Consultancy Education in Emergencies, Panama City, LACRO 12 months

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, Education

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded worldwide. 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.

UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO) is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices. In its role as a regional office, UNICEF co-leads with Save the Children, the Regional Education Working Group (GRE-LAC) since 2011. As part of the commitments to support the Ministries of Education, UNICEF leads the GRELAC secretariat within the framework of the Regional Working Group on Risk, Emergencies and Disasters for Latin America and the Caribbean (REDLAC) and the interagency coordination platform Response for Venezuelans (R4V) to support the response of the Ministries of Education and the Humanitarian Coordination Mechanisms to emergencies in the education sector, including disaster risk management and the migration. Promoting the implementation of global and regional frameworks, such as Comprehensive, School Safety Framework (CSS) endorsed by the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (GADRRRES), the Global Education Cluster Strategy (GEC) 2022-2025 and the Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies (MSEE) of the Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), to guarantee the right to education for all children, adolescents, and young people in the region.

As part of the support provided for UNICEF to the GRE-LAC is the implementation of its bi-annual work plan with four strategic axes, which include advocacy and governance, technical support and capacity building, information management and resource mobilization for disaster risk reduction and migration management activities. Key coordination with partners and information management support needs to be provided as an ongoing basis for a smoothly coordination of the group. Through these actions, GRE-LAC ensures a coherent and coordinated operational response focused on strategic support, information management, communication, and the movement of regional and country-specific resources.

For more information about UNICEF and its work www.unicef.org/lac For more information about the GRE-LAC and its work: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/latin-america-and-caribbean/education For information about trainings and strategies: http://coreclustertraining.org Monthly bulletin: https://mailchi.mp/inee.org/slc-newsletter-2023-08

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: Coordination of the Regional Education Working Group (GRE-LAC) and its regional affiliate responsibilities related to GADRRRES in the 2023-2025 Strategy framework. The consultant will follow the regional work plan to support capacity on EiE building initiatives and strengthen the national education coordination.

Specific Tasks:

• Act as the Secretary of the Regional Education Working Group (GRE-LAC) in the organization, implementation, and monitoring of the biannual Work Plan.
• Promote the development and strengthening of capacities and skills in DRR, preparation and response to emergencies in the educational sector according to the needs identified at regional, national and local levels.
• Research, systematization, analysis, and exchange of information for the establishment of evidence in DRR, EiE and refugee and migration crises; support countries with migration and refugee flows and influx with technical advice, capacity building and support to mechanisms to ensure education access and continuation in migrant and refugee populations.
• Support the 2023-2025 Work Plan of the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES), expanding UNICEF leadership in the spaces of refugee/migrant education and focusing on improving learning results in humanitarian settings to ensure that all schools are safe from disaster risks.
• Planning coordination, knowledge & information management for GADRRRES as a regional affiliate with a particular focus on Working Group III on Risk Reduction and Resilience Education; support the coordination, monitoring and reporting of GADRRRES activities in line with the School Safety Framework; support the GADRRRES communication strategy and the development and dissemination of its newsletters; provide administrative and planning/implementation support to special events; and attend relevant meetings as required.
• In coordination with the GRE-LAC members, continue to support the strengthening and capacity building of the National Humanitarian Coordination Mechanisms in the education sector in its RRR preparatory actions and emergency response to guarantee the coherence of responses, the management of relevant strategies and regional coordination to always ensure the right to education.

Expected Results:

• The Secretary of the Regional Education Working Group (GRE-LAC) for Latin America and the Caribbean has implemented the 2023-2025 group activities reflected at its work plan following the agreed calendar.
• Capacities and skills in DRR and EiE at the national and regional level throughout webinars, trainings, and exchange of experiences have been expanded and strengthened, and the knowledge and information related to the Regional Group have been timely and efficiently disseminated with all the relevant partners.
• The 2024 work plan of the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES) has been supported, the activities, meetings, and events of all the alliance groups have been weekly supported, followed up and monitored (with a particular emphasis in the work of the Group III on Risk Reduction and Resilience Education), and the knowledge and information of the Alliance have been timely and efficiently disseminated with all the relevant partners.
• Al least 8 National Humanitarian Education Coordination Mechanisms (clusters, education roundtables, etc.) of Latin America and the Caribbean count with functional coordination mechanisms (TOR, work plan) and have developed an EiE preparedness and response strategy.

Deliverables:

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

• A University degree (preferably master’s degree) in education, social sciences, international relations, public policy or any related field
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in: • Information and knowledge management and research in related areas is required. • Education in emergencies (EiE) in the LAC region is an asset. • Both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage. • Program development in UNICEF or any other UN system agency or similar organization is required. • Demonstrated experience working in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders, including donors, UN agencies and INGOs, national authorities, national/local partner agencies are required.
• Technical knowledge in research & compilation and/or systematization of experiences or case studies in fields related to Education.
• Sound understanding of UNICEF and GRE-LAC program work in the region is an asset.
• Flexibility and adaptability to shifting conditions and work demands.
• Capacity to communicate effectively and work collaboratively.
• High level of Integrity and commitment to UNICEF’s mission and professional values.
• Good judgment, initiative, high sense of responsibility, tact and discretion.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to establish harmonious working relations in a multicultural environment.
• Fluency in Spanish and English is required (French and Portuguese is an added asset).

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 here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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.