote participation of adolescents and young people through innovative platform, digital transformation and creative communication. b. Establish effective partnership with child-led and youth-led organizations, especially vulnerable children and youth (i.e. children with disabilities, urban poor, out-of-school, girls, LGBTQ+ children, etc.) c. Establish effective partnerships with the private sector, NGOs and CSOs which can support on adolescent and youth empowerment and skills building. d. Provide technical support to strengthen the participation of children and young people in local decision-making process (in Dien Bien, Gia Lai and Soc Trang)

2. Support the implementation and monitoring of the Healthy Cities for Adolescents (HCA) project in Da Nang a. Provide support to the project consortium’s partners in the project planning, operation and delivery of results during the HCA implementation phase. b. Design and develop yearly E2A products (one product per year, i.e: video, brief, and case study) for the HCA project - phase 2, in collaboration with the project consortium partners and field project coordinator. c. Support the implementation of HCA 2 project’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) activities d. Manage the Da Nang HCA project’s Facebook fanpage and website. e. Facilitate the annual feedback survey with adolescents and youth to provide inputs for annual HCA donor report. f. Provide inputs and support the preparation of quality donor reports/proposals and providing quality and timely inputs to the annual reports and other office-wide reports and analysis (Mid-year and End-year Review).

3. Support the implementation of SPG interventions at sub-national level a. Perform other duties related to SPG’s work at sub-national level

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNICEF in daily activities and behaviors while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behavior; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance, and commitment towards UNICEF mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

• At least three (3) years of relevant work experience in working on child-rights issues, children-led or youth-led organizations, child and youth participation, and or advocacy and communications focused on children is required. • Proven experience in working with government agencies, NGOs or international organizations in the field of social policy. • Strong understadning of social issues, policies, and programs at the national and local levels. • Experience in producing documentation and communication materials with focus on children and adolescent’s participation. • Demonstrated experience in supporting the development and implementation of child participation programme/ initiative. • Be an independent thinker and be self-motivated. • Good interpersonal, networking and communication skills, particularly working with adolescents and youth. • Willingness to contribute and work as part of a team. • Flexible and open to learning and new experiences. • Excellent reporting skills, presentation skills and oral communication skills. • Proficient in Mcrosoft Office and social media platforms.

Viet Nam is a middle-income country which has witnessed rapid economic growth with impressive results in poverty reduction over the past twenty-five years. Viet Nam was recently ranked as one of the more secure and stable places to live and do business by outside research groups. The incumbent will live and work from home in Da Nang which is a young, peaceful and beautiful beach city. It has affordable living cost compared to Ha Noi or Ho Chi Minh city. Housing is also at reasonable price. Security is good. The city has two seasons: dry and stormy seasons. During the dry season, the climate is quite pleasant with sunny day and a possibility of light rain in the evening. Meanwhile, the stormy season from October to December has frequent storms, strong winds and heavy rains.