Consultancy: Regional context analysis to inform the Mid Term Review of LACRO's Regional Office Management Plan 2022-2025, Panama, 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, a Champion

The current proposal outlines the details for the 'regional analysis' workstream that will contribute to the strategic reflections guiding this process. The regional analysis component will identify the main factors and trends that influence the situation of children over the coming 10 years. This timeframe comprises the SDG target deadline of 2030. Based on the current situation of children as reflected in the status of the SDGs, the work will encompass the identification and analysis of main the main trends, challenges, and opportunities across a set of political, economic, social, and environmental domains. The work will be mainly based on the analysis of relevant documentation and data sets. Findings will be captured in a short 15-20-page paper.

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of the contextual analysis is to identify and examine headline trends and scenarios that are most likely to affect children and adolescents in the region by 2030. This will take the form of a study that provides critical intelligence to inform strategic decisions on UNICEF's approach to maximize effective partnerships and influence over governments and their policy and investment agendas.

Specific objectives of the contextual analysis:

1. Identify and describe relevant regional trends, opportunities, and challenges that affect and are likely to drive and influence the overall situation of children towards 2030.
2. Analyse the implications of identified regional trends for children in LAC
3. Analyse the implications of identified regional trends in UNICEF cooperation and the business model established in the Regional Office Management Plan 2022-2025.

The LACRO Programme, Planning and Monitoring Unit will be responsible for managing the contract, which will be supervised by the Regional Programme and Planning Chief in LACRO.

Specific Tasks

The contextual analysis will comprise of four main components, to be seen as threads that will come together in a short paper.

1. A succinct descriptive overview of the current situation of children as reflected in the status of child­ related SDG indicators. This component includes a brief descriptive analysis of how COVID-19 primary and secondary impacts have affected key indicators of child well-being;
2. An overview of trends, challenges, and opportunities (coming 10 years), in the following areas:

• Political landscape (fragility, governance)
• Economic growth and development, poverty
• Social landscape (demographics, urbanization, population movements and migration, public sector, role of private sector and non-governmental organizations, security and conflict)
• Technological landscape
• Environmental landscape (climate change and natural disasters)

This component will provide an overview oftrends and projected challenges and opportunities. The overview will include a description of how trends are expected to affect the situation of children. For each of the themes, the analysis will address cross-cutting dimensions, notably gender, social norms and cultural drivers, and technology and innovation.

3. A brief analysis of the main areas of interaction between the themes as well as ways in which trends play out in sub-regional clusters or typologies of countries.
4. A summary overview of potential areas of implication for the ROMP. These could include, but are not limited to the following:

• Programming across the development-humanitarian continuum
• Overall systems strengthening and disaster risk reduction and preparedness
• Country clusters and multi country programming, including cross-border programming.
• Inform the key areas of expertise and capacities UNICEF LACRO should be putting in place to be positioned in response to the current and future mega trends likely to transform the region over the next decade.

Expected Results

The assignment comprises the following deliverables:

1. A set of electronic versions of relevant studies or reports classified by each of the themes of the regional analysis;
2. A full draft regional contextual analysis report (approximately 20 pages, drafted in English), including few visual representations of trends and interaction between trends that influence the situation of children in the coming 10 years.

Deliverables

Description

Duration [in days]

Expected deadline

Phase 1. Design the scope and methodology of the analysis

1. Discuss and agree on the trends to be included in the study along with the methodological approaches (see UNDP Foresight Manual for a review of options). A preliminary list of trends is presented in Annex 1.
2. Discuss and agree on the structure for presenting the trends. For example, this could include:
   • Summary of the regional trend - the "most likely" scenario"
   • Summary of alternative scenarios
   • Implications for children and adolescents
   • Implications for UNICEF
   • Recommendations

s

by July 14

Phase 2. Carry out a rapid analysis of the trends

As defined during Phase 1, this will involve reviewing available studies, collecting data, conducting informant interviews and other consultative activities, etc. The information will then be quickly analyzed to develop a most "most likely" scenario for each of the trends. Each trend will then be presented as a 1 page summary according to the agreed upon structure.

5

by July 21

Phase 3. Agree on the specific trends and scenarios

The purpose of this phase is to agree on a final set of scenarios to be developed. This should also include an agreement on the final set of trends to be included in this analysis.

5

by July 28

Phase 4. Develop the scenarios

Following the agreement in Phase 3, additional information will be collected to allow for the development of full scenarios for each individual trend.

5

by August 4

Phase 5. Present the report

Development of final report along the following outline:

• 1 page summary
• 5 page introduction, including multiple visuals
• 3-4 page summary of each trend based on the structure agreed in Phase 1
• 1 page conclusion

5

by August 11

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

• Masters in relevant disciplines, PhD preferred.
• 10 to 15 years of experience with analysis and research that bear strong relevance to the themes selected for the regional contextual analysis.
• Strong experience with relevant developments in LAC.
• Full fluency in English and working knowledge of Spanish (ability to review studies and reports in Spanish). *Please note language levels used in UNICEF are fluent, proficient, intermediate, and basic.

Technical Knowledge

• Professional technical knowledge and expertise in analysis and research.
• Extensive knowledge of SDGs in the LAC Region.

Other Skills and attributes

• Demonstrated excellent writing skills, and a strong track record of relevant publications and reports

Administrative Details

Supervision: The LACRO Programme Planning and Monitoring Unit will be responsible for managing the contract, which will be supervised by the Regional Programme and Planning Chief in LACRO.

Workplace: Home based, and no travel will be involved

Duration: The assignment is home-based and will be completed over an estimated number of 25 working days between July and August 2023.

How to apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: TMS application form duly completed, Cover Letter and Financial proposal.

Qualified candidates are requested to indicate an all-inclusive (lump sum) fees for the services to be provided, including all associated administrative and travel costs. The consultant will not be entitled to any separate travel entitlements under the Contract. All expenditure related to the travel plans set out in the Contract are deemed to be covered by the lump sum fee

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.