Re-Advertisement: International Consultancy - Child Centered Analysis of Malawi’s Climate Change and Community Resilience Agenda (Open to International Applicants 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 secure future!

BACKGROUND

Malawi is classified as a least developed country and considered a climate change “hotspot”, with over half of its districts being disaster-prone. Future climate change scenarios suggest that Malawi will see increasing climatic variability. Average temperatures may increase by 0.50 to 1.50 Celsius by 2040, and rainfall is predicted to become more unpredictable, with a lower mean number of rainfall days and higher amounts of rainfall per day. This will affect agriculture, the environment, water availability, energy provision, health, and thereby the livelihoods of Malawians, especially the most vulnerable.

The Government of Malawi (GOM) has recognized the challenges of climate change and its consequences and included priorities and actions towards enhanced community resilience in the national overarching new “Vision 2063” and the (draft) 10-year Implementation Plan currently being finalized by Government, soon replacing the “Malawi Growth and Development Strategy” (MGDS III, 2017-2022). Other National Policies also address different elements of climate change, vulnerability, and resilience, either directly through the National Climate Change Policy, Disaster Risk Management Policy, National Resilience Strategy, Meteorological Policy, National Framework for Climate Services, the new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plan (both in development), or through sector-based policies and strategies in resilence, agriculture, energy, forestry, fisheries, social support, health, nutrition, etc.

As indicated in the 2017 UNICEF Malawi CLAC (Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Malawi), climate change and its impact not only involve the natural ecosystem but have severe implications for community resilience, child rights, threatening to undo the major gains made in recent years and impede the realization of the rights of children as captured in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

JUSTIFICATION

As UNICEF Malawi Country Office (MCO) is preparing for the development of the new Country Programme Document (CPD) 2024-2028, the Climate Change and Community Resilience agenda become a key programmatic pillar to be mainstreamed across the different social sectors and areas of intervention.

It is therefore of strategic importance to review existing GOM policies, related strategic documents, and ongoing or planned interventions to ensure that a child-centered approach and resilience mechanisms are mainstreamed and advocated for as priority focus within the UNICEF MCO and GOM climate agenda.

How can you make a difference?

The objectives of this assignments are:

1) Review and update the UNICEF Malawi CLAC document and

2) Develop a short concept note to inform UNICEF Malawi's new CPD on Climate Change and Community Resilience agenda.

These will be achieved through a desk review of the existing climate-related policies and strategic documents, UNICEF’s related policies and programmatic documents, and limited online interviews.

The consultant is expected to assess the extent to which ongoing or planned interventions on Climate Change and Community Resilience mainstream the child-centered approaches to address climate-related vulnerabilities and risks in ongoing and future programs. Although this work focuses on the analysis and production of UNICEF’s strategic documents, the intended audience benefitting from this consultancy is a border, including Government, Development Partners, Civil Society, Private Sector, and communities.

The detailed tasks for this assignment are listed below:

1. Update UNICEF Malawi CLAC document

The consultant is requested to review and update the UNICEF Malawi - Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Malawi, dated 2017, and identify/summarize key vulnerabilities, projected impacts, and recommendations for UNICEF Malawi shaped around social sectors by:

1. Reviewing key legislation, policies, and strategic document on Climate Change of the Government of Malawi and assess the mainstreaming of children issues in ongoing and future programs
2. Reviewing the latest IPCC reports, National Adaptation Plans, Nationally Designated Commitments, and other sector-specific documents to be gathered and collected during the inception phase
3. Interviewing different sections and teams within UNICEF Malawi as well as key government stakeholders, partners

2 – Develop a short concept note to inform UNICEF new CPD on Climate Change and Community Resilience agenda

The consultant is requested, based on / and through the same steps outlined for deliverable #1, to develop a short strategic document that will provide strategic inputs for the formulation of a “narrative” of UNICEF Malawi on climate action and community resilience. The consultant is also expected to provide analytical inputs and facilitate discussions among the different UNICEF MCO’s teams, leading to the articulation of a) theory of change, b) analysis of the different programmatic areas around climate change and community resilience focusing on ideas and options on programmatic convergence, c) CPD roadmap considering the different prioritized macro-areas by UNICEF:

1. • Energy efficiency and social services: scaling up the use of renewable energies for social infrastructures (schools, educational centers, CBCCs, health posts, nutrition centers, child corners, prisons, and reformatories) as a source of power for lightening, ventilation, cold chain, water supply (also for communities)
2. • Community resilience and DRR, including shock-sensitive social protection mechanisms and youth engagement/skills and job creations
3. • Climate education, targeting educational curricula to improve skills and opportunities around climate change and the environment
4. • Climate programming for Nutrition and Health, to enhance service delivery
5. • Evidence generation, including among others: analysis of climate migrations, climate financing, and climate budgeting

As indicated in the above deliverables, besides desk review and interview of key informants, the consultant is expected to facilitate some internal workshops and discussions within UNICEF MCO in order to produce the expected deliverables. The timing and agendas for such events will be discussed and agreed upon during the inception phase. Relevant provisions should be then included in the bidders’ proposals.

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

• At least a Masters University degree in social sciences or related field with strong educational background on climate change.
• At least 8 years of work experience in climate-related programming, development of related policies, and strategic documents. Previous working experience with UNICEF is considered as added value.
• Track record of work experiences in climate change policies and related global processes, climate-resilient programming, knowledge of programmatic cycles, excellent written skills in English that needs to be demonstrated through previous work experience in the area of climate change.
• Strong report writing and communication skills and networking, ability to effectively working from home/remote.

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

View the attached ToR for further details about the consultancy

TOR Consultancy - Climate Change.pdf

Use the attached template to submit your financial proposal

Template for Financial Proposal.xlsx

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:

Candidates that already applied for the first vacancy announcement need not to re-apply.

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.