Individual Contractor - Risk Informed Country Programming, LACRO, Panama City (9 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.

For every child, a champion

How can you make a difference?

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.

Purpose of the Assignment

Nature of Individual Contract: CEED Individual Contractor to support the integration of Climate, Energy, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED) throughout the development processes of Programme Strategy Notes (PSN) and Country Programme Document (CPD).

The purpose of this individual contract is to strengthen the CEED integration – quantity and quality – in UNICEF’s programmatic work in LAC by providing technical support to selected country office teams and the regional CEED Specialist/Advisor and relevant regional team members throughout the preparation and development of new CPDs of at least 7 COs. As part o this work, the individual contractor will also support to relevant KM activities and related progress reporting.

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 services:

1. Provide timely, continuous, and tailored support to relevant COs to ensure more technically robust and strategic integration of CEED throughout the CPD development process, including risk analysis, evidence generation, programmatic prioritization, PSN consolidation and CPD and CPMP development.
2. Develop and/or adapt planning tools that are contextualized for the LAC region to support coherent CEED integration in the UNICEF standard planning cycle and consolidation of strategic KM products.
3. Consolidate the Results Report for the 7% set-aside CEED funds to the LAC COs.

Specific Tasks

1. Provide timely, continuous, and tailored support to relevant COs to ensure more technically robust and strategic integration of CEED throughout the CPD development process, including risk analysis, evidence generation, programmatic prioritization, PSN consolidation and CPD and CPMP development.

• Set up and maintain a continuous and demand driven dialogue with selected UNICEF COs to identify needs for technical support during the different steps of the CPD development process.
• Prepare and lead the CEED component in any session or training.
• Support and facilitate the integration of CEED in any Strategic Moment of Reflection and reporting.
• Support CO with the CEED integration into the Theory of Change workshops.
• Support CO in coordinating consultation on theory of change as well as review drafts the Programme Strategy Notes to ensure coherence and adherence to the UNICEF relevant guidelines.
• Revise the CPD, including the Results and Resources Framework and the Costed Evaluation Plan, in line with UNICEF guidelines, including comments from country office, regional office and HQs.
• Support CO to develop risk mitigations strategies to be incorporated in CPMP.
• Provide technical advice related to CEED integration in evidence generation, such as SitAn and CLACs.
• Support LACRO CEED team to develop new ROMP based on advisory work with CO on CPD development and in line with new SP.
• Consult with LACRO CEED and PME specialists to prepare to support COs events, sessions, and documents revisions.

2. Develop and/or adapt planning tools that are contextualized for the LAC region to support coherent CEED integration in the UNICEF standard planning cycle and consolidation of strategic KM products.

• Revise planning tools and methodologies to identify strategic integration of targeted and cross-cutting CEED components, with a particular focus on strengthening the CPD Results Framework.
• Develop and/or adapt tools and methodologies for CEED integration in the CPD development process, based on needs identified together with COs and LACRO CEED team, with a particular focus on strengthening the CPD Results Framework.
• Consult with LACRO CEED and PME specialists to prepare strategic KM products and processes that ensure capturing, exchange and dissemination of best practices, tools and lessons learnt among COs.
• Store tools and methodologies in an easily accessible platform and ensure its dissemination among LAC COs.

3. Consolidate the Results Report for the 7% set-aside CEED funds to the LAC COs.

• Lead the documentation of LAC COs’ results achieved through the implementation of the 7% set-aside CEED funds.
• Analyse and consolidate the information in a report that provides an easily accessible and visual overview of key results and impacts.

Expected Results [measurable]

1. Provide timely, continuous, and tailored support to relevant COs to ensure more technically robust and strategic integration of CEED throughout the CPD development process, including risk analysis, evidence generation, programmatic prioritization, PSN consolidation and CPD and CPMP development.

• PSNs and CPDs of approximately 7 UNICEF COs reviewed and with strengthened CEED components, in line with UNICEF guidelines.
• CEED research and evidence generation activities in approximately 5 COs strengthened, in line with UNICEF guidelines.
• Timely, continuous, and tailored CEED support related to CEED inclusion in regular planning processes provided to LAC COs with satisfaction and high technical relevance.

2. Develop and/or adapt planning tools that are contextualized for the LAC region to support coherent CEED integration in the UNICEF standard planning cycle and consolidation of strategic KM products.

• KM products, tools and methodologies for CEED integration in central standard planning processes developed or adapted and consolidated in an easily accessible toolbox.

3. Consolidate the Results Report for the 7% set-aside CEED funds to the LAC COs.

• A consolidated and easily accessible Final Results report that provides a visual overview of key results and impacts form the implementation of the 7% set-aside CEED funds.

Additionally, monthly results reports will be provided to ensure detailed documentation of the progress and continuous written feedback between the consultant and the LACRO CEED team.

Deliverables

Description

Duration [in days]

Expected deadline

Monthly results report November

30

03-12-2021

Monthly results report December

31

04-01-2022

Monthly results report January

31

04-02-2022

Monthly results report February

28

04-03-2022

Monthly results report March

31

06-04-2022

Monthly results report April

30

05-05-2022

Monthly results report May

31

07-06-2022

Monthly results report June

30

04-07-2022

Monthly results report July and Final analytical results report

31

31-07-2022

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, development, economics, social science, or related field of disaster risk management.

Work Experience

• A minimum of eight years of professional experience on programme planning, management, and/or research related to climate and environment is required.
• Strong background on climate change and DRR in Results-Based Management and development of Theory of Change.

• Experience working in LAC developing countries is considered as an asset.

  Languages

• Fluency in spoken and written Spanish and English required.

Technical knowledge (if applicable)

• A minimum of eight 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.
• 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 and sound and up to-date knowledge of UNICEF’s CEED policies and practices in programme development is an asset.
• Knowledge and technical expertise in one or more of UNICEF areas of global sectoral responsibility is an asset.
• Experience in preparing the Country Programme related documents an asset.
• High capacity in coordination, analysis, and synthesis.

• Ability to express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in written and oral form.

  Other skills and attributes (optional)

• 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.
• Proven skills in workshop facilitation, communication, and teamwork.
• 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 Programme and Planning Specialists.

Workplace

This is a home-based consultancy.

Duration

This assignment has a duration of 9 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

This assignment does not involve travel.

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.

*****

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