Consultant – Development on Legal Empowerment of Children, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), Bangkok

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 fulfilling 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 better future

UNICEF works to ensure the rights of all children in the East Asia and Pacific Region. This means the rights of every child living in this country, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or ethnicity, to:

• survival – to basic healthcare, peace and security;
• development – to a good education, a loving home and adequate nutrition;
• protection – from abuse, neglect, trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation; and
• participation – to express opinions, be listened to and take part in making any decisions that affect them

How can you make a difference?

The Child Protection Section, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) is seeking an individual consultant to develop a conceptual framework, contextualized for this region for legal empowerment of children, with a focus on the most marginalized children; and a practical guidance for Country Offices and partners on how to operationalize the conceptual framework, which will focus on two identified categories: Children with Disabilities and Climate and Environmental Justice for Children.

Work Assignment:

1. Develop a regionally contextualized conceptual framework for legal empowerment for children to claim their rights, with a focus on marginalized groups. The framework should include how to remove barriers towards the enjoyment of children’s rights through, but not limited to, the following four elements/tiers of support:

• Legal awareness
• Legal advice
• Legal representation
• Strategic litigation

The framework should include examples of good practice for delivering these four tiers of support, including through non-governmental organisations and pro bono legal aid providers.

2. Develop practical guidance to operationalize the conceptual framework with a focus on children with disabilities and right to a healthy environment including different strategies and approaches for each of the tiers of support.
3. Undertake consultations with Regional Advisers and Senior Management staff for the framing of the legal empowerment for children initiative within the ongoing regional priorities and global strategies.
4. With the support of the relevant technical specialists undertake a review of the main ongoing initiatives and the already identified potential collaborations in the UNICEF EAP region on children with disabilities as well as climate and environmental justice linked with legal empowerment.
5. Undertake consultations with regional technical specialists on Children with Disabilities, Climate Change, Environment and Child Rights as well as Regional Advisers with a view to integrate legal empowerment as a key component to secure rights and access to services for children across sectors and to integrate legal empowerment as a key component of the wider empowerment and civic engagement agenda.
6. With the support of the relevant technical specialists undertake consultations with staff members of 6 country offices in the UNICEF EAP region on the conceptual framework and its applicability to the country context; and for the preliminary identification of potential opportunities and entry points for interventions and specific rights to be prioritized within the legal empowerment process for a) children with disabilities, b) climate and environmental justice. This work will build on and ensure alignment with the “Policy principles and implementation guidance in the ASEAN region” developed by UNICEF EAPRO, UNEP ROAP and OHCHR. The consultation will aim at finding the best compromise solution between the legal empowerment theory and the practical implementation capacities of the countries to be involved in the project.
7. Provide technical advice to UNICEF EAP region and Country Offices on the role and comparative advantage to engage on the different tiers of legal empowerment.
8. Following the selection of the Country Offices to be involved in the project, provide advice/country contextualized recommendations to selected CSOs and stakeholders on the implementation of the conceptual framework. This will include but not limited to the support for selection of partners (CSOs, relevant NHRIs, most effective paralegals and legal aid) and prioritization of key rights to focus.

End Product:

1. Summary of the main ongoing initiatives and prospective partnerships in the UNICEF EAP region on children with disabilities and climate and environmental justice and summary of consultations with six UNICEF country offices. (est 10 pages)
2. Regional conceptual framework and regional report for legal empowerment for children (and their caregivers) to claim rights, with a focus on marginalized children, covering the four key elements of legal empowerment and the key entry points for implementation in the region, as well as the role of OPDs and paralegals (est 15 pages)
3. Guide for the implementation of the regional conceptual framework, including two detailed annexes for the implementation of the framework for a) children with disabilities and b) climate and environmental justice in the EAP region. The annexes should be able to be used as standalone guidance. (est 40 pages)
4. Presentation to the EAPRO regional conference on empowerment of young people (September) and consultation on the regional conceptual framework with young people and key participating organisations through the regional conference platform
5. Presentation provided to the Regional Office and Country Offices on the conceptual framework for legal empowerment and on the implementation guidance, including submission of a power point presentation (est 1.5 hours)
6. Technical support for selected country offices on operationalizing the conceptual framework and guidance for selection of rights and engagement with counterparts. (est 6 hours x2 country offices)
7. Final report on a way forward on the operationalization and necessary adjustments to the conceptual framework pursuant to the selection of country offices. (est 15 pages)

Work Schedule:

Tasks/Deliverables

Timeline

Draft conceptual framework on legal empowerment for children that is relevant and applicable to East Asia and Pacific countries and regional mechanisms.

15 July 2021

Draft guide for the implementation of the conceptual framework, including two detailed annexes for the implementation of the framework for a) children with disabilities and b) climate and environmental justice in the EAP region.

31 July 2021

First interim report based on the review of the main ongoing initiatives and the already identified potential collaborations in the UNICEF EAP region on children with disabilities and climate and environmental justice and summary of consultations with six UNICEF country offices and relevant stakeholders on the regional conceptual framework.

31 August 2021

Presentation to the EAPRO regional conference on empowerment of young people (September) and consultation on the regional conceptual framework with young people and key participating organisations through the regional conference platform.

30 September 2021 (coinciding with the dates of the conference)

Presentation provided to the Regional Office and Country Offices on the conceptual framework for legal empowerment and on the implementation guidance, including submission of a power point presentation.

30 September 2021

Final conceptual framework and guidance for the implementation of the regional conceptual framework, including two detailed annexes for the implementation of the framework for a) children with disabilities and b) climate justice/right to a health environment in the EAP region.

15 October 2021

Report on the provision of advice to selected Country offices and relevant stakeholders on the implementation of the conceptual framework.

30 November 20213

Final report outlining the necessary adjustments and envisaged challenges in the implementation of the conceptual framework based on the preliminary findings pursuant to the selection of country offices.

20 December

Official Travel: Due to the current COVID-19 travel restrictions, the consultant will be home based.

Estimated Duration of Contract: 55 Working days during the period 1 July – 20 December 2021.

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

• An advanced degree in Law, or a related or relevant field;
• A minimum of fifteen years’ professional work experience on legal empowerment, including for most vulnerable groups in development contexts;
• Specific experience in working on legal empowerment for children with disabilities and/or on climate and environmental justice is an asset;
• Previous working experience of online research and consultations resulting in legal empowerment;
• Experience in working in the East Asia and Pacific region is an asset;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills;
• Demonstrated ability to work across country and cultural contexts on sensitive issues;
• Demonstrated ability to work independently;
• Previous experience in working with the UN/UNICEF is a strong asset.

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV or P-11, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, and proposed daily professional fee in USD by 24 June 2021****.

P11 Form.doc

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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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.

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.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.