Consultancy: Child sensitive adaptation policy consultant - WASH+CEED Section, PG, New York/Remote- Req

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

Consultancy Title: Child sensitive adaptation policy consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: WASH+CEED/Programme Group/New York

Duration: 110 working days over 8 months (5 May – 31 December, 2022)

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Climate change and environmental degradation are some of the biggest threats affecting the world’s children which has the potential to undermine many of the gains we have made in child survival and development. Over a billion children are already at extremely high risk of environmental and climate hazards including heat waves, floods, cyclones, etc. These impacts threaten to undermine decades of progress on every child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive. There is an urgent and acute need for countries to adapt, prepare and build climate-resilient, low-carbon social services, such as – water and sanitation (WASH), healthcare, education nutrition, social protection and child protection – in preparation for more frequent and severe climate hazards. These are among the best investments we can make for children.

As part of its global advocacy and programming priorities, UNICEF is committed to making children and young people a focus of climate adaptation plans/policies and empowering children and young people to meaningfully participate in climate and environmental action. Adaptation plans and resilience measures must cover child-critical sectors (water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, nutrition, education, social policy and child protection), empower children by championing the adaptive capacity of children, consult and including young people, and committing urgently needed funding and resources.

The main purpose of the assignment is to support UNICEF’s country offices and partners in effectively secure action that prioritizes children and young people in climate adaptation plans and policies, including their formal participation. This will entail developing a support package which offers technical guidance and examples of good practise and pathways for integration into adaptation and resilience policies.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

The support package will supplement existing and planned advocacy materials and is envisaged to include the following elements:

Technical guidance to enable UNICEF in-country practitioners to support required policy and investment change:

1. A concise summary of the global architecture for action on climate adaptation and corresponding national processes

2. Overview of the UNFCCC and Sendai Framework policy processes related to climate change adaptation and resilience (including disaster risk reduction), such as Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, and National DRM Strategies. The overview should also indicate where UNICEF’s leadership and expertise can fill gaps in these agendas—UNICEF's relevance to these agendas and value add.

3. Overview of main steps in national processes leading to submissions under the Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework and the timeline(s) for these.

4. Development of Technical Notes that provide guidelines on how to integrate child-sensitive CCA/DRR measures into the following sectors: WASH, health, nutrition, education, social policy and child protection as part of climate/DRR policies and plans concerned with adaptation and resilience. Including;

5. Recommendations for cross-sectoral child-sensitive elements (e.g. data on child vulnerability, engagement of young people through the policy development process).

6. Recommendations for integrating child-sensitive CCA/ DRR within each of the priority sectors described above,

7. Guidelines for how the recommendations described above can be integrated within relevant national planning process relating to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction

8. 3 case studies (examples) of integrated child-sensitive adaptation and resilience plans
9. Sample Terms of Reference(s) for in-country consultant to support UNICEF Country Offices and National Committees with government and partner engagement.

10. Recommendations for engagement options for UNICEF in national plans and strategies related to climate change adaptation (including disaster risk reduction)

11. Summary of premier regional and global platforms for engaging in the above processes and processes to engage in these platforms.

12. Recommendations for priority UNICEF global and regional partnerships, including youth climate networks.
13. Engagement with global platforms towards formal recognition of child sensitivity in outcome and decision documents

Note: (Note: this work should align with and complement existing guidance and tools developed by UNICEF and others). This includes ongoing work to assess the extent to which climate policies (such as NDCs and NAPs) are child-sensitive. These guidelines should also aim towards integration with UNCTs, including the Guidance on Integrating DRR/CCA into UNSDCFs)

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist – Climate, Energy and Environment, Programme Group New York, and in close collaboration with sector specialists within Programme Group and the Advocacy Manager (Climate and Water), Division of Global Communications and Advocacy, New York.

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Masters degree in sustainable development, climate, DRR, resilience, social policy or other related discipline

2) Work experience

• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in sustainable development, climate, DRR, resilience, social policy, or other related discipline. Excellent writing and communication skills; expertise in risk finance, private sector, public finance, sustainable development. A minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience in policy related to children and youth in the context of climate change and/or sustainable development.
• In depth knowledge of climate adaptation plans and UNFCCC processes.
• Experience or strong familiarity with the work of UNICEF and/or other UN, multilateral, bilateral and civil society development partners; -
• Experience working in the field or in UNICEF Country Offices considered a plus.

3) Competencies

• Expertise in data analysis and reporting
• Expertise in knowledge management
• Expertise in climate, environment, disaster risk reduction, social policy, child rights
• Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English.
• Good judgment, initiative, high sense of responsibility, tact and discretion.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to establish harmonious working relations in a multicultural environment.

Requirements****:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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 to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.