International Junior Consultant- Youth for Children, ESARO (Remote)

UNICEF works in 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.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background and Justification

The demographic transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa – the geographical area with the youngest population in the world – has critical implications for the work of UNICEF and partners. Currently, young people (10-24YO) make up approximately one quarter of the population of most countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region; the numbers are growing rapidly, projecting this demographic will increase by 83%, from 257 million to almost half a billion by 2050. This rapid and consequential growth poses enormous opportunities for capitalizing on political, social and economic stability and growth across the continent.

The responsibility of any duty-bearer is to recognize the rights of young people and work with them as partners and agents of change for today and tomorrow. The goal area 2 of UNICEF strategic plan for 2022-2025 ensures every child including adolescents (and youth) learn and acquires skills for the future while engaging as an agent of change. Promoting young people’s community engagement and skills development is a strategic asset in supporting and accelerating UNICEF’s results for children in several keyways. Encouraging young people to engage in their communities and develop relevant skills empowers them to become active agents of change. When young individuals are equipped with the skills necessary to address the challenges faced by children and communities, they can take proactive roles in advocating for children’s rights, promoting child well-being, and contributing to community development. UNICEF creates a double impact. It not only prepares the youth to transition to active life as responsible citizens but also accelerates UNICEF’s results by leveraging their skills, energy, and commitment to advance the well-being of children and communities worldwide. Collaborating with young people not only strengthens UNICEF’s ability to impact children but also nurtures a generation of informed, skilled, and passionate advocates for children’s rights and well-being, ultimately contributing to the organization’s mission and creating a more promising future for both young individuals and children around the world.

Driven by Innovations and Education in ESARO, in collaboration with a wide range of sections/teams, Youth for Children (Y4C) proposes a coalition of varied partnerships, with governments, other UN agencies, corporations, and youth networks to drive genuine changes; sound strategies and effective coordinated action to add value to all parties and their diverse agendas.

Skills

Through digital and off-line engagement and ‘learning to earning’ opportunities, youth – with an emphasis on marginalized groups – will be equipped with information, competencies, and skills related to SDGs, by:

• Develop credited pathways for upskilling youth and offering wrap-around services (e.g. apprenticeship, mentorships, career counseling, and connecting to the world of work—employment and entrepreneurship) through online and offline modalities.
• Empowering ‘youth as change agents’ through innovation and entrepreneurship support (eg. incubation hubs, seed funding), enabling youth to design and implement solutions to drive results for children.

Scope of Work

Goal and Objective: Under the general supervision of the Yoma Program Manager, as part of the Yoma Global Team and in close collaboration with the Education section, this role will support the alignment of the Youth for Children concept to UNICEF program priorities and develop technical guidance materials that assist UNICEF country offices in identifying strategic entry points and pathways for integrating the Youth for Children concept into their existing programs and activities.

• Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered: Oversee overall coordination and provide Technical Assistance to UNICEF Country Offices on innovative platforms for youth engagement, skills building, and employability in the green sector (ie Green Yoma, Atingi), as well as the African Data and Drone Academy (ADDA)

Activities And Tasks

The Consultant will work closely with country offices and Yoma global team to achieve the following results/deliverables

Enhance the programmatic linkage between Youth for Children and UNICEF programming to facilitate relevance and scaling within UNICEF

• Work closely with the Yoma Global Team, and ESARO Education section to ensure that the Youth for Children concept aligns effectively with UNICEF program priorities.
• Conduct research, analyzing data, and identifying key areas of synergy between the Youth for Children initiative and UNICEF’s overarching goals.
• Create comprehensive technical guidance materials that provide UNICEF country offices with clear instructions and strategies for integrating the Youth for Children concept into their existing programs and activities. These materials should offer practical insights, best practices, and actionable recommendations tailored to the diverse contexts and challenges faced by different country offices.
• Assist UNICEF country offices in identifying strategic entry points and pathways for incorporating the Youth for Children concept into their work. This may involve conducting assessments, engaging with stakeholders, and facilitating workshops or training sessions to foster understanding and buy-in for the initiative.
• Collaborate with UNICEF country offices to establish robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the progress and impact of integrating the Youth for Children concept into their programs and activities. This may involve developing indicators, collecting data, and analyzing results to assess the effectiveness of the initiative and inform future decision-making.
• Work relationships: The consultant will work in close collaboration with the Programme Manager (Yoma), the Senior Program Manager, and the ESARO Education specialist.
• Outputs/Deliverables:
• – A comprehensive report and presentation detailing the alignment of the Youth for Children concept with UNICEF program priorities. This report will include research findings, data analysis, and identified areas of synergy between the initiative and UNICEF’s strategic priorities. It should provide clear evidence and recommendations for how the Youth for Children concept can effectively support and enhance UNICEF’s mission and objectives.
• – A set of well-developed technical guidance materials tailored for UNICEF country offices. These materials should be comprehensive, practical, and user-friendly, offering clear instructions and strategies for integrating the Youth for Children concept into existing programs and activities. They should include practical insights, best practices, and actionable recommendations to address the diverse contexts and challenges faced by different country offices.

Deliverables

Estimated number of days

Deadline

Schedule of payment

Inception report and workplan

10

15 June 2024

5%

Youth For Children Concept note aligned with UNICEF strategic priorities

25

15 July 2024

20%

Concept note for Austrian Development Agency (ADA)

25

15 August 2024

20%

Proposal for Austrian Development Agency (ADA) – phase 2

25

15 September 2024

20%

Youth for Children standard proposal

20

15 November 2024

20%

Final report on the assignment containing review of all the areas covered with corresponding recommendations

15

31 December 2024

15%

120 days

100%

Payment Schedule

As per table above

Desired Competencies, Technical Background, And Experience

Education: Postgraduate degree in development economics or economics with background in business administration & management

Experience in working with young people

Young professional (<35) preferred as Yoma is a youth-led initiative

Experience in working in the Global South will be an asset

Strong analytical skills

Strong drafting skills

Fluency in English, Knowledge of French & Spanish an asset as Yoma is also active in Spanish & French speaking countries

Must exhibit the UNICEF Core Values of:

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Key competencies required:

Building and Maintaining Partnerships

Drive to achieve Results for Impact

Innovates and Embraces Change

Manages Ambiguity and Complexity

Works collaboratively with others

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.

Administrative issues

The Consultant will work under the supervision of the Yoma Programme Manager. As most of the Yoma team is working remotely most meetings will be online with occasional in person meetings.

The consultant is expected to be work remotely with potential travel to several countries in Africa and beyond depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions in 2021/22 for which the UNICEF office would cover DSA and travel costs. Travel will be in economy class. If the contractor is required to quarantine while traveling, UNICEF will pay for the quarantine if not organized by the host country.

Conditions

• The consultant will work from his/her own premises as per the UNICEF Flexible Working Policy and use his/her own computer and related infrastructure.
• As this would be a junior consultant role, we are preferably looking for talented young candidates
• As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment will be made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.
• Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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 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.

Risks

This is a remote role that does not foresee any direct contact with children. There are not reasonable risks associated with this consultancy, all deliverables will be cleared by the supervisor before they are being shared with external partners.

How To Apply

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, and their technical proposals to the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System)

Interested candidates to indicate ability, availability, and monthly rate expressed in US$ to undertake the terms of reference as an international individual contractor

Applications submitted without a fee/ rate will not be considered.

  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 for ensuring 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.