RE-ADVERTISEMENT | Home-Based Consultancy: Legal and Regulatory Expert on Data Privacy and Protection in Digital Learning (60 working days between July and October 2022) - Europe and Central

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

** This is a re-advertisement due to minor amendments in the Vacancy Announcement. Previous applicants need not reapply as their original application 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, an education

Purpose of the assignment

Learning is an essential human activity, and every child has the right to learn. Yet in Europe and Central Asia, more than 10.6 million children and adolescents are out of school, and an additional 17.7 million who are in school remain out-of-learning. Many learners—and disproportionately more poor and vulnerable children—develop learning gaps in both content and skills, including transferable skills, that are needed for further learning. These learning deficits are cumulative across children’s life course, driving inequality in access, educational outcomes, and well-being.

The pandemic has exacerbated both existing learning gaps and inequalities throughout the region. It has also laid bare the increasing urgency of strengthening education systems to be fit for the 21st century, prepared for shocks, and resilient in the face of crises. Education system digitalization is both a key response to these demands and an important driver of change. Digital learning has been given increased priority in policies and normative documents of countries throughout Europe and Central Asia. governments have built and expanded partnerships to bridge the digital divide, develop and strengthen digital learning platforms, made learning content available in digital formats, and initiated large scale efforts to equip teachers with the necessary skills to carry out digital education.

Nevertheless, the successful shift to digitally supported education delivery must involve a holistic approach to the development of digital learning ecosystems. Since 2020, UNICEF’s LearnIn initiative in Europe and Central Asia has supported countries to develop policies, platforms and content for digital learning, to close the digital divide in device access and connectivity especially for the most marginalized children, to strengthen teachers competencies for digitally supported teaching and learning, to foster and expand partnerships, and to strengthen the enabling environment and the evidence base for digital learning. These programmatic approaches serve as the pillars of LearnIn, whose goals are to support:

1. strengthened, modernized education systems that are resilient to shock and fit for the 21st century;
2. equitable access to quality, inclusive learning opportunities for all children; and
3. improved learning outcomes that enable all children to thrive.

The LearnIn initiative maintains a laser-like focus on reaching the farthest behind to strengthen equity in and through education in the region, while also remaining agile to respond to evolving needs and an increasingly complex ecosystem of partners active in digital learning in the region.

The European Union Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) has provided generous funding to UNICEF to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of children and parents in the Western Balkans and Turkey. UNICEF’s work on digital learning is being leveraged to help support these efforts to bridge learning gaps and address the inequality that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. The purpose of this assignment is to work closely with the Education section in UNICEF ECARO with a focus on the Western Balkan countries participating in this project to ensure that UNICEF’s support to governments to strengthen digital learning ecosystems also adequately accounts for the risks, namely to data privacy and security, posed by the integration of digital technology with learning. It is critical that UNICEF’s work on digital learning anticipates and mitigates such risks to ensure that children’s other rights (i.e., protection of privacy, protection from exploitation…) are upheld.

Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance and direction of the Regional Education Adviser, Officer in Charge, in close collaboration with ECARO Education Section, the consultant will support work under the LearnIn pillars of Systems strengthening, Platforms, and Content. The consultant will provide services related to the two activities listed below to enable the ECARO Education Section to deliver quality support to COs (and, thus, their governments), and to ensure that digital learning in the region adequately considers data privacy and protection.

Activity 1 (50%): Scoping data privacy and protection progress and needs in digital learning

The consultant's role will involve conducting a desk review of legal and regulatory frameworks related to digital learning in select Western Balkan countries, comparing existing regulations with legal instruments and guidance from key agencies and actors (namely, EU’s GDPR), conducting discussions with relevant ministry officials, technical teams developing the national learning platforms, and, if relevant, teachers and education personnel. The consultant will be expected to produce a brief narrative report based on the above analysis, including country and subregional (i.e., Western Balkans) level information.

Activity 2 (50%): Support countries on the issue of data privacy and protection in digital learning

Based on activity 1, the consultant will support country offices and, as relevant, their partners to improve the integration of data privacy and protection with key digital learning documents and frameworks, and to strengthen the capacity of those working on digital learning in the countries (i.e., those developing the national platforms, teachers) to attend to data privacy and protection considerations.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks / Milestone******Deliverables / Outputs******Timeline / DeadlineActivity 1 (50 %): Scoping data privacy and protection progress and needs in digital learning1.1 – Desk review of select Western Balkan countries’ legal and regulatory frameworks (including policies and plans for digital learning, digital education strategies, national digital learning roadmap) completed. The review also includes a comparison between what exists in the Western Balkans and existing EU guidance/frameworks.15 working days1.2 – Discussions (interviews, focus groups) with Ministry of Education (and other Ministry) officials in the selected Western Balkan countries, technical teams developing the national learning platforms, as well as with focus groups of teachers and other education personnel if deemed relevant, completed with support of CO colleagues.5 working days1.3 – Brief narrative report developed identifying: - The extent to which countries’ legal and regulatory frameworks (including policies and plans for digital learning) adequately consider data privacy and protection in digital learning - Gaps and needs to ensure alignment with EU GDPR and other relevant frameworks - Entry points for UNICEF at the country and regional level to support countries on this topic, based on UNICEF’s current engagement with governments.

10 working daysActivity 2 (50 %): Support countries on the issue of data privacy and protection in digital learning2.1 – Technical assistance provided to COs and their partners, as relevant, to support governments to better integrate data privacy and protection with their national legal and regulatory frameworks for digital education, and brief summary report of technical assistance provided.15 working days2.2 – Technical assistance provided to COs and their partners, as relevant, to strengthen the capacity of educators and those developing and administering national digital learning platforms regarding data privacy and protection, and brief summary report of technical assistance provided.15 working daysEstimated Duration of the Contract

60 working days (between July and October 2022)

Consultant’s Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be home-based.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. Please indicate a daily fee based on 60 working days to undertake this assignment.

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

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Law/Legal Studies, Education Policy, Social Policy or related field. A Bachelor's degree in any field with a professional degree in Law may be accepted in lieu of a Master's degree.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in providing legal and policy support to governments related to issues on data privacy, protection and security
• A minimum of 3 years working experience on strengthening capacity of actors (including governments) on data privacy and protection and to update their legal and regulatory frameworks to align with most recent legal obligations in this regard
• Experience in diagnosing risks/gaps in data privacy and security considerations in legal and regulatory documents, with desk review and qualitative research experience an advantage
• Strong knowledge of the risks specific to children’s data privacy and security posed by digital technology and digital learning

Other skills and attributes

• Experience working with UN agencies or other international development agencies
• Strong knowledge of the Western Balkans political landscape and recent developments related to digital transformation of education in the region is an asset
• Strong working knowledge of the key frameworks such as EU’s GDPR and EU and Western Balkan countries’ priorities related to digital transformation, specifically in education is an asset
• Understanding of international development issues and relations between Western Balkan countries and the EU
• A good understanding of UNICEF’s programmatic areas, namely Education and Child Protection
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience communicating with a broad range of actors (including government) on sensitive issues
• Ability to present ideas concisely for both legal and non-legal professionals and to give practical, actionable advice grounded in evidence

Language requirements

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a Western Balkans language is a strong asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core 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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Please include a full CV and Financial Proposal in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and daily rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered. 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.