National Expert (full-time national consultant, office-based) to support the implementation of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) in Romania

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, inclusion.

How can you make a difference?

Background

The third programme component of the current UNICEF Country Programme with the Government of Romania (2018-2022) covers the work that UNICEF undertakes with national partners to improve the enabling environment for child rights realization. The outcome to be achieved is the “enhanced the capacity of central authorities to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate evidence-based policies for children and their families, focusing on the most vulnerable”. It also seeks to strengthen key partnerships to increase national commitment for children and for social reforms. UNICEF provides technical assistance and capacity-strengthening to support the scaling-up of tested and evaluated models, facilitate the development of policies and the allocation of budgets at all levels of administration.

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI)[1] is a UNICEF-led initiative that supports municipal governments in realizing the rights of children at the local level using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its key foundation. The initiative is currently implemented in over 40 countries at global level (over 10 countries are currently exploring CFCI implementation), in over 3,000 cities and communities and involve 30 million children and youth worldwide. It is also a network that brings together government and other stakeholders such as civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, media and, importantly, children themselves who wish to make their cities and communities more child friendly.

A “Child Friendly City” is a city, town, community or any system of local governance committed to fulfilling child rights as articulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is a city or community where the voices, needs and priorities of children are an integral part of public policies, programmes and decisions influencing their lives and future.

Broadly speaking, it is a city, town or community where children:

• Are protected from exploitation, violence and abuse.
• Have a good start in life and grow up healthy and cared for.
• Have access to quality social services.
• Experience quality, inclusive and participatory education and skills development.
• Express their opinions and influence decisions that affect them.
• Participate in family, cultural, city/community and social life.
• Live in a safe secure and clean environment with access to green spaces.
• Meet friends and have places to play and enjoy themselves.
• Have a fair chance in life regardless of their ethnic origin, religion, income, gender or ability.

The UNICEF Country Office in Romania has decided to join the initiative and pilot CFCI in five municipalities in Romania in the framework of the project Making social inclusion real - breaking the cycle of exclusion for the most vulnerable children in Romania to be funded from Norway Grants 2014-2021.

Furthermore, there is interest from other municipalities in Romania to join the initiative and receive technical assistance from UNICEF for this endeavour.

Justification

UNICEF supports key counterparts in monitoring child rights through an integrated monitoring mechanism to support evidence-based policies and budgets for the well-being of disadvantaged children.

Investing in children and families through the CFCI

• improves the image of a city or municipality;
• boosts the local economy by building the city or community’s brand as a sustainable, inclusive and child-friendly place to live and visit, which benefits local business;
• attracts and retains families through better services for children;
• provides a framework for cross-cutting interventions on issues such as road safety, pollution, child protection, crime etc.;
• builds stronger local communities, increases social capital and reduces social exclusion that not only causes individual suffering, but also leads to high costs in the long-term;
• builds more efficient services responding to evidence-based needs, as they are informed by children’s voices;
• fulfills the country’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Implementation of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative is a complex process that includes the following steps:

• signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with UNICEF
• child rights situation analysis
• prioritization of goals within the Goal and Results Framework
• elaboration of a CFCI Action Plan and budget
• CFCI candidate logo
• implementation of the CFCI Action Plan (2-5 years)
• evaluation of the progress
• CFCI logo and UNICEF recognition

Therefore, specific support and advice is needed for establishing the framework at national and community levels and for the implementation of the initiative at municipality level.

Major duties and responsibilities:

The Consultant will work under the supervision of the Child Rights Systems Monitoring Specialist and Programme Specialist – Local implementing Team. He/she is expected to fulfil the following key tasks and responsibilities with the technical advice and in close consultation and collaboration with the Child Rights Systems Monitoring Specialist and the Child Participation Officer:

• Support the establishment of the framework for the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) at national level and operationalize it (coordinate the implementation of the activities at national level, including the establishment of the National Coordinating Body and technical support for it, defining the terms of reference, organize an orientation workshop, periodical meetings, technical support for defining the CFCI Index).
• Establish the governance infrastructure for the child friendly cities/ towns/ communes at local level and operationalize it (support signature of the memorandums for CFCI implementation, support establishment of the Local Steering Committees and Local Coordinating Units, provide technical support for them and organize orientation sessions on CFCI).
• Coordinate the assessment the situation of the children in the 5 targeted municipalities/ towns/ communities (support selection and coordinate the team of consultants, organize consultative meetings at local level and disseminate the findings).
• Support development of the CFCI Framework for Action and Action Plans (coordinate the team of consultants that will support the elaboration of the Action Plans, organize consultative meetings, support process of Action Plans endorsement and organize the events for awarding the candidate titles).
• Monitor implementation and coordinate independent evaluation of the implementation of the Action Plans (support the local structures established by building their capacity in line with their needs, in monitoring the implementation of Action Plans and in the annual data collection efforts, coordinate the independent evaluation of the implementation of the CFCI Action Plans, organize events for awarding the Child Friendly City titles).
• Support mainstreaming of child participation, including the vulnerable ones, into the decision making at local level and throughout the CFCI process (support establishment of new children’s/students’/pupils’ structures at local level to act as a consultative/ advisory body/council; support organizing CFCI orientation sessions and workshops for children.

Promote a learning environment for the key stakeholders involved in CFCI implementation (e.g. organizing study visits, exchanges of experience, documenting good practices).

[1] For further information, visit: https://childfriendlycities.org/.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, political sciences, public administration or other related fields.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in project management, including holding a certificate in project management.
• Expertise in working with public authorities at national and local levels.
• Excellent knowledge of child rights and experience in promoting child participation.
• Experience managing research/studies (methodologies, instruments and review of reports), data collection and analysis with a focus on use of data related to children.
• Excellent organisational and analytical skills.
• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken Romanian and English.
• Computer skills, including Internet navigation and various office applications.
• Proven experience and ability to work and communicate with professionals from various sectors including health, education and child/social protection.
• Previous experience in similar activities, preferably with UNICEF or other UN Agencies is an asset.
• Availability to work and travel locally on a regular basis during the period February-December 2021.

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.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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.

Application procedure

A financial offer must be included, specifying the requested gross monthly fee in Romanian Lei Financial template_month_Jan 2021.docx, taking into consideration that the consultant will be responsible for paying all his/her due income taxes as per Romanian legislation.

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.