Consultancy - Social Policy (5.5 months) UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, Kathmandu, Nepal

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, inspiration.

The South Asia region, home to over 26% of the world’s children, carries a disproportionate share of deprivations for its children, including under-immunization, malnutrition, gender inequality, lack of access to learning and skills, and harmful practices such as child marriage. In addition to those longstanding deprivations, the impact of COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis has been devastating. Decades of development gains in children’s health, nutrition, education, gender equality, and protection are at risk of being wiped out. It further amplifies the challenges of Public Financial Management (PFM) and social protection systems. Obstacles to tackling those deprivations and improving child outcomes will be directly traced to the challenges lying with public financial management (PFM) and social protection systems. Expanding social protection, and child-focused public investments can have a stabilizing effect in this context and prevent shock-induced poverty and inequality.

In the current context, it has become even more important to place children's needs and outcomes center stage alongside the economic growth discourse and enable greater evidence generation and policy advocacy. UNICEF RO intends to strengthen its evidence base and launch a regional report series to tell a powerful narrative of children, women, and their families in South Asia and examine how policies can respond to this new era in social-economic conditions. Importantly, the publication series could act as a vehicle that mobilizes support and contributions from national experts, think tanks, and policy centers. Similarly, helping the region and the countries to safeguard critical social spending, expand coverage of social protection and improve the well-being of children and families is even more pressing for UNICEF.

UNICEF at all levels has committed itself to support governments amid these challenges to achieve inclusive, resilient, and equitable social protection and public finance management, including through analysis, evidence-based advocacy, technical support, and capacity-building to support governments. UNICEF RO in South Asia is therefore seeking the services of a professional in social policy and research to provide technical support to the Regional Office (RO) and the Country Offices (COs) to strengthen the leadership in evidence initiative, identify policy windows and partnerships, generate knowledge in social protection and leverage greater investments for children.

How can you make a difference?

The Social Policy consultant will deliver products and organize key events to move forward the agenda on social protection and public finance for children in South Asia.

The consultant will report and coordinate with the Regional Adviser for Social Policy to carry out the necessary background research for the second regional report, RTFT.

The consultant will support social protection strengthening through awareness-raising events and sharing of experiences. She/he will assist in evidence generation and mapping of social sector spending towards more equitable investment in key services for girls and boys to realize their inalienable rights under public finance management. Similarly, the incumbent will also help coordinate and facilitate effective engagement and knowledge generation with partners and country offices to strengthen social policy programming and research by strengthening cross-sectoral linkages with social protection. The incumbent will also help in the preparation for, delivery, and follow-up of regional events.

Key Assignments/Tasks:

1. Data collected on social sector spending in South Asia

• Support the collection of data on social sector spending, through the review of data available on national websites and from Cos.

2. Statistical data tables developed on children youth and education, from national surveys and other sources.

• Provides background research support on the Responding Today for Tomorrow (RTFT) II report series under the Leadership in Evidence Initiative
• Supports in the evidence generation and statistical tables on demographic trends of out-of-school children, youth labor force, and education in support of the RTFT II report series
• Collects and organizes data and provides technical inputs to ensure the achievement of section objectives

3. Expert Group Meeting Consultation with Government Counterparts in South Asia organized and 1 final meeting report drafted

• Support the organization of a consultation meeting with government counterparts to validate and define the action to be taken forward on disability-inclusive social protection
• Draft report of the consultation outcomes.

4. Social Policy Network meeting organized

• Develop an agenda and approach to foster exchange and learning among the 8 South Asian countries.

5. Child-sensitive social protection session developed for the ADB

• Prepare analytical brief and country concept notes for Cash Plus Social Protection

6. Inputs provided to the ADB UNICEF “Technical background analysis of the state of digital and social protection in child and care services in South Asia” Report and consultation organized

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

• A university degree in International Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Public Administration, and/or a related field is required. A MA in one of those disciplines would be an asset.
• Minimum of 2 years of professional work experience in developing and engaging in research/ policy analysis and programmatic support on social protection, socio-economic development, and/or broader social policy issues.
• Prior experience in conducting knowledge management and research support for social policy and social development.
• Experience in supporting, planning, and organizing workshops and meetings is considered a strong asset.
• Experiences in low and lower-middle-income countries will be highly preferred.

• Prior experience in working with UNICEF, UN agencies, NGOs, or the development sector.

  For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

Competencies:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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:

This consultancy is open to Nepali Nationals only.

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

Application to include an all-inclusive financial proposal in NPR for the daily rate to undertake the terms of reference and indicate your availability for the assignment.

Travel will include one mission within South Asia.

Payment of professional fees will be based on the 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

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 the program 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 before 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.

Consultants and Individual contractors are responsible for paying any taxes derived from the earnings received from UNICEF.