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 calling.

The purpose of this assignment is to support UNICEF’s Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) to develop and implement strategies that ensure meaningful engagement of children in global policies and programmes. This consultancy will also provide technical support to country offices to ensure the sustainability of these mechanisms, especially in conflict or emergency contexts, and develop approaches to ensure that feedback mechanisms reach all vulnerable children, including those in underserved or crisis-affected areas.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. UNICEF’s global support for humanitarian action is coordinated by the Office of Emergency Programs (EMOPS), the focal point for emergency preparedness and response, humanitarian policies, staff security, and support to UNICEF’s regional and country offices, as well as strategic coordination with external humanitarian partners both within and outside the United Nations system. UNICEF is committed to ensuring that the voices of affected populations, especially children, are heard and that their rights are protected in humanitarian responses.

Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) is an organization-wide priority and is being scaled up across programmes and regions, in line with the AAP Strategy 2022-2025 endorsed by UNICEF Senior Management. It is mainstreamed within UNICEF’s key guiding frameworks, such as the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025, Core Commitment of Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs), and Country Programme Planning Guidance. As an integral part of UNICEF’s different stages of the program cycle, AAP ensures that views of affected populations, especially from all vulnerable and at-risk and girls, boys, women, and men, are heard; provided equal opportunities to listen to and provided feedback on all aspects of programming. Supported by the organization, they hold UNICEF accountable for promoting and protecting their rights, generating effective results for them whilst working in ways that enhance their dignity, capacities, and resilience. For UNICEF and partners, it improves programme outcomes, particularly through increased demand for and use of quality services and greater accountability.

OBJECTIVE(S) 

This consultancy will improve UNICEF’s ability to incorporate children’s voices into programme planning and implementation, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and responsiveness of its initiatives.

MAJOR TASKS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED

Tasks include, but may not be limited to:

• Provide technical support to Country and Regional Offices
• Support the development of child-friendly approaches and methodologies
• Integrate child-friendly approaches with other people-centered approaches and initiatives
• Contribute to the development of tools, guidance, and good practices

Responsibilities of the Consultant:

• The consultants will use their own equipment; hardware, software, and other accessories that may be required for this task.
• The consultant will treat UNICEF data with utmost confidentiality, in accordance with UNICEF Information Security Standards and UNICEF Policy on Personal Data Protection, including the non-disclosure of any content/material/data or any part thereof, to any third party without the written permission of UNICEF. All work will be the intellectual property of UNICEF, and the consultant will not share the same with anyone else.

Responsibilities of UNICEF:

• Provide oversight and guidance.
• Facilitate access to necessary resources and tools.

DELIVERABLES AND DEADLINES

Task(s)	Deliverables	Timeline
Consultant to support the integration of child-friendly AAP approaches across regular programmes, operations, and emergency responses (with a child safeguarding background)	Provide technical support to Country and Regional Offices Formulate and design the implementation of child-friendly feedback mechanisms and conceptualize how these will feed into the overall UNICEF approach to feedback management. Provide technical support to country offices as needed on maintaining the sustainability of child participation and child-friendly feedback mechanisms, especially in the context of ongoing conflicts or emergencies.	November 2024-November 2026
	Support the development of child-friendly approaches and methodologies Formulate methodologies to strengthen child participation in the global UNICEF policies and people-centered accountability programming. Develop guidance, training modules, and tools for strengthening the capacity building of staff on operationalizing child participation, such as, but not limited to, through child-focused consultations, in programme planning, design, and implementation. Develop methodologies to ensure that child-friendly feedback mechanisms reach all vulnerable children, including those in areas with limited services or in crises.
	Integrate child-friendly approaches with other people-centered approaches and initiatives Ensure a coherent approach with other parts of UNICEF dealing with youth engagement, gender, safeguarding, social and behaviour change, and the child rights agenda. Contextualize the links with existing forms and functioning of child parliaments or governmental child participation bodies.
	Contribute to the development of tools, guidance, and good practices Collect and document examples of good practices within UNICEF and its partners. Develop relevant tools and good practices and promote their integration into relevant AAP material. Contribute to the dissemination of lessons and good practices across the organization.

DUTY STATION  

This is a home-based consultancy; however, the consultant may be requested to travel as needed for the assignment.

TRAVEL

When travel is required, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging, etc. should be agreed upon, between the supervisor and the consultant prior to travel and will be reimbursed based on actual expenses, including travel insurance and visa costs.

ESTIMATED DURATION OF LTA

Two (2) years subject to satisfactory performance evaluation and continuing need for the service.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

 Financial Bid – AAP Child-friendly.doc

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

Education:

• An Advanced University degree in the area of international relations, humanitarian affairs, management, information technology, or similar.

Experience:

• Minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience working on child participation in programming, policy development, and strategic planning, particularly within UNICEF, UN agencies, or other child-focused humanitarian and development organizations.
• Proven experience in designing and implementing child-friendly feedback mechanisms in diverse contexts, including emergency or conflict settings.
• Expertise in developing methodologies and tools for enhancing child participation in policy-making and programme design.
• Experience in providing technical support and capacity-building to country offices or national teams on sustaining child participation initiatives and feedback mechanisms.

Technical skills and competencies:

• Experience with managing and conducting multi-stakeholder consultations at different levels.

Language:

• Fluency in English (oral and written) is required; knowledge of French or Spanish is an asset.

HOW TO APPLY

The application to be submitted through the online portal must contain three (3) separate attachments:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (to be uploaded online under “Resume” tab)
2. Minimum of two (2) work samples relevant to this area of work (to be uploaded online under “Other-Applicant” tab as a single document containing work samples)
3. A financial proposal indicating professional fee as per the above template. Please do not forget to specify your name in the file while saving. (To be uploaded under “Financial Proposal” tab)

Important Note: Please do not indicate financials anywhere else in the online application form, please mark “n/a or 00”, under the fee related questions in the online application form.

Please make sure to include all documents indicated above. Otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete and invalid, and will not be considered further.

• Any attempt to unduly influence UNICEF’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant.
• Joint applications of two or more individuals are not accepted.
• Please note, UNICEF does not charge any fee during any stage of the process.
• Female candidates meeting the requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds including persons living with disabilities to apply.

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.

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.