Education Cluster Coordinator

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The Central African Republic (CAR) has been affected by conflicts with the continued presence of armed groups. Violence against civilians and the effects of climate change (flooding) continue to cause displacement of population. Lack of access to basic socio-economic infrastructures and socio-economic opportunities forces displaced people and host communities to adopt negative coping mechanisms to meet their needs, making them more vulnerable to exploitation and gender-based violence that particularly affects women and girls. Instability in neighbouring countries, particularly on CAR's borders with Chad, Sudan and South Sudan, which are the main supply roads for basic commodities for some hard-to-reach areas, is having a strong impact on the local economy and on the education for children. Although the humanitarian situation is gradually stabilizing in the Central African Republic, some areas, particularly those in the south-east and north-west of the country (Ouham Pende, Lim-Pende and Haut Mbomou….) are still affected by population movements due to the presence of armed groups with an impact on children's education.

In 2024, the education cluster estimated 1.2 million people with education needs, including 1.1 million children between 3 to 17 years. Among these people in need, the education cluster has targeted 366,805 children aged 3 to 17 for shock responses in the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan in CAR. In collaboration with the National Education Ministry and humanitarian actors, Emergency education interventions in 2024 will be implemented in areas with humanitarian shocks and actors will link with nexus interventions in somewhat stable areas. The key achievements of the Education Cluster in the recent two years are included, to update the Education in Emergency (EiE) Unit in the Ministry of Education and its co-leadership by the Ministry and the Cluster. Also, to sustain regional clusters by putting in place 6 new education workshops; the involvement in resource mobilization with the Multi-year Resilience Plan (MYRP), the availability of the EiE Strategy document 2023-2025 and coordination of the partners according to their operational presence in the fields.

The Cluster Coordinator actively organizes the Cluster meetings and activities as well as its visibility, participates to the Local Education Group (LEG). However, there is a need to continue building EiE capacity of the Cluster staff and participants, to support the development and strengthening of national systems, to plan for, coordinate and support the delivery of Education in Emergency (EiE) activities through the rolling out of the EiE action plan at all levels including the implementation of the Safe Schools strategy.

• To Ensure the coordination and prioritization of response activities to the situation of humanitarian shocks by mobilizing international, national and governmental organizations. • To ensure the linking and cooperation with the Ministry of Education and other government authorities, stakeholders (national and international NGOs, teacher representatives, principals, and parents), the humanitarian coordinator, other clusters, OCHA and donors. • To support the Cluster's partners through the production and sharing of useful and context-specific information. • To develop and update the Cluster's response strategies according to events, ensure preparedness for future emergencies. Supporting service delivery: • Provide a platform to ensure that service delivery is driven by the agreed strategic priorities. • Develop mechanisms to eliminate duplication of service delivery. Informing strategic decision-making of the HC/HCT for the humanitarian response: • Conduct needs assessment and gap analysis (across other sectors and within the education sector). • Carry out analysis to identify and address (emerging) gaps, obstacles, duplication, and cross- cutting issues. • Ensure prioritization, grounded in response analysis. • Partners will have access to strategic decisions made by the Humanitarian Coordinator to guide the response considering the vulnerabilities of the affected populations. Planning and strategy development: • Contribute to the review and implement the 2020-2029 education sectoral plan, monitor the implementation objectives and indicators directly support realization of the HC/HCT strategic priorities. • Strongly ensure application and adherence to existing standards and guidelines. • Clarify funding requirements, prioritization, and Cluster contributions to HC’s overall humanitarian funding considerations (HRP, CERF…). Advocacy • Identify advocacy concerns to contribute to HC and HCT messaging and actions. • Undertake advocacy activities on behalf of Cluster participants and the affected population. • Coordinate advocacy for resource mobilization to support the implementation of Cluster’s EiE strategy and the operationalization of the action plans. • Conduct monitoring and reporting the implementation of the Cluster strategy and results as well as recommending corrective action where necessary. • Support contingency planning/preparedness for recurrent disasters whenever feasible and relevant.

Values: • Commitment to the right of children and young people to education in emergencies and recognition of the need to include education as a first-phase response to emergencies. • Ability to disregard the interests of one's own organization and work impartially in serving all cluster partners by giving them equal opportunities. • Demonstrate ethics and integrity
For every child, the candidate will demonstrate: Core competencies • Nurturing, Leading and Managing People • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness • Works Collaboratively with others. • Builds and Maintains Partnerships • Innovates and Embraces Change • Thinks and Acts Strategically • Drives to achieve impactful results. • Manages ambiguity and complexity. Professional Skills: • Understands the rationale behind Humanitarian Reform, its main components and recent developments including the Transformative Agenda. • Understands, uses, and adapts the tools, mechanisms, and processes developed as part of Humanitarian Reform • Communicates, works, and networks effectively with a wide range of people to reach broad consensus on a well-coordinated response, and demonstrates leadership where required. • Thinks and acts strategically and ensures that cluster activities are prioritized and aligned within an agreed strategy. • Demonstrates commitment to the cluster and independence from employing organization. • Builds, motivates, and leads the cluster coordination team. Technical Competencies: • Understands key technical issues for the Cluster sufficiently well enough to be able to: engage with Cluster participants; make full use of their experience and knowledge; guide strategy and plans; communicate and advocate on important issues. 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. Coordination et capacité de prise de décision : • Proven experience in high-level coordination and chairing meetings • Ability to work with a diverse group of stakeholders and foster consensus and work together. • Ability to identify key issues in a complex situation and make effective and realistic decisions based on logical deductions, experiences, and consequences.

Communication and advocacy • Ability to effectively present ideas in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner: • Good listener and accepts the perspectives and points of view of others. • Excellent advocacy skills, particularly in advocating for the provision of education services in shock situations.

responsible humanitarian work experience with UN and/or NGO, including Programme management and/or coordination in the first phase of a major emergency response relevant to the Education Cluster. Planning and strategy development • Ability to work and plan at the strategic and operational level: • Understands opportunities to set up integrated or cross-cutting humanitarian interventions with other sectors and clusters. • Ability to identify and establish relevant linkages between emergency response, recovery, transition, and development.

CAR is a post-conflict country. From 2013, a bloody conflict between the Seleka and the Anti Balaka armed groups, over almost the entire territory of the country. Fearing the risk of genocide, the United Nations decided to send peacekeepers to the country, to protect civilians and restore peace.

The clashes having ended, entire areas of the country are always occupied by armed groups which continue to commit abuses against populations. Following the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation signed on February 6, 2018 between the 14 Armed Groups and the Government of CAR, the State started to deploy its services, in particular the Armed Forces, the police, the gendarmerie, justice in several regions of the country.

The CAR has only one international airport (Bangui M’poko) which provides all air links with the outside and regions of the country. There are aerodromes in the 16 capitals of each Prefecture and in some of sub-prefectures. The road network is very poor, since there is only one main road that connects CAR to Cameroon which is paved.

Two seasons alternate the climate in CAR. A dry season and a rainy season spread over 6 months each. The most feared disease is malaria, which kills many people every year.

The hotel network is experiencing increasing growth but is still very expensive. In terms of food, there is a wide variety of local and imported products in Bangui and in some of cities of the country. But access to these products is different in parts of the country. All these difficulties make the cost of living more expensive. It is the same for services like banks, hospitals, electricity etc. which access is very limited and concentrated only in Bangui the capital.