Consultancy (2 contracts), Formulation of Project Proposals for the ECHO HIP 2023, LACRO, Panama City, Panama (2 months, part-time, home-based)

Contract

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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 The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

LAC countries rank among the most natural hazard-prone in the world, exposed to volcanoes, earthquakes, droughts, floods, landslides, and yearly cycles of major tropical storms and hurricanes. Recurrent natural hazards have a high human and economic cost, affecting highly urbanized societies marked by very large inequalities.

With 47 million children living in areas where at least two climate and environmental shocks overlap, with natural hazards increasing their intensity and frequency, their impacts are exacerbated by multiple socio-economic crises with serious humanitarian implications for children. It is more than a heightened risk for children: it is a life-threatening reality. Crises in LAC region are interwoven. Violence, gender-based violence, poverty, socio-economic and structural inequality, socio-political turmoil, paired with the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, are the main drivers of internal displacement and cross-border migration of millions of people throughout the region. Pre-existing precarious conditions leave little room for resilience to the smallest shocks and expose children to acute humanitarian needs.

Violence is a major threat to populations in Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, Central America and Mexico and exacerbates their vulnerability to all kinds of hazards. The LAC region hosts 43 of the 50 most violent cities in the world. Forced displacement affects more than 12 million people across the region. Poverty, inequality, socio-political turmoil, paired with the long-term effects of the pandemic, have led to internal displacement and cross-border migration throughout the region, exacerbated protection risks including gender-based violence, resulting in humanitarian needs among the most vulnerable, including migrants and indigenous communities.

Children on the move and their families, from Venezuela as well as other nationalities, face challenges to regularize their immigration status, which affects their access to social protection, health, early childhood development, education, sustainable livelihoods and child protection. The lack of comprehensive public policies on migration issues in host countries is putting children at higher risk of discrimination, violence, xenophobia, exploitation and abuse in transit/destination countries.

UNICEF LAC Regional Office provides direct and remote support to country offices to address the increasing number of complex crises affecting children. This support includes technical assistance, quality assurance and oversight to ensure timely and effective humanitarian response in pursuit of the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, including cross-cutting programming (i.e., on gender, early childhood development, adolescents and disabilities) in all countries where a humanitarian situation is revealed.

For information of the work of our organization in the LAC Region, please visit our website: UNICEF LAC Region

How can you make a difference? Scope of Work The consultants, each one on a specific geographical/thematic proposal, will work in collaboration with the Emergency and PP Units in LACRO, being part of the team that will support the selected COs to timely capture, consolidate, elaborate and upload key information for opportune presentation of project proposal to ECHO through e-Single Form template (e-SF) to be uploaded on APPELS platform.

Specific Tasks • Structure and ensure follow-up of communications with LAC Country Offices for the formulation of project proposal, according to the ECHO’s e-Single Form structure:

- Characterization of humanitarian needs assessment and its geographical delimitation. - Analysis of humanitarian response and strategy. - Identification of beneficiaries and vulnerable groups. - Definition of the logic of the intervention (i.e., objectives, sectorial indicators, targets, activities, required budget and workplan). - Assumption statements with corresponding risk analysis and management. - Monitoring and evaluation as well as accountability mechanisms.

• In close coordination with the LAC Regional Office and the Country Offices’ Programme and Resource mobilisation teams, ensure opportune consolidation, elaboration and upload of project proposals (multi-country and/or stand-alone) in appropriate alignment to UNICEF and ECHO guidelines.

Deliverables To qualify as a champion for every child you will have… Education: A first level university degree [Bachelor or higher] is required in social science, sociology, international relations, or another relevant technical field.

Experience: - A minimum of 2 years of professional work experience in emergency settings or early recovery working for a UN Agency or an INGO is required. - UNICEF experience or knowledge of its sectors is a strong asset. - Experience formulating for ECHO and e-SF platform [APPEAL] is an asset. - Working experience in humanitarian operations in the LAC Region is an advantage.

Language Requirements: Fluency in Spanish and English is required.

Other Required Skills: Excellent written skills in English.

Duration: This is a 20 working days consultancy, with an estimated duration of 2 months, and expected start date of 15 November 2022.

Supervision: The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNICEF LAC Regional Adviser for Emergencies.

Workplace: This is a home-based remote consultancy. The consultant will need to provide his/her own premises, equipment, materials, tools and resources for this consultancy. The consultant will be required to have access to Teams/Skype/Zoom to facilitate the communication required during this assignment.

How to Apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily and monthly fees in their financial proposal.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and the following core competencies: Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness, Works Collaboratively with others, Builds and Maintains Partnerships, Innovates and Embraces Change, Thinks and Acts Strategically, Drive to achieve impactful results, and Manages ambiguity and complexity.

To view our values and competency framework please visit the following links: Our Values and Our Competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

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.

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/