Consultancy: DPG for DPI – Case studies, Office of Innovation, Stockholm, Sweden – 3 months (Remote, coordinates with Stockholm office)

UNICEF’s Office of Innovation (OOI) is looking for a consultant to conduct research and draft 5-6 case studies. These case studies will document the development, implementation and/or maintenance of DPGs as part of DPI.

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, innovate

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives.

The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF that sits at the intersection of working on material global issues, start up thinking, technology and partnerships that can scale solutions. We look to form partnerships around frontier technologies (including AI, drones and UAVs, blockchain, wearables and sensors, and 3D-printing) that exist at the intersection of $100 billion markets and 1 billion person needs.

The Office of Innovation co-founded and co-leads the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA), established in follow-up to the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation and the Secretary General’s Roadmap. In its report, the Panel recommends as 1B “that a broad, multi-stakeholder alliance, involving the UN, create a platform for sharing digital public goods, engaging talent and pooling data sets, in a manner that respects privacy, in areas related to attaining the SDGs”. UNICEF and other DPGA Board Members are working to implement this recommendation

UNICEF played an instrumental role in developing the concept of digital public goods (DPGs) and in securing support for it in global policies and discussions around digital cooperation. This has been complemented by an extensive programme of work bringing together support for the development of DPGs that can accelerate results for children, ecosystem development and capacity building at the national level and engagement of private and public stakeholders to shape technology practices and policy development. The Ventures Team’s overall approach embeds the concept of DPGs, their role in achieving equity, transparency and local ownership across all work areas, and has aligned team vision and targets accordingly. The Government of Norway has been UNICEF Ventures’ main partner in taking forward this work, complemented by the supporters of the Venture Fund.

Currently, the concepts of DPGs and digital public infrastructure (DPI) are at the center of the global digital transformation discussion, including through the Global Digital Compact (GDC), which features both prominently in its latest draft. UNICEF has advocated that DPGs are an essential element and a key driver to build equitable and just DPI and achieve equitable digital transformation. DPI has been defined in different ways – at its narrowest to include proprietary and open-source platforms to facilitate data exchange, identity and payments. While important and necessary components of digital systems to accelerate the SDGs, these platforms are not sufficient to do so. Furthermore, digital public goods are key drivers of inclusive digital systems and therefore essential for digitally enhanced efforts to achieve the SDGs for all.

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF’s Office of Innovation (OOI) is looking for a consultant to conduct research and draft 5-6 case studies. These case studies will document the development, implementation and/or maintenance of DPGs as part of DPI. The examples will be selected based on diversity of thematic results across sectors for child rights and achieving results for children (e.g. education, health, identity and birth registration, social protection, climate etc.) and in close collaboration with UNICEF Ventures, the Digital Centre of Excellence, the Technology for Development Teams in the Regional Offices and the DPGA Secretariat. A case study could be about a specific product deployed in several contexts or focused on a country context.

Case studies (of about 5 pages each) will serve to:

• Identify successful implementations of DPGs as part of DPI (DPG4DPI) at the country level – covering examples that bring results across sectors, geographic diversity, product types and different levels of DPI integration
• Document the added value of DPGs in this context across stakeholders–case studies will be selected to demonstrate either one or several of the following values:
  • interoperability
  • scalability and adaptations for local contexts
  • local economic benefit, including local skills building and employment opportunities
  • local ownership and sovereignty,
  • sector-specific results and acceleration of SDGs (if possible)
• Articulate the role that DPGs play as part of DPI and as layers that facilitate sector-specific results and engagement / value add for citizens
• Capture challenges and articulate recommendations to address these

Case studies will be used to inform advocacy and external engagement with national government partners, funders and within the DPGA membership. It will also support engagement by national level stakeholders articulating the case for DPGs.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Develop a long list to inform selection of suitable products and countries for case studies
• Conduct desk research and key informant interviews across the DPG and DPI ecosystem
• Develop drafts of case studies and incorporate feedback
• Draft a cover note that summaries main findings, challenges and recommendations

For further details, please check the Terms of Reference:  TOR DPG 4 DPI case studies.docx

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

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in International Development, Public Policy, Communications, Business Administration, or other relevant fields.  
  *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree. 
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional and practical experience.
• Proven track record of engagement with DPGs and DPI – ideally in their implementation and maintenance at country level
• Familiarity with key stakeholders and ongoing initiatives in the DPG and/ or DPI spaces
• Demonstrated experience in conducting review of written documentation, conducting qualitative interviews and drafting of guidance notes and similar documents
• Demonstrated understanding of