Individual National Consultancy: supporting Climate Change, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED) programming (Nepalese Nationals Only)

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 future

UNICEF Nepal works at national, provincial and local level to support the Government of Nepal, while also working with civil society organizations and research institutions, to build resilience to climate change and reduce the impacts caused by environmental degradation, according to national strategies and policies.

Roughly 80% of Nepal’s population are at risk to natural disasters, and UNICEF’s Child Climate Risk Index (2021) rank Nepal’s children’s exposure to climate change as extremely high. Extreme weather events and subsequent implications have profound effects on children’s health, protection, learning and development. A recent study by UNICEF and partners in risk-prone areas of Nepal shows that half of those injured or killed in natural disasters in the last five years were young people, and half of those getting sick following a climate event were children. Furthermore, young people strongly felt that climate change negatively affected their education, access to (clean) water, and their family’s livelihood. UNICEF’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025) recognizes that climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive, that ultimately impinge their rights as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF’s new Strategic Plan draws stronger links between responses to climate change and disaster risk reduction as children increasingly need holistic solutions that address both sudden-onset impacts of disasters and climate change such as floods and resilient solutions that promote climate-smart development, including through empowering young people to be climate and environmental champions. As UNICEF in Nepal is developing its new country programme (2023 – 2027) to address needs of children, women and the most vulnerable according to emerging global and national priorities, the individual contractor will support mainstreaming and strengthening CEED components in the new country programme, as well as supporting ongoing and emerging activities related to CEE.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of the consultancy is to facilitate integration of CEED into UNICEF Nepal’s new country programme design as well as support the ongoing and emerging programme and advocacy work on CEED.

TASK;

Support the development of the new CPD through mainstreaming of CEED into UNICEF’s programming. UNICEF in Nepal is mainly working in the areas WASH, Health, Child Protection, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education sectors. Additionally, the office is mainstreaming other cross cutting areas such as disability, early childhood development (ECD), gender and adolescences. Each of UNICEF’s current sectoral work plans, guided by the existing CPAP has an output on CEED. As the office develops the new CPD and work plans in 2022, the individual contractor will support the strengthening of CEED into the sectors/programme building on recent experiences and lessons as well as considering the global and national developments in the area of CEED. The individual contractor is expected to provide technical support and guidance to sections to ensure that activities on CEED are successfully included in the Multi-Year Work Plan (2023-2027).

Support consultation meetings externally and internally. Part of the development of the new CPD will be to hold consultations with various stakeholders working on climate change to guide the future programming of UNICEF. UNICEF will also internally review and assess opportunities within each sector/office to strengthen its CEED-related work. The individual contractor is expected to consult, collaborate, and support sections internally, and support and guide external consultations to strengthen future CEED work.

Deliver continuous support as needed to the team on ongoing and emerging work. UNICEF has different ongoing initiatives related to CEED. This includes for instance UNICEF’s Eco-Zone programme, which focuses on 1) distribution of energy-efficient cookstoves and generation of carbon credits, 2) Afforestation, 3) Capacity building on CEED. Other initiatives include UNICEF’s child-centred disaster risk reduction program and climate-resilient WASH initiative, as well as supporting Nepal’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and youth engagement on climate actions. The individual contractor will support the ongoing as well as emerging initiatives on CEED through provision of technical support and development of concept notes and proposals. S/he is also expected to support capacity building and implementation of activities on CEED in the office.

Support the office on the CEED advocacy work. UNICEF Nepal is actively working on its CEED policy advocacy and engagement with young people to provide and facilitate opportunities for young people to voice their narratives, as well as to form public opinion on CEED. Recently a youth climate change advocate was appointed, and a youth consultant is expected to onboard in 2022 to continue the advocacy work. The role of the individual contractor will be to oversee and coordinate the advocacy work as it involves several sections and stakeholders and provide technical support to the consultant and youth advocate.

Deliverables

• The Situation Analysis report particularly the one on CEE is updated and submitted.
• The final strategic intent paper includes specific references to CEED.
• A guidance note on mainstreaming CEED is developed.
• The CPD Results framework include results on CEED. CEP includes evidence generation on CEED.
• Final list of relevant stakeholders and partners for consultations.
• List of CEED-related questions for the consultation meetings with stakeholders is developed. May 2022
• A summary report from the consultations is developed and submitted.
• A policy and capacity gap analysis report along with capacity building plan, as part of the Eco-Zone program is submitted and implemented.
• Technical support is provided to Eco-zone programme
• At least one training for UNICEF and partner staff is held, session materials and report are available.
• The submission of Nepal’s NAP, including clear reference to children and youth.
• At least one concept note and/or proposal is developed and submitted to donor.
• UNICEF Nepal’s CEE advocacy plan is finalized.
• At least one policy-related outcome as per the advocacy strategy/plan is achieved.

Duration of the Contract is for 11.5 months tentatively starting from Mid-February 2022

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

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required;

• Master’s degree in environmental/Sustainability science or climate change-related discipline.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in environmental and climate change work.
• Experience of similar work in developing country
• Good understanding of the government system in Nepal and knowledge on climate-related policies, plans and strategies.
• Good relationship with stakeholders in Nepal working in the areas of climate change
• Planning and organizational skills
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Ability to analyze, evaluate and synthesize information
• Skills in standard Microsoft operating products
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships
• Fluency in English and Nepali is required
• Knowledge in climate financing will be considered an asset.
• Knowledge in carbon market and/or afforestation will be an additional asset.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. We welcome applications from females and under-represented groups.

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:

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.