Individual Contractor: Communication for Youth and Climate - LACRO, Panama (Office-Based 5 MONTHS)

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.

For every child, hope

The climate crisis is a crisis of rights for children. In Latin America and the Caribbean, it is estimated that 9 out of 10 are exposed to at least two overlapping climate and environmental crises. Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will suffer its consequences the most, and for the longest time.

More than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Latin America and the Caribbean, some hard-won gains made by countries in the region for children over the past two decades have been reversed. Young people are a massive cohort, with an immense potential to benefit their societies socially, politically, and economically. We have a responsibility to recognize the rights of young people and work with them as partners and agents of change for today and tomorrow.

Within UNICEF’s Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO) Communication section, the team provides support and works closely with the Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED) unit to strengthen the organization’s capacity to engage young people as advocates and campaigners for children’s rights, through our flagship campaigns and initiatives, as well as strategic alliances; and ensure that the perspectives and voices of young people are an integral part of our communications and advocacy.

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac).

How can you make a difference?

To ensure effective engagement with UNICEF partners, allies and stakeholders, as well as country offices for youth engagement in the CEED area, the LACRO communication team is seeking an individual contractor with an experience in advocacy and communication with a particular focus on climate change and working with communities to position the need to raise awareness and involve children, adolescents and educational communities in the response.

The individual contractor will need to develop and manage strategic planning and implementation projects, ensuring effective coordination and communication, supporting advocacy and capacity-building efforts.

Specific Tasks:

Under the supervision of the Regional Communication Specialist, the individual contractor will support the section in communication, advocacy, and engagement of young people on CEED-related issues. The individual contractor will work collaboratively with he colleagues in Education, CEED, PFP sections and other internal and external partners.

Primarily, the individual contractor will support developing and implementing the regional advocacy and communication strategy for Youth and Climate, with a strong focus on strategic alliances and partnerships. The individual contractor will be responsible for:

• Coordinate UNICEF LAC’s CEED advocacy, communications, and youth engagement in collaboration with key internal and external partners/stakeholders, including organizing meetings and keeping colleagues informed of progress
• Develop an evidence-based youth-led communication framework/strategy for the inclusion of young people in the co-creation of content related to CEED, primarily work with girls, indigenous people, young people with disabilities and LGBTQA +.
• Support the development of an advocacy, communications, and youth engagement strategy for UNICEF work on climate change/CEED in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Lead on the production of multimedia materials that support RO and COs to execute key campaign moments for climate change youth engagement, including World Children’s Day.
• Knowledge management of resources including information gathering of Country Offices’ campaign plans and alignment with regional climate change /CEED youth engagement campaign.
• Support on Country Office communications and focal point for climate communications and advocacy plans, implementing the regional campaign and localizing materials
• Support coordination, planning, development and implementation of all communications and youth stakeholder engagement related to climate change programmes and projects
• Project support for strategic partnership agreement and activities including team updates, meetings, files and presentations
• Support the management of UNICEF’s Youth Advocate initiative, including maintaining database and liaising with CO in coordination with the ADAP focal point and CEED unit.
• Support priority advocacy initiatives and campaigns related to youth engagement. Lead on the production of multimedia materials that support Country Offices in executing key campaign moments.
• Other tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Expected Results:

The expected result is enhanced capacity in the Communication Team to meet the demands of a growing interest in youth engagement on climate change and CEED-related topics; strengthened project management, knowledge management and capacity building efforts; increased and more effective advocacy with young people.

Deliverables

Description

Expected deadline

Monthly report with advances 1

December 2022

Monthly report with advances 2

January 2023

Monthly report with advances 3

February 2023

Monthly report with advances 4

March 2023

Monthly report with advances 5

April 2023

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

• Education: University degree (Bachelor’s) in Journalism, Communications, Marketing, International Relations, International Development, or another related field.
• Work Experience: Minimum of 3 years relevant experience in advocacy, communications, and partnership management, working with remote teams across time zones and cultures.
• Languages: Fluency in Spanish and English is required. Knowledge of French or Portuguese will be considered an asset.
• Technical Knowledge: Strong knowledge in communication, including effective writing skills, and strategic planning
• Other Skills: Experience working with UNICEF or other agencies in constructing communication and advocacy plans on climate change is considered an asset. Experience in youth engagement, particularly RCOY and LCOY organization is considered an asset. Experience in identifying and liaise with educational projects on climate change in the region is considered an asset. Ability to juggle competing priorities, whilst maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

UNICEF competencies: building and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically and works collaboratively with others.

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

Administrative details:

Supervision: The individual contractor will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Communication Specialist (Campaign/Multimedia/Digital) and in close collaboration with the Youth Engagement, Climate Change and PFP teams.

Workplace: Office-based. Travels TBD

• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.

• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.

• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.

• UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2, numerals (d) and (e)

• For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).

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

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Duration of contract: This contract is expected to start on 1 December with an estimated duration of 5 months that can be extended based on performance and funds’ availability.

Insurance: The selected contractor must demonstrate a proof of medical insurance prior to the beginning of the consultancy and must be valid for the entire duration of the contract. In duty stations where UNICEF provides medical evacuation, the medical insurance that the contractor holds should include provisions for medical evacuation.

Vacancy Announcement Remarks:

Please note only short-listed candidates will be contacted. UNICEF reserves the right to make additional assessment of the pre-selected candidates.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and 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.

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.