Individual Contractor - Climate, Environment and Disaster Risk, LACRO, Panama City (11 months)

Consultant Crisis & Emergency Response Programme & Policy

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.

Background

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region is composed of 33 countries of which 16 are Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Most countries in the region have reached macroeconomic standards which label them as middle or upper-middle income countries. However, there is still a high and persistent level of poverty in most countries, despite sustained economic growth over the last decade. The Human Development Index (HDI) varies greatly across the region, and persistent economic inequalities translate into unequal access to land, water, adequate housing, infrastructure and services, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. Rapid urbanization rates exacerbate existing socioeconomic challenges. The probability of being affected by climate‐related events and climate change is strongly modulated by the pre‐existing conditions of poverty and inequality. For example, extreme events will strongly affect the rural and urban poor who often reside in informal settlements in high‐risk areas (e.g., flood plains and steep slopes). Besides being extremely vulnerable to natural hazards (both climate and non‐climate‐related), LAC has become increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of environmental hazards, including those imposed by climate change; according to the available scientific information the region will be severely affected even under lower levels of global warming.

The climate change crisis is no longer a purely environmental issue but, instead, a socio‐economic crisis, and, in particular, a child rights crisis. There is a collective moral responsibility to scale practical solutions to climate change with real potential to make a difference for children and youth to survive, grow, and thrive. The coming years will be critical to promote concrete solutions with the potential of securing large‐scale impact, particularly through catalysing partnerships (public, private, etc.) for climate resilience. With the recent growth in youth climate action, UNICEF and its allies have a unique role to play to ensure that children and youth voices are adequately heard and responded to by decision makers, empowering children and youth as changemakers.

In 2022, UNICEF will embark upon its next five‐year Strategic Plan, which will guide all work in over 190 countries and territories. The new Strategic Plan for 2022–2025, Goal Area 4, will aim to ensure that every child, including adolescents, uses safe and equitable WASH services, and lives in a safe and sustainable climate and environment. Work under this Goal Area, including in humanitarian crises and fragile contexts, will contribute to environmental, resilience and gender components of the 2030 Agenda.

In response to these challenges and the new SP, UNICEF LACRO a has been developed a new Regional Office Management Plan 2022 – 2025 to articulate the key shifts and programmatic realignment, which will be required to accelerate results for children in the LAC region over the next 4 years. The results structure follows the alignment with the SP goal areas, so that, in all contexts, including humanitarian and fragile settings, every child, including adolescents: (1) survives and thrives, with access to adequate diets, services, practices and supplies; (2) learns and acquires skills for life and work; (3) is protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and harmful practices; (4) has access to safe, resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services and lives in a safe and sustainable climate and environment; and (5) has access to inclusive social protection and lives free of poverty.

Under Goal Area 4 (SAFE AND RESILIENT WASH AND SUSTAINABLE CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT), programming is grouped around water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and systems strengthening, and climate, environment, energy, and disaster risk reduction (CEED) for children. Whereas, UNICEF and partners will focus in the advocacy for child sensitive climate and environmental policies, the promotion of youth engagement on climate action, and the implementation of comprehensive programmes from a sectoral and cross‐sectoral approach. More specifically, this GA will support national stakeholders’ capacities to apply a risk analysis in sectorial decision making and to develop child‐sensitive risk informed programmes that reduce risks and climate impacts on children. This will include technological innovation (e.g., renewable and efficient energy and resilient water system solutions for off grid communities) and providing scalable solutions that ensure: 1. Access to safe and sustainable water and adequate sanitation and hygiene; 2. Quality and continuous education, both in time of stability and crises; and 3. Climate and environmental risk resilient primary health care system (including air pollution). Collectively, these efforts will improve equity and strengthening the resilience of basic services, children and their communities.

For every child, hope

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the Assignment

Nature of Individual Contract: CEED Individual Contractor to support the development and implementation of climate change action plan, programming guidance and projects.

The purpose of this individual contract is to provide technical support to the regional CEED specialist / advisor and relevant regional and country office teams throughout the regional and country programming process, from development of regional knowledge products and delivery of regional advisory services to country offices to documenting, reporting and monitoring the progress of UNICEF contribution to child‐centered climate actions across the region.

The individual contractor will be expected to liaise with the CEED Specialist/ Advisor on a need basis, as required. Under the direct supervision of CEED Specialist / advisor, the individual contractor will deliver the following products:

1. Provide technical advice on the implementation of LACRO’s CEED workplan to UNICEF country offices and partners, with a focus on evidence generation with links to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), and other national policies and strategies including climate finance.
2. Support national stakeholders’ capacities to apply risk analysis to sectorial decision making and to the development of child‐sensitive risk informed programmes that reduce disaster risk and climate impact on children.
3. Provide technical support on empowering and engagement of children, adolescents and youth in climate policy and action including dissemination of tools and knowledge and compilation of good practice.

