Researcher: Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC) in Suriname (open to nationals of Suriname only)

The consultant, with support from the UNICEF Guyana and Suriname Country Office, will produce a Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC) report for Suriname and provide direction and support to the country office to programme its recommendations. S/he will be responsible for collecting, compiling and reviewing key resources, gathering in-country information, and undertaking a key-stakeholder analysis. In addition, the incumbent will work closely with CO management and technical staff in relevant sections within the CO to identify and develop programming options and recommendations for the successful integration of climate, energy and environment (CEE) issues in the country programme cycle. If needed, the incumbent will liaise with the climate, energy, environment and DDR teams in HQ/NY for support, feedback and coordination

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, climate action

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, 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 and exploitation. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
UNICEF’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan recognizes that climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive and that all levels of the organization need to work together in a coordinated fashion. The Strategic Plan draws strong links between responses to climate change with disaster risk reduction as children increasingly need holistic solutions that address both sudden-onset impacts of disasters, including those that are exacerbated by climate change—such as hurricanes and floods— and resilient solutions that promote climate-smart development for the long-term. The Strategic Plan activates all of UNICEF’s levels of impact on these issues – our global programmes, our advocacy and communications infrastructure and our own operations and supply chain.

Climate change, energy access and environmental degradation are equity issues, with children and young people often being the most vulnerable and affected. Boys and girls are impacted differently based on their intersecting economic status, rural/urban location, sexual orientation, ethnicity. Climate change is not gender neutral but rather amplifying already existing gender inequalities in relation to land rights, livelihoods, health, domestic labour and safety. Addressing climate change, energy access and environmental degradation is therefore vital for building a more sustainable future for children. In addition, it is imperative that we integrate our actions on the SDGs and our humanitarian responses. Each of the core sectors UNICEF has been engaging in health, nutrition, water and sanitation, child protection, social inclusion and education – is affected in some way by climate change and/or environmental degradation. Fortunately, each stream of UNICEF work also presents opportunities to take action on climate, energy and/or the environment in order to deliver more sustainable results. There are major implications of climate change, lack of energy access and environmental degradation for children and UNICEF has strong potential to strengthen the response to these issues.

UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) identifies Suriname as a country with high risk for exposure to climate and environmental shocks, and climate projections show increasing temperatures, reduced rainfall, and rising sea levels, which threatens essential services for children. Over 90% of the population in Suriname live along the low-lying coastal strip and face threats like inundation, saline intrusion, coastal erosion, flooding, and drought due to rising sea levels and changing weather patterns. Suriname has experienced extensive coastal erosion, and has suffered damages from heavy rainfall, flooding, higher temperatures during dry seasons, and high winds. Between 1999 and 2018, climate change impact is estimated to have caused 164 fatalities and almost US$180 million in losses from extreme weather events in
Suriname (CCA, 2020). The UNICEF Guyana and Suriname country office is actively supporting the Government of Suriname through a Climate Resilience and WASH outcome in the Country Programme 2022-2026.
In this context, UNICEF Suriname is planning to conduct a Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC), examining the baseline situation of climate, energy environment and DRR-related issues affecting children and how they relate to UNICEF’s priorities. The report looks at stakeholders, government policies and relevant programmes in Suriname. It will also provide recommendations on how UNICEF Suriname could further incorporate and strengthen work on climate, environment, energy and DRR-related issues in its country programme. As such, the CLAC report should include a holistic child-centered analysis on the environment, climate, and energy situation in relation to UNICEF’s five sectoral programme components: water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, education, child protection and social policy. In addition, disaster risk management and climate resilience are to be considered.

Scope of Work:

The development of the CLAC report aims to understand the overall climate, energy and environment landscape in Suriname in terms of data availability, existing laws, strategies, policies and regulations, risks to children and potential benefits of climate actions, and the gaps in its consideration for children and child-sensitive approaches in order to inform UNICEF ongoing and future programmes in the country.
The consultant will be responsible for data collection and analysis, compiling and reviewing key resources including through literature review, stakeholder interviews, and carrying out qualitative and quantitative data analysis as necessary. Gendered dimensions of climate change will be considered throughout the analysis as well as inclusion of children and adolescents living with disability. In performing the work, the consultant will work closely with the UNICEF Suriname team, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of the Environment and other identified government departments and partners in the context of climate change. The consultant will also provide recommendations to UNICEF Suriname in identification of actionable opportunities to integrate climate, energy and environment development issues into UNICEF’s sectoral programmes and cooperation with the government ministries, departments and agencies.

The scope of the consultant’s work is as follows:

• To develop the CLAC for Suriname based on provided and collected information and the country context, in line with the UNICEF global guidelines.
• To hold consultations with key in-countries stakeholders and partners for data collection, analysis and validation. The in-country stakeholders should be those that actively work in the climate change, energy, and environment sectors and include line ministries and sub-national governments.
• To provide UNICEF Suriname with recommendations and identification of actionable opportunities to integrate climate, energy and environment development issues across UNICEF programmes and partnerships.
• Based on identified actionable opportunities, develop a strategic document that sets out resource mobilization strategies to respond to the adaptation needs of children in Suriname (Climate Finance Strategy for Children)
• To develop a print-ready document and presentation of the CLAC for Suriname.
The final output of this consultancy will be a publication ready CLAC and Climate Finance Strategy.

How can you make a difference? 

The consultant, with support from the UNICEF Guyana and Suriname Country Office, will produce a Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC) report for Suriname and provide direction and support to the country office to programme its recommendations. S/he will be responsible for collecting, compiling and reviewing key resources, gathering in-country information, and undertaking a key-stakeholder analysis. In addition, the incumbent will work closely with CO management and technical staff in relevant sections within the CO to identify and develop programming options and recommendations for the successful integration of climate, energy and environment (CEE) issues in the country programme cycle. If needed, the incumbent will liaise with the climate, energy, environment and DDR teams in HQ/NY for support, feedback and coordination

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

• Climate change, geography, environmental science, natural resource management, meteorology, social and economic development or related areas. Alternatively, a degree in communication or journalism with demonstrated expertise on environment and climate change-related issues can also be considered
• At least eight years of relevant professional experience in research and expertise in climate/environment-related issues
• Excellent writing skills required.
• Excellent research skills required.
• Excellent English writing/communication skills. The consultant should take into consideration the necessity of communicating in the national language (Dutch).
• Demonstrated expertise in child rights or any of UNICEF’s main areas of work (health, WASH, nutrition, child protection, social policy, nutrition, education, gender) is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…  Terms of Reference CLAC Consultant UNICEF Suriname.pdf

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 Please access the complete ToR here: 

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.