Consultant – Roma Inclusion, Bucharest, Romania (full-time, office-based)

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, opportunities

The Government of Romania has made steps to address the needs of the Roma population through the National Strategy on Roma Inclusion (2022-2027). It is supported by the following six specific objectives:

1. Improving living conditions for members of vulnerable communities with Roma

2. Ensuring access to quality inclusive education for Romanian Roma citizens

3. Increase the employment rate of Roma in line with market requirements in view of their professional development

4. Improving the health status of members of vulnerable communities with Roma

5. Supporting research, conservation and promotion of Roma cultural heritage and cultural identity

6. Combating discrimination, anti-Gypsyism and anti-Gypsyism generating hate speech or hate crime.

However, policies initiated and implemented tend to be generic and fail to adequately distinguish between the large socio-economic differences present, and the diversity of the targeted populations.

UNICEF’s global commitment to equity – giving a fair chance in life to every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged – is built on the conviction that it is right in principle and evidence that it is right in practice. In Romania, UNICEF focusses on the most vulnerable children – which include Roma girls and boys – across its programmes, communication and advocacy, with the aim to leverage their social inclusion.

UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children.

Purpose and Objective

As part of a widened mandate UNICEF Romania is seeking to strengthen its programing towards Roma children within its reach through identifying opportunities and action, as well as to support relevant National and Local authorities in the development of an effective policy framework and in the design of appropriate responses for ensuring the full realization of the rights of Roma children.

How can you make a difference?

With a view of improving understanding of the needs and vulnerabilities of Roma children in Romania, supporting state actors in the design of adequate policies and programming, and strengthening the effectiveness of UNICEF support to this population group.

under the direct supervision of UNICEF Representative, the Consultant - Roma Inclusion will undertake the following key tasks :

• Support the UNICEF CO in providing inputs and feed-back to critical policy and programming documents to reflect the required focus for Roma children.
• Support UNICEF Child Rights Monitoring and related research and data collection

• Support strengthening the Roma inclusion in the Romania for Every Child initiative

• Support the UNICEF Communications team with anti-discrimination campaign and strategies to promote diversity and Roma inclusion in UNICEF communication assets, such as the UNICEF website, FB posts, publications, etc.

• Advise and support UNICEF Specialists on:
  • Strengthening concrete and measurable inclusion of Roma children in all UNICEF’s work
  • Possible new partnerships with Roma institutions and NGOs in all areas of UNICEF work
  • Development and dissemination of appropriate position papers/ policy briefs on Roma children’s situation in education to be used for TA and advocacy efforts
  • Ongoing work on desegregation work, focusing on Roma desegregation angle
  • The identification and dissemination of materials that are promoting Roma history, identity and culture and could be promoted by UNICEF as auxiliary didactic materials.
  • etc...
• Support the Country Management Team to strengthen diversity and inclusion in the UNICEF team.

Full details of the TOR can be found here : ToR Consultant Roma children and inclusion 2022-23_final (002).pdf

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

• At least 5 years of professional work experience in social policy, children's rights, minority rights, child protection and/or education in Romania, including in the provision of policy advice in the relevant areas;
• In-depth understanding of Roma issues and underlying factors for their social exclusion in the country;
• Excellent writing skills;
• Excellent analytical, communication and negotiating skills;
• Experience in Roma related research, advocacy and influencing;
• Excellent team working skills and respect for diversity;
• Computer skills, including various office applications;
• Knowledge of Romani language;
• Fluency in Romanian and in English (written and oral).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 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.