Consultant - Climate Change

Result of Service The findings of this study will be summarized in an Abstract / Call for Action that will serve as an evidence-based tool for Member States to urgently take climate change as a child protection matter and address climate change in a gender and child sensitive and cross sectorial manner.

Work Location Remote

Expected duration Three months

Duties and Responsibilities Guided by General Assembly resolution 62/141, in which the Assembly established the mandate, the Special Representative is a global, independent advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. Realizing every child’s right to grow up free from all forms of violence is a fundamental thrust of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its Optional Protocols.The Convention on the Rights of the Child requires States to put in place all the legal and other measures necessary to protect Children’s Rights and ensure their wellbeing in a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. This includes the development and implementation of child rights-based climate responses in their policies and procedures, including mitigation efforts to child protection and pathways for those affected and displaced by climate change. This is why it’s more important than ever to ensure that countries and regional bodies are held accountable. Climate change and climate related disasters have now been known for its various rising negative effects such as the rise of sea level and associated devastating floods, earthquakes and cyclones, reduction in fresh water availability, air pollution, increase in global warming with extreme weather changes, desertification, catastrophic droughts, fires and storms and loss of bio-diversity. Lives and futures of millions of people, especially children and young people and women are threatened today. The mandate of the SRSG on Violence against Children requires to identify and analyze the links between climate change and violence against Children assessing the risk of increased forced displacement of population mainly children, youth and women, with an increased number of climate change refugees, IDPs and migrants children, commercial and sexual exploitation, children recruited by armed groups, children in vulnerable situations, remotely located, in street situations, abduction of children, child labor, child marriage, early pregnancy, FGM and other form of harmful practices, gender based violence. Members States, CSOs, private sectors, donors, and all stakeholders should work in a coordinated and integrated approach to prevent, tackle and reduce the impact of climate change on violence against children and on the most vulnerable ones, including children on the move, in street situations, with disabilities, without parental care, from minority, nomad groups and indigenous. For this reason, the Office of the SRSG on Violence against Children is prioritizing this issue as yet little attention has been paid to the ways of climate change can lead to violence against children worldwide. In order to first assess the situation, then identify the challenges faced by Member States in their mitigation measure related to child protection and share the existing promising practices promoting stronger collaborative and gender and child sensitive actions on climate change by all stakeholders, the Office of the SRSG on Violence against Children is seeking to undertake a study. Highlighting as well, climate justice and children environmental activism as children must be involved as actor of change in the response to climate emergency. The Consultant is needed to provide a comprehensive study containing: - An overview assessing the impact of climate change on children and the most vulnerable ones at global, regional, sub-regional and national levels, providing key elements of the interlinkage of climate change and violence against children. - Illustrative examples of these elements drawn from national, regional and international legislation, climate change mitigation responses to child protection and actions taken in different context and in line with international and regional child rights standards. - Illustrative initiatives demonstrating challenges faced by Member States to tackle this issue providing examples of promising practices, including child led initiatives to promote stronger collaborative and gender and child sensitive prevention and mitigation actions to climate change.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, political science, human rights, international relations, environmental studies, social sciences or other related field is required. Experience: A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience at national and international level in human rights, political affairs, development, international relations, law reform or related area is required. Skills: Extensive knowledge of law, policy, response mechanism and practice relating to climate change/environment and Human Rights with specific knowledge of Children’s Rights and violence against children in different settings is required. Excellent writing, research and analytical skills using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Language: Fluency and excellent drafting skills in English are required. Knowledge and ability to undertake research in other official UN languages is strongly required

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.