Consultancy; Development and validation of a Toolkit for Investors on Children’s Rights and Stewardship. Req# 571284

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Consultancy; Development and validation of a Toolkit for Investors on Children’s Rights and Stewardship

Section/Division/Duty Station: Business Engagement & Child Rights Section – PG – NYHQ

Duration: 15 May 2024 – 30 October 2024

Home/ office Based: 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 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, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF is seeking an expert consultant to develop a Toolkit for investors on Children’s Rights in Stewardship activities, and to revise the 2021 Tool for Investors on Integrating Children’s Rights into ESG Assessments.

Background:

Investors can have major influence on investee companies in terms of responsible business practices, and social issues and human rights are clearly emerging as issues of concern for many investors. However, children’s rights risks typically aren’t systematically featured in this process. Children tend to be indirectly affected by company policies, either through their parents’ working conditions, through products consumed by them or through impacts on communities affecting them. Efforts of business aimed at improving social responsibility thus tend to partially leave children out, resulting in less effective risk mitigation and social impact on children.

To support investors to better integrate children’s rights in their ESG processes, UNICEF launched the Tool for Investors on integrating Children’s Rights into ESG assessments (2021), building on previously issued guidance for investors. The tool sets out a framework for assessing how well companies identify and manage impacts on children as part of their approaches to human rights due diligence and corporate responsibility. In UNICEF’s engagements with investors since the launch of this Tool, UNICEF has identified the need to complement this guidance with additional tools to support investors to utilize stewardship and active ownership strategies to manage risk and improve child rights outcomes in portfolio companies.

Scope of Work:

Under the guidance of the supervisor of this contract, the consultant will be responsible for:

1. Development of a Toolkit for Investors on Children’s Rights and Stewardship:   UNICEF is looking to develop a set of guidance for investors to help them undertake stewardship activities to further respect for children’s rights in portfolio companies, including the framing of expectations, direct engagement, and other stewardship activities. The toolkit should be practical, include sections describing how to identify priorities, how to plan a successful stewardship strategy, and highlight examples of specific child rights issues.
2. Facilitation of consultations to validate toolkit: The consultant will facilitate a consultation with asset owners, asset managers, industry bodies, among others, to inform and validate the toolkit. The set of actors to be consulted will be suggested and agreed with UNICEF and the consultant, striving to cover both key markets and a diverse geographical array of public equity actors.
3. Support on the publication and dissemination of the stewardship toolkit: including, but not limited to, ad hoc support on the publication process, final sign-in of consulted actors to be referenced and at least one internal (UNICEF-wide) and external event to launch the toolkit.
4. Revision of UNICEF’s Tool for Investors on integrating children’s rights into ESG assessments (2021), and updating this based on experiences of users

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. Proposal for a structure of the toolkit is developed based on the needs of intended users. – By 30.5.2024
2. First draft of the toolkit for internal review is prepared based on an agreed toolkit structure. – By 30.7.2024
3. Consultation exercise with key stakeholders in the finance sector to validate and collect additional feedback on the draft is facilitated a final draft is prepared integrating comments. – By 30.8.2024
4. Publication of the toolkit is prepared. At least one internal presentation to UNICEF and national committee staff, and a public launch event targeting intended users are organized. – By 30.10.2024
5. Revision of the 2021 UNICEF Tool for Investors on Integrating Children’s Rights into ESG Assessments, with a view to creating and issuing an updated version is undertaken including consultation with key stakeholders-tool users, a light desk review to update with key regulatory and other developments since the original publication of the tool is conducted. – By 30.10.2024

Qualifications

Education:

A bachelor’s degree in sustainable business, finance, law or related field is required.

Work experience:

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience relevant to the assignment (such as business and human rights, responsible investment or related fields) is required.
• Technical expertise in sustainability and investment processes (particularly active investing), with the fluency to reference key concepts on sustainable and responsible finance.
• Strong background and understanding on human rights policies in corporate and investment practices. Experience on child rights and business, with focus on the financial sector, is desirable.
• Experience in investor relations, stewardship and shareholder engagement, with evidence of successful advocacy and strategic support on the inclusion of Environmental, Social and Governance factors. Specific expertise in the Social dimension of ESG (human rights considerations for employees, workers in the supply chain, community and consumers) is desirable.

Competencies/Knowledge:

• Demonstrated ability to produce high quality technical guidance for investment actors, including the interaction with key ecosystem actors to validate and refine publications.
• English proficiency, including technical writing, is essential. To assess this, candidates are required to submit 1 sample of technical writing on a relevant topic for this consultancy.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect:
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake 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 time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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:  

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 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.