Consultancy: Landscape Assessment of Climate Change Innovations to accelerate results for children . Remote, 60 days

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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, innovate

UNICEF has a 75-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships and technologies that support the realization of children’s rights are key to improving children’s lives.

Worldwide, we innovate to tackle the most pressing problems faced by the most vulnerable children. We take a systematic approach, applying skills and energy across new tools and technologies, products, innovative financing and new ways of working to boost our impact.

The Office of Innovation is a creative, unique and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organisation that works on huge global issues meets the startup thinking, the technology, the tools, the know-how and the partners that turn ideas and energy into scalable solutions for children.

The Office of Innovation has been supporting the development of nine UNICEF’s global innovation portfolios, including the Climate Change Global Innovation Portfolio, to focus efforts on programme-led, problem driven innovations that have potential to scale and accelerate results for children.

How can you make a difference?

Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact. The worsening effects of climate change mean that children face both the immediate impacts of climate-exacerbated humanitarian emergencies and the slower-onset impacts such as water scarcity and disease burden.

For children who are already disadvantaged, the risks of climate change are even higher: as crises become more common, poorer families will face even greater difficulties recovering from these increasingly frequent shocks. The climate crisis is a child rights crisis, and time is running out to make the transformations necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Innovation can and must play a central role in finding solutions to this crisis and accelerating the impact of our work in protecting children from the effects of climate change, placing their needs at the center of environmental strategies, reducing emissions and pollution, and empowering children and young people as agents of change.

The Climate Change Global Innovation Portfolio addresses key global challenges where innovation can play a key role to accelerate results for children: i) meaningful engagement of young people in climate, energy, and environmental policy development; ii) assessing demand and shaping the market for sustainability services; iii) integrating climate resilience and DRR with emergency response resources; iv) protecting children’s lives, rights, and futures with environmental sustainability and disaster risk reduction and mitigation.

The Climate Change Landscape Assessment will ultimately inform the development of the UNICEF climate change innovation pipeline as well as the refinement of the climate change portfolio problem statements.

Your main responsibilities will be:

1) Identify the most promising areas for innovation to accelerate results for children in current and future climate change programming. Key areas for consideration in the study include:

• Green schools initiatives to both foster environmentally sustainable school environments and to include environment and climate change in the school curriculum

• Green skills for the future initiatives specializing in educating and training young people to work in building sustainable communities;

• Youth climate action and advocacy;
• Initiatives that focus on building up children and youth capacities to recover from environmental-related shocks and stresses;
• Initiatives aimed at increasing the environmental resiliency of social services for children, young people, vulnerable people (including data, policies, and financing);
• Initiatives that enhance the meaningful engagement of young people in climate and environment issues (including through education, skills for green jobs, local and global advocacy), and increase the meaningful participation of young people in climate/environmental policy dialogue at the national and international level

2) Identify where UNICEF as an organization can bring the most value to the landscape of actors working to solve global climate change challenges, identifying the areas where innovation has the potential to accelerate results.

3) Identify and recommend institutions, including but not limited to academic institutions, social enterprises, not-for profit organizations, private sector organizations, youth networks as potential pipeline partners, specializing in climate change mitigation and adaptation, scalable solutions, targeting children and youth.

4) Identify and compile a directory of existing global / local innovative innovation initiatives (in the areas as per point 2) being deployed outside UNICEF where UNICEF as an organization can add strategic value as an organization

5) Review and analyse existing UNICEF climate related initiatives, conducting a desk-based research of innovations for children and liaising with key stakeholders within UNICEF as needed.

6) Work in close partnership with the Climate Change Innovation Portfolio Manager and with the CEED team in programmes division to draft and finalise the Climate Change Landscape Assessment.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Environment/Climate Change related studies, Climate Change technology. Or a first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

• In-depth understanding of climate change/green innovations especially for children and youth

• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in relevant field

• Familiarity with UNICEF Innovation with UNICEF / UN experience desirable
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset
• Excellent written communication skills
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Innovates and embraces change: Is open to and proposes new approaches and ideas. Adapts and responds positively to change

• Thinks and acts strategically: Understands the big picture and is able to identify potential opportunities for action and challenges that exist. Forms sound evidence-based judgements in the delivery of UNICEF’s results.

• Works collaboratively with others: Establish and maintain mutually supportive working relationships, demonstrating sensitivity to people of diverse backgrounds, respecting differences and ensuring that all can contribute and succeed.

To view our competency framework, please visit here. Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and 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 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 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.

Payment details and further considerations

• Monthly payment, based on monthly tasks and progress reports, approved upon monthly review with supervisor.

• Consultant is responsible for his/her own health and travel insurance

• Consultant is eligible for standard DSA for all work-related travel

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.