Specific Tasks

1. Provide technical advice on the implementation of LACRO’s CEED workplan to UNICEF country offices and partners, including the following:

• Assist development of situation analysis of the gaps and opportunities for increasing child‐centered climate policies, strategies, plans, programs, projects and activities in the region
• Support countries in identifying opportunities for coherence with national priorities in implementation through strengthened policy and strategy frameworks (such NDC, NAP, DRM/Sendai and SDG) and institutional arrangements, so that they are ambitious and child inclusive and supportive of local implementations (this can also include sector‐specific plans).
• Definition, criteria, indicators and benchmarks for child‐centered climate policies and actions
• Supporting resource mobilization efforts for financing child‐centered climate actions from bilateral, multilateral public and private climate finance.
• Support in Knowledge Management activities Including the mapping of UNICEF and its partners good practices on climate actions building resilience and the existing policies and programmes, including the development of progress and monitoring tracker for the LAC region.
• Support the generation of evidence on child rights and climate impact to inform strategic programming and stakeholders.
• Assist representation of UNICEF in relevant coordination forums, round-tables, meetings, and conferences.

2. Support national stakeholders’ capacities to apply risk analysis to sectorial decision making and to the development of child‐sensitive risk informed programmes that reduce disaster risk and climate impact on children.

• Provide technical expertise and promote risk informed programming in accordance with UNICEF Strategic Plans (SP) and Regional Office Management Plans (ROMP) processes and terminology, and contribute to its work plan and actions, both at regional and country level.
• Promote the application of innovative technological (such as clean and renewable energy including off grid communities).
• Support the climate and disaster inform programming in key sectors like social protection systems that are child shock responsive, WASH climate resilience and health systems.
• Support the implementation of climate and environment studies in the Education Sector, including regional mapping
• Assist regional inter-agency initiatives and programmes on climate change, environment and DRR.

3. Provide technical support on empowering and engagement of children, adolescents and youth in climate policy and action including dissemination of tools and knowledge and compilation of good practice.

• Strengthen adolescent capacity to engage in climate policies and actions: development and dissemination of the climate advocacy toolkit for young people (Toolkit for Young Climate Activists) developed by UNICEF, and conduct of training sessions with adolescents and young people and networks to use the advocacy kit.
• Development of mapping and good practices on youth engagement in climate advocacy at national and regional level.
• Provide technical assistance to co-create spaces and dialog between youth and adolescents with climate action authorities.

Expected Results

Activity 1:

• Regional/ country NDC analysis tool and dashboard including criteria and indicators is available and used by UNICEF offices and partners.
• Guidance and support on Air Quality is provided to country offices
• Knowledge management mechanism established and “CEED activity Tracker”

Activity 2:

• Support provided to the inclusion of risk informed programming in RO sections and country offices CPD and workplans.
• COs in LAC count on sound technical assistance related to the implementation climate action in programme sectors.
• Joint initiative on the integration of climate and environment in the Education Sector is well coordinated and including a regional mapping of education sector and climate.

Activity 3:

• Adolescents and youth are supported to have their voice and representation in climate activities and advocacy events, including the use of the LACRO youth and climate tool.
• Compilation of youth engagement in climate action good practice in the LAC region.
• Reports and communication products on UNICEF contribution and youth participation in regional and global climate events.

Monthly information briefs on climate change and UNICEF actions on climate change for internal and external audience

Deliverables

Description

Duration [in days]

Expected deadline

Monthly report on activities and results

30

November 30, 2021

Monthly report on activities and results

30

December 31, 2021

Monthly report on activities and results

30

January 31, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

February 28, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

March 31, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

April 30, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

May 31, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

June 30, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

July 31, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

August 31, 2022

Monthly report on activities and results

30

September 30, 2022

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

Minimum Requirements and Qualifications

Education

• Advanced university degree in a relevant area such as climate and environment science, geography, or related field of disaster risk management.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years of professional experience on programme planning, management, and/or research in climate and environment is required.
• Working on youth participation and climate action advocacy.
• Experience working in LAC developing countries is considered as an asset.

Languages

• Fluency in Spanish and English required.

Technical knowledge

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, in areas related to climate change, disaster risk management and international development.
• Knowledge and technical expertise in risk analysis as well as in international climate policy and finance.
• High capacity in coordination, analysis, and synthesis.
• Good understanding of the climate action and development context in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
• Familiarity with UNICEF programming and regional climate strategy framework is an asset.
• Knowledge and technical expertise in one or more of UNICEF areas of global sectoral responsibility is an asset.

Other skills and attributes

• Demonstrated ability to be flexible and adapt to shifting conditions and work demands.
• Ability to work efficiently under tight deadlines.
• Must be detail oriented and creative and possess strong communication skills
• Capacity to communicate effectively
• Able to work effectively in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious working relations.
• High level of integrity and commitment to UNICEF's mission and professional values.
• Sets high levels of quality and productivity.
• Ability to clearly define objectives and plan activities and work on results‐based approaches and methodology.

Administrative details

Supervision

The individual contractor will work under the direction of the CEED Specialist and in collaboration with the Education and Adolescent Development and Participation Specialists.

Workplace

This is an office-based assignment.

Duration

This assignment has a duration of 11 months.

How to Apply

Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily and monthly fees in their financial proposal.

Travel

Travel may be involved when conditions will allow and just in case there is any activity or event that requires the individual contractor to be present in the location.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

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Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org