Consultancy: Review of Rights-based Programming for Children in the Context of Human Mobility, LAC Regional Office

Contract

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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.

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

For every child, protection

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.

As of February 2021, approximately 5 million Venezuelans1 left their country, and many of them are in transit in countries within the region. UNICEF is supporting these children in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with comprehensive care responses at the border and as they continue their journey. This includes: services to prevent and address gender based violence (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru), care services such as residential and foster care (Colombia, Peru), transit centres (Ecuador), mental health and psycho social support services, support spaces for comprehensive social and legal services and referral (Ecuador), family tracing and reunification (Colombia), drop in centres (Colombia). These services adapted over 2020 and continue to do so, due to the COVID pandemic. From March 2020-Sept 2021 these specific services are supported by a grant from Canada ‘Protection and Equal Opportunities for Venezuelan Children, especially girls on the move in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru’ (forthwith called ‘Canada Project’).

Programming on migration draws from different international human rights instruments (e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on Transnational and Organized Crime along with the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) and different international guidance (e.g. Guidelines on the Alternative Care of Children, Beijing Rules, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and UN Committee on the Protection of Migrant Workers and their Families draft General Comments). With the pandemic, rights on health and mobility also gained different attention within the services. In some case the instrument in its entirety is used, and in other cases only sections of the same.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac)..)

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Advisor Child Protection, the purpose of this assignment is to review

specific services UNICEF supported in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, within the ‘Canada Project’, for their alignment

with international instruments. The result will identify the core elements of each instrument that practically inform

migration services and also identify other potential instruments, or parts thereof, that could also be used.

The assignment will contribute to improving programme interventions, to the development of a draft regional

migration strategy, and to an evaluation of UNICEF’s response to the Venezuela migration.

How can you make a difference?

1 – Identify the key international instruments that may be used to inform services for children in the context of human

mobility

2 – Develop a methodology to review the services, with consideration of participation from key stakeholders

3 – Review each service in light of the instrument to define:

 If it is applicable to the service

 Whether the service complied with the instrument

 Identify factors that explain why a services approaches or not the standards established by the respective

international instrument

 What particular elements of the service most benefited from this international instrument

 Which elements of the international instrument were most relevant for the programming

4 – Provide recommendations on potential ways to improve the programming in light of the international guidance,

including recommendations for each country office

Expected Results

• Methodology for the assignment (task 1 and 2), estimated duration 5 working days.

• Draft Review (draft task 3 and 4), estimated duration 35 working days.

• Final Review (incorporates the final of all tasks, reflecting comments from the reference group, into a report of publishable quality), estimated duration 15 working days.

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

Education: Master's degree in social sciences, law, evaluation, or relevant areas.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of fifteen years working in the social sectors of international development.

• Experience with programming with children in the context of human mobility.

• Proven experience in the application of international public and private law, international conventions and guidance documents.

• Practical work experience in Latin America and the Caribbean.

  Languages: Fluency in Spanish and English is required.

Technical knowledge:

• A good understanding of migration and migration responses in Latin America and the Caribbean desirable

• Solid knowledge of international laws and guidance, especially child rights

• Proven experience conducting programming reviews

• Experience with gender programming

Other skills and attributes:

• Demonstrated excellent skills in verbal and written communication.

• Demonstrated ability to work virtually and establish virtual working relationships with many partners.

• Able to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

• Ability to clearly defined objectives and plan activities.

• Demonstrated experience with UNICEF, with knowledge of UNICEF strategy and planning approaches.

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

Supervision: The individual contractor will work under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Regional Adviser and in close collaboration with the country offices and other regional advisors. All outputs of the assignment will be reviewed by a reference group.

Workplace: This consultancy is remote, home-based. The consultant will use his/her own resources and equipment for this consultancy.

Travel: No travel is involved.

Duration: This consultancy is expected to start on 1 June 2021, with approximate 55 working days within 4 months.

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.

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 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.