Re Advertisement Consultancy: Writing two social policy papers on children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean region, LACRO, 3 months, Home based

Contract

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** candidates that have already applied need not apply again, and will be duly considered**

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

UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is composed of 24 country offices that work in 36 countries and territories. The main role of the regional office (RO) is to provide technical assistance, build the capacity and exercise quality control to the 24 country offices.

The Social Policy Unit (SPU) at UNICEF LACRO works in the provision of technical assistance, quality assurance and evidence generation in relation to policies for the eradication of child poverty, including the strengthening of social protection systems; the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments; and the governance, decentralization, and accountability measures to increase the quality, equity and coverage of social services in support of Social Policy Officers and Specialists in UNICEF's country offices. Efforts are aimed at UNICEF putting 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.

Despite the significant achievements that Latin America and the Caribbean has made with poverty reduction since the start of the century, there were at least two warning signs that preceded the pandemic. First, in recent years, the region has experienced a rise in poverty levels. Thus, between 2014 and 2019, Latin America's poverty rate rose from 27.8% to 30.8%, while extreme poverty increased from 7.8% to 11.5% (ECLAC, 2019).

Second, poverty and extreme poverty affect children and adolescents more than other age groups. This age bias in well-being is a historical trend in the region and it is associated with the fact that the State still covers only a limited portion of the consumption of children and adolescents, which is basically assumed by their families. However, international experience indicates that this pattern is not an unavoidable fate for the region: it can be changed, as indicated by the path taken by various developed countries (Rossel, Filgueira and Rico, 2015; Filgueira and Rossel, 2017, as cited in ECLAC and UNICEF, 2020).

The pandemic has worsened the situation, and while the region is recovering, the process has been slow and uneven, and has put children's present and future wellbeing at high risk. Today, poverty and extreme poverty incidence among children between 0-14 reaches 46% and 18% respectively in 2021 (ECLAC, 2021), and UNICEF estimations based on pre-pandemic household surveys suggest that one every two children in LAC (51.2%) live in multidimensional poverty (2021).

As we approach the EU-LAC Summit (July 2023), SDG Summit (September 2023) and World Children's Day (November 2023), UNICEF plans to develop and disseminate a series of papers on the situation of children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean, to support advocacy and programming efforts.

Purpose of the Assignment

This consultancy aims to support the Social Policy Unit in the research, data analysis and writing two policy papers, one on the situation of children and adolescents in LAC, and the other one on best social policy practices from the region.

The comparative regional analysis and recommended best practices will support UNICEF's advocacy efforts in the region and globally in 2023. It will also serve to strengthen the call for compliance with the rights embodied in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to continue keeping girls and boys at the centre of the public debate in Latin America and the Caribbean.

How can you make a difference?

Specifically, the consultant will:

1. Compile and analyse existing data (e.g., from ECLAC, World Bank, UNICEF, UN Agencies, Governments, Committee on the Rights if the Child and other organizations) on the situation of children in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Compare trends across countries, including investment in social sectors compared with outcomes for children, and best practices related to social policies with a positive impact on children and adolescents.
2. Produce a paper (approx. 20 pages), ppt presentation and two-pager on the situation of girls and boys in LAC, with a focus on investment in social sectors , as of May 2023, using a child rights and SDG framework. The paper will focus on child poverty, child well-being and equal access to inclusive quality social services. Provide disaggregated data, including in relation to gender, urban/rural, and other dimensions (disability, indigenous, afro-descendants, migrants & others). Compare levels of investment of domestic resources in social services at central and decentralized levels, and outcomes for children. Include data related to child poverty , including multidimensional child poverty within a child rights framework (which will require the update of multidimensional child poverty estimations for LAC). Present the historical trends and current situation of children and adolescents in LAC, including recent developments in relation to child rights in the region. Compare countries in the region and will assess progress towards the SDG agenda by 2030, with a focus on the goals related to children.
3. Produce a policy paper (approx. 20 pages), ppt presentation and two-pager on best social policy practices in the region (drawing from country case studies), including on extending social protection adequacy and coverage, improving public finance for children, supporting decentralisation and local governance, and reducing child poverty (through improved measurement and its linkages to policy programming). The paper will include a series of recommendations for governments in the region that includes suggested policy changes for implementation. It will gather a diverse set of policy experiences from LAC that focus o n one or more of the objectives set above, with reference to UNICEF's partnership and support as adequate. Documented evidence of impacts will be presented.
4. Make presentations to UNICEF and partners. Share advice with UNICEF on the dissemination of the products (e.g.through the development of infographics and/or short animations/videos.)

Expected Results

Expected outputs:

1. Workplan and timeline, including proposed methodologies.
2. Draft brief on the situation of girls and boys in LAC, with a focus on investment in social sectors , for comments
3. Final version of the brief on children and adolescents in LAC (with comments addressed) to be published.
4. Ppt presentation and two-pager on key findings and recommendations.
5. Draft policy report on the best social policy practices in the region for comments.
6. Final version of the paper on best social policy practices (with comments addressed), for dissemination.
7. Ppt presentation and two-pager on key findings and recommendations.
8. Presentations during meetings, workshops, or webinars.
9. Advice on the dissemination of the products (e.g., through infographics or short animations/videos)

Each paper is expected to include a methodological note, a list of relevant secondary data sources (review and analysis of existing evidence and literature) and of primary data collection processes (i.e., interviews and the cleaned collected data) as relevant.

Deliverables

Description

Duration [in days]

Expected deadline and

payment schedule

Paper, ppt and two-pager on children and adolescents in the LAC region and level of investment in social sectors, using a child rights and SDG framework

35

6 July 2023 (40%)

Policy paper, ppt and two-pager on best social policy practices related to children and adolescents in the LAC region

30

25 August 2023 (60%)

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

• Advanced academic degree (Master's) in Economics, Statistics, Political Science or related field. Holding a doctoral degree (e.g., PhD) will be considered an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in undertaking rigorous research, preferably through a record of academic publications, in Public Policy, Social Policy, Child rights or similar areas.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, with a focus on social policy and/or child rights issues.
• Demonstrated experience and skills in conducting child-related research.
• Experience in the production of applied, policy relevant research oriented to policy debate, for governments and/or multilateral organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Proficiency in English and Spanish is required. Portuguese and/or French would be an asset.

Technical Knowledge

• Advanced/Expert writing skills.
• Advanced/Expert mixed methods research methodologies.
• Expert understanding of issues concerning childhood and adolescence in the social policy, social protection and/or child rights fields.

Administrative Details

Supervision: The contractor will report to Monica Rubio, Social Policy Regional Advisor, in coordination with the UNICEF Deputy Regional Director and UNICEF Regional Director. The Consultant will also work closely with UNICEF Regional Advisors in programme sectors, and the Communication and Advocacy team.

Workplace: This consultancy is home based and it will not require any travel.

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.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 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:

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.

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.