National Consultant to support UNICEF Albania office with child right expertise to Parliament of Albania

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, Protection of rights!

UNICEF is committed to strengthening its partnership with parliamentarians who can be influential allies in advocating for and advancing children's rights. UNICEF believes in identifying common ground and opportunities for meaningful engagement with lawmakers to help ensure strong legislation, policies and budgets for children, public accountability, and boys’ and girls’ participation in public decision-making.

The Parliament of Albania established in November 2013 the Group of Parliamentarians “Friends of Children”. Following new parliamentary elections, the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” was reconstituted with new membership on November 20, 2021. The group will revise the previous work plan, and develop and implement a new one, more tailored to the new socio-political reality in the country.

With a view to advance child rights, UNICEF is seeking the professional services of a national consultant who will be actively engaged, in supporting the Parliament, its permanent commissions as well as the Group of Parliamentarians “Friends of Children” in performing their functions:

a) in advancing a child rights and protection legislative and policy agenda, in compliance with international child rights standards;

b) in ensuring that child rights legislation and policy making is backed up by appropriate budgets for children;

c) in promoting public oversight and accountability for the fulfilment of child rights;

d) in ensuring children’s right to information over the work of the parliament and its commissions and groups;

e) in establishing channels of dialogue with boys and girls and in promoting children and adolescents’ participation in public decision-making.

f) in promoting international and regional cooperation for the advancement of child rights

This consultancy is expected to result in parliamentarians and their administrative support staff becoming more knowledgeable of child rights and equipped with most up-to-date data, arguments, professional opinions and resources that should enable them reach informed decisions and take solid courses of action, in advancement of child rights

How can you make a difference?

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Liaise with the Parliament to establish a regular and dynamic relationship aiming to develop a proactive and flexible programming environment (around policy and legislative changes, budgeting and advocacy for children) between UNICEF and the Parliament of Albania

2. Cooperate with the Parliament over the budgetary processes pertaining to the Government of Albania, the justice system and the National Human Rights Institutions, with a view to support the advancement of child rights

3. Prepare for the members of “Friends of Children” summaries of international and regional standards, obligations, commitments of which Albania is a State Party and of the tasks deriving therefrom, with regard to the rights and protection of the child and bring them constantly to the attention of this Group of Parliamentarians and their support professionals.

4. Inform parliamentarians on good/best international practices and assist them in establishment of links with the parliamentarians from other countries and sharing experiences.

5. Raise “Friends of Children” members’ awareness on the current status and challenges of child rights in Albania;

6. Bring to the attention of the Parliamentary commissions, the “Friends of Children” and the Parliament administration the legislative initiatives that need to be brought up, with a view to address these challenges and ensure full compliance of the domestic legislation with international and regional standards on child rights and protection.

7. Identify relevant bills that have the potential to affect child rights and draw the attention of the caucus members, the commissions and the administrative staff over these. Prepare an analysis of the potential positive and negative effects of these bills on boys and girls, their level of compliance (or non-compliance) with international and regional standards of child rights and advise them on the advocacy, further improvement or public hearing needs around these.

8. Assist the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” in performing their roles as part of Albania’s official and alternative reporting processes to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, other UN reporting mechanisms, as well as Council of Europe and EU reporting mechanisms, and the follow-up actions as part of the recommendations of these bodies to Albania, as pertain to child rights and protection.

9. Provide technical assistance to the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” in improving their Internal Regulation, if needed; in developing the Strategic Direction and related Action Plan for the Group; in developing/or revising as needed the Scope of Work for the specific Committees of this Parliamentary Group; and in providing input to the semi-annual and annual Report of the Parliament of Albania.

10. Advise and assist the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” in conducting, in collaboration with civil society organisations, thematic monitoring missions/processes of the status of children in various areas of child rights. Support these bodies with the process of developing related reports with findings and recommendations for various public or private entities.

