Consultancy: Adolescent Girls High-Level Event Facilitation Consultant

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. 

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Adolescent Girls High-Level Event Facilitation Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Gender Equality Section

Duration: March 2024 to December 2025 – REMOTE

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection, and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to facilitate the event coordination for three (3) UNICEF’s high-Level events during the 2024 Commission on the Status of Women (March 2024), 2024 International Day of the Girl (11th October 2024), and 2025 Commission on the Status of Women (March 2025) and 2025 International Day of the Girl (11th October 2025).

Specifically, for the 2024 Commission on the Status of Women, UNICEF, UN Women, UK and Sierra Leone, and We Are Purposeful, are organizing a high-level event to be held in New York on 11th March 2024 to galvanize action and call for investments in adolescent girls. The event will last approximately 90 minutes and will have adolescent girls and young women decision-makers that are part of UNICEF’s Global Girls Leaders’ Advisory Group (GGLAG) and others, taking centre stage in both moderation and panel discussion, in addition to formal decision-makers (e.g. policymakers).

The high-level events that will be held during the 2024 International Day of the Girl and the 2025 Commission on the Status of Women will follow similar format (length approximately 90 minutes, participation of adolescent girls and young women, involvement of other co-hosting organizations and partners). The exact dates will be confirmed closer to the time.

The event coordination will involve event preparation (run-of-show development, coordination with partners/co-hosts and participants, event logistics, invitations, securing access for invitees to the UN Secretariat building or the location where the event will be held), the day-to-day coordination; and follow-up communications with participants, thus ensuring a successful flagship event.

 Scope of Work:

The consultant will be responsible for the event planning, delivery and follow-up, coordinating internally with the UNICEF Adolescent Girls Hub, the ADAP colleagues, the Gender Equality section, and other sectoral colleagues, as well as with the co-hosts of the events. This includes:

Event planning

– Establishing the event planning timeline, with key milestones, dates, and tasks, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities and leading on logistics

– Drafting the detailed run-of-show

– Securing access to the UN Secretariat building (or location where event would be held) for co-hosts and other speakers and identified young people participating 

– Developing UNICEF slides and other materials, consolidating the master event slide deck, i.e. shared by panelists

– Prepping of speakers and panelists for the event with consideration for inclusion and safeguarding

– Coordinating the UNICEF Global Girls Leaders Advisory Group (GGLAG) on the event flow and day-of messaging, together with UNICEF safeguarding focal points.

– Participating in meetings to plan the event, both internal and external.

– Support to managing logistics for the event.

– Developing and maintaining an action-tracker of key tasks, outputs needed for the event, etc.

Event delivery

– Facilitating the day-of logistics, including check-in, audio/tech preparations, translators, catering etc.

– Compilation of assets shared in events for distribution to participants (and or for promotion related purposes).

Event follow-up

– Maintaining meeting notes from engagements across the Gender network and with key stakeholders e.g. Division of Global Communications and Advocacy and other teams

– Sharing of any links or resources to participants after each event including a summary write-up of the event for external and internal communications.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

1. 2024 Commission on the Status of Women high-level event

– Event is planned, including logistics, coordination with cohosts and partners, invitations, prepping of speakers and preparation of relevant speaking materials, including via participation in planning meetings.  – 9th March 2024 – 

– Event is delivered and followed up, including day-of logistics and distribution of assets to participants, development of action tracker, follow-up with participants after the event, and travel to New York (USA) for approximately five (5) working days.  – 30th March 2024 –

2. 2024 International Day of the Girl high-level event

– Event is planned, including logistics, coordination with cohosts and partners, invitations, prepping of speakers and preparation of relevant speaking materials, including via participation in planning meetings.  – 10th October 2024 – 

– Event is delivered and followed up, including day-of logistics and distribution of assets to participants, development of action tracker, follow-up with participants after the event, and travel to New York (USA) for approximately five (5) working days.   – 30th October 2024 –

3. 2025 Commission on the Status of Women high-level event

Event is planned, including logistics, coordination with cohosts and partners, invitations, prepping of speakers and preparation of relevant speaking materials, including via participation in planning meetings.   – 8th March 2025 – 

Event is delivered and followed up, including day-of logistics and distribution of assets to participants, development of action tracker, follow-up with participants after the event, and travel to New York (USA) for approximately five (5) working days   – 30th March 2025 – 

4. 2025 International Day of the Girl high-level event

Event is planned, including logistics, coordination with cohosts and partners, invitations, prepping of speakers and preparation of relevant speaking materials, including via participation in planning meetings. –  10th October 2025 – 

Event is delivered and followed up, including day-of logistics and distribution of assets to participants, development of action tracker, follow-up with participants after the event, and travel to New York (USA) for approximately five (5) working days.   – 31st December 2025 – 

Qualifications

1) Education

– A university degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, development, education, economics, gender, psychology, or another relevant field to UNICEF’s gender equality, youth participation work.

– Language Proficiency: Fluency in written and oral English is a must. Working knowledge of French, Spanish or any other UN language is desirable.

2) Work experience

– A minimum of 8 years of professional work experience in event organization, youth participation and gender equality, some of which should be in an international setting.

– Strong technical understanding of the adolescent girls’ agenda.

– Specific experience in running events for Gender communities of practice.

3) Competencies

– Creative, innovative thinker who can also translate ideas into practical applications.

– A strong understanding of UNICEF and UN high-level events.

– Proven skills in communication, networking, strategic thinking, advocacy, negotiation, and ability to relate this to young people. 

Requirements: 

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and provided a copy of academic credentials
• Technical proposal with a methodology for deliverables and timelines
• Financial proposal that must include:
• Cost per deliverable (daily rate is not accepted) or lump sum for the deliverables as indicated in the Terms of Reference
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent/unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have current health insurance coverage in place.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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 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. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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 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.