EMERGENCY ROSTER: Child Protection in Emergencies (National and International Consultancies)

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, Protection…

Malawi’s new Country Programme (2024-2028) includes three components: (1) child survival and development; (2) learning, skills development, and protection; and (3) social policy. All components are supported by the programme and operational effectiveness and efficiency imperatives. All UNICEF programmes focus on risk-informed programming across the humanitarian and development nexus in all the above three outcome areas.  Risk-informed programming across the humanitarian and development nexus in all three outcome areas will contribute to strengthened disaster preparedness, enhanced climate adaptation/mitigation and response, and increased resilience capacity of institutions, communities, and young people. Programming aligns with UNICEF Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Transformative Agenda. 

Malawi is ranked fifth in the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index. According to the Children’s Climate Risk Index (UNICEF, 2021), Malawi is among the top forty countries with high climate risk for children and the most vulnerable communities.  Malawi is highly susceptible to climate and environmental shocks, including flooding, drought, cyclones, and extreme heat. Such shocks have recently increased in frequency and magnitude and are among Malawi children’s greatest threats. As per UNICEF’s ‘Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Malawi’ report (2022), climate-related hazards have resulted in the loss of life, displaced thousands of people, and damaged or disrupted roads, health facilities, schools, and power supplies across the country. Malawi also faces frequent outbreaks of cholera, endemic malaria, and the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, contributing to a need for a programme response fully responsive to an increased poly-crisis environment.

How can you make a difference? 

The Child Protection in Emergencies Consultant is expected to provide technical expertise and support with a specific focus on the following:

• In close collaboration with other child protection partners and the Government, take the leadership in establishing the child protection coordination structures for the response to emergencies.
• Support in conducting a rapid child protection assessment with partners in the child protection coordination structures using agreed inter-agency assessment tools.  Where the cluster system is not activated, UNICEF should lead this assessment.
• Support scaling up the child protection response in emergencies with particular focus on prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation, family separation, gender-based violence, and trafficking; provision of mental health and psychosocial support services to children and their families, prevention of arbitrary/illegal arrest and detention of children, and other protection concerns for children.
• Provide expertise and technical support to UNICEF child protection team and Implementing Partners, including Government and CSOs, in developing programme proposals and mobilizing funds for a rapid child protection response in emergencies, as well as in writing donor reports and documenting human interest stories.
• Assess the supply needs and coordinate the procurement and distribution of supplies related to child protection interventions.
• Explore the opportunities of inter-agency and cross-sectoral collaboration to strengthen overall protection of children and women by integrating protection activities within their emergency response programmes.
• Monitor the trends and emerging evidence of child protection concerns and the response by Government and analyze this information to advise on the child protection response.
• Collect the necessary data and contribute to developing of Humanitarian Situation Reports, After Action Review reports and other reports to inform child protection and office-wide interventions and measurement of results.
• Support the Child protection team with oversight of funds dedicated to child protection emergency response.
• Conduct capacity development activities on CCCs and child protection in emergencies for national and district level stakeholders and implementing partners.
• In close coordination with the UNICEF Child Protection and Communication teams, raise awareness on child protection concerns and UNICEF’s response thereto through relevant humanitarian, media, and communication outlets, as appropriate.

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

Academic qualification:

• Advanced university degree in social work, international relations, law, child psychology, or relevant field.

 Work experience:

• A minimum of 5-8 years of experience in the child protection programming in natural disaster and/or armed conflict contexts
• Experience working with UNICEF and/or other relevant actors is preferred.
• Extensive work experience outside the humanitarian sector relevant to this post may be considered a replacement for humanitarian expertise.
• Experience of coordination with Government and partner organizations is preferred.
• Experience in the UN common system is desirable.

 Technical skills, knowledge, and strength areas:

• Knowledge of UNICEF’s Core Commitments to Children in humanitarian action as well as the humanitarian cluster approach, particularly the child protection working group (sub-cluster), gender-based violence area of responsibility, and protection cluster
• Ability to work effectively under stress and in emergency settings.
• Ability to develop new and nurture existing internal and external networks, partnerships and relationships which deliver results.
• Ability to communicate confidently and persuasively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to analyze information, solve problems and make decisions in various contexts
• The highest levels of personal integrity and commitment to adhering to required standards of conduct.
• Knowledge of results-based management principles is a strong asset.
• Good knowledge of MS Office (including PowerPoint, Excel, and Word) is essential.

 Languages:  

• Fluency in written and verbal English is required, familiarity with Chichewa will be asset.

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference  Terms of Reference_Child Protection in Emergencies.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

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. 

HOW TO APPLY…

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Cover letter:

• Describing the candidate’s relevant experience with similar type of assignments (max 300 words)

2. Updated Curriculum Vitae (not more than 4 pages)
3. Two latest performance appraisals and/or recommendations letters from recent assignments including reference contact details (phone numbers and email addresses)
4. When a need arises, the office will invite pre-selected roster candidates to provide their financial proposal (all-inclusive fee) for the specific assignment as well as to confirm their availability and interest at the time of the deployment need.

5. Include with your application relevant samples from similar work (web links also can be provided).

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.