11. Support coordination of the interaction of the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” with the National Human Rights Institutions, particularly in the process of parliamentary submission and review of the NHRIs annual and thematic reports concerning various rights of the child as well as potential proposals or discussions over the legislative changes, budgets or organic structures of the NHRIs that have the potential to strengthen (or weaken) their role. Provide members of the Parliamentary Group and of the NHRIs with arguments, analyses and professional opinions/advice with regard to said reports or proposals/discussions.

12. Advise the members of the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” on the need to or on the occasion of the appearance of members of the executive in questions, debates, or votes of confidence sessions, with regard to the rights of the child. Assist them in preparation of these sessions with potential questions to ask, issues to raise or draft recommendations/follow-up actions to propose, with a view to advance not only the de jure, but also the de facto compliance of Albania with Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international and regional standards on child rights.

13. Provide professional advice and preparatory platforms for the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” on public hearing sessions, visits and/or meetings with children and child rights activists, as well as on reflecting on the outcomes of these sessions.

14. Support the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” in keeping public opinion informed over their efforts in protecting, promoting and advancing the rights of boys and girls in Albania.

In carrying out these tasks, the consultant may be requested to coordinate with other UNICEF staff and/or consultants, as well as with international development partners and child rights CSOs that might be engaged in providing support to the Parliament.

Specific deliverables are:

- A consultancy action plan (in English) - 7 working days, ready by mid March 2022

- Quarterly reports to UNICEF, detailing the assistance provided to the Parliament (in English)- 6 working days, ready by May, August, November 2022 and February 2023

- Draft input to the Strategic Direction and related Action Plan of the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children”, drafts of the Scope of Work for the specific Committees of this Parliamentary Group, and draft input to the semi-annual and annual Report of the Parliament of Albania on child rights (in Albanian). - 25 working days from March to December 2022

- Periodic summaries of international and regional standards and commitments of Albania on child rights, summaries of various recent national and international reports on child rights and what do they mean for the Parliament engagement (in Albanian) - 25 working days throughout the consultancy

- Analyses and professional opinions/advise with regard to bills affecting child rights (in Albanian) - 40 working days throughout the consultancy

- Draft inputs to thematic monitoring reports of the Parliamentary Group “Friends of Children” (in Albanian)- 25 working days throughout the consultancy

- Preparatory and follow-up documents with regard to the executive in the Parliament and the public hearing sessions with children and civil society (as it pertains to child rights) (in Albanian) - 25 working days throughout the consultancy

- Child-friendly and public information materials over the work of the Parliament - 10 working days throughout the consultancy

- Professional proposals to the Parliament with regard to channels they could put in place for dialoguing with children and adolescents, hearing their voice and soliciting their opinions for public decisions that affect them - 15 working days, by end of August 2022

- Final consultancy report (in English), describing the consultancy offered, results achieved, challenges faced while performing the tasks and ways these were overcome - 2 working days, by February 2023

The consultant will work remotely for a total of 180 working days during the period March 2022 - February 2023.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Law
• A minimum of 5 years of cumulative experience in legislative processes, public accountability and participation processes, preferably with the Parliament
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English and Albanian is required.
• Good understanding of the budget processes
• Excellent knowledge of the international standards and specifics of child rights and protection and previous contributions to this area
• Excellent analytical and advocacy skills
• Excellent writing and public communication skills
• Computer skills including internet navigation and various office applications

What to submit:

- Technical proposal specifying not only the relevant experience with similar type of assignment and the time availability but also the methodological approach to undertake the assignment as per deliverables. The technical proposal should also contain a calendar specifying the number of days each task is requiring not exceeding the maximum number of days per quarter indicated in the TOR.

- Samples of similar reports/written documents, if any

- Daily Financial proposal (in local currency (ALL). The stated amount must be all-inclusive by including the taxes, the communication costs and all other individual expenses, with the exception of travel expenses which currently cannot be estimated.

If you have any question related to the TOR please contact Elvana Pernaska at epernaska@unicef.org

For every Child, you demonstrate

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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.