Consultancy – Child Rights Knowledge Management Consultant, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, Nairobi.

The overall objective is to enhance the protection and promotion of children’s rights in various settings within the ESA region.

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. 

                                                                             TERMS OF REFERENCE 

Background and Justification

Following the re-affirmation of the strong organizational commitment to the child rights mandate taken at the 2023 UNICEF Global Leadership Meeting in Istanbul, the UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Regional Management Team (RMT) meeting in October 2023 committed to reinvigorate its child rights focus in the region. As a next step, UNICEF in the ESA region established a Child Rights Task Force to operationalize UNICEF’s renewed commitment to advancing the child rights agenda. This Task Force developed a Regional Framework for Action on Child Rights, which includes capacity building efforts, specifically a regional child rights sensitization exercise, set to take place in October 2024. These terms of reference outline the development of training resources that will educate UNICEF staff in ESAR on the rights of children and promote understanding and advocacy.

Scope of Work

1. Goal and Objective: 

The overall objective is to enhance the protection and promotion of children’s rights in various settings within the ESA region.

1. Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered: Explain briefly how this assignment links to the AWP/IR number.

ESARO Child Protection Work Plan Activity 1.2 Support inclusive and effective Child Protection Systems in preventing and responding to child protection violations (with particular emphasis on parenting, case management, CPMIS and the social service workforce strengthening and justice)

1. Activities and Tasks:  

Under the overall guidance of the Child Protection Specialist (Child Protection Systems), the consultant will carry out the following specific activities and tasks:

• Develop and collate various training resources including presentations, case studies and interactive activities.
• Develop a compendium of resource materials on child rights from a global and African perspective.
• Develop the SharePoint page on Child Rights Task Force with a focus on making training documents and other resources available. This includes identifying and collecting relevant content.
• Develop and/or update related SharePoint pages, specifically on Violence against Children and Harmful Practices, Child Protection Systems Strengthening, Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, MHPSS and PSEA.
• Develop and implement a measurement component to assess the effectiveness of the session.
• Develop final report summarizing the development process, results and recommendations going forward.

   4. Deliverables.

Payment Schedule

Desired Competencies, technical background and experience

1. Education

• Advanced university degree in information and knowledge management systems or any other relevant area.

1. Work experience and skills

• A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience and competency in the area of knowledge management and sharing strategy design and platform implementation.
• Demonstrated experience of designing and implementing team sites/ websites, for development specific subjects an asset.
• Excellent knowledge and experience of knowledge management and sharing products development.
• Familiarity with technical knowledge regarding child rights.
• Familiarity with UNICEF structure, processes considered an asset.

1. Must exhibit the UNICEF Core Values of:
   • Care
   • Respect
   • Integrity
   • Trust
   • Accountability
   • Sustainability
2. Competencies

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others

1. Language

• Fluency in English is required.

Administrative Issues

The supervisor of this consultant will avail all the relevant resources required in the data analysis. The consultant will also be expected to draw a list of documents that are needed in this assignment and liaise with the supervisor to conclude the list of documentation for the desk review.

The consultant is expected to be home based with potential travel to at least four programme countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda) depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions for which the UNICEF office would cover subsistence allowances and travel costs. Travel will likely entail five days per country. All travel (in case of any) will be by most economical fare and reimbursement will be as per UNICEF policy. If the consultant is required to quarantine while traveling, UNICEF will pay for the quarantine if not organized by the host country.

Regular remote meeting (frequency to be defined with the supervisor) will be organized to provide updates. The consultant will use his/her own office equipment. As most of the work will be done remotely, the consultant must have high internet connectivity and should be available/reachable online, from 8:30– 17:30 East African Time.

Conditions

As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment 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 advances purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.

Risks

Some of the deliverables could require travel and this may be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. The consultant will explore alternative and feasible platforms to organize remote sessions, as needs be.

How to Apply

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

Interested candidates to indicate their ability, availability, and rate (daily/monthly) expressed in US$ to undertake the terms of reference.

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 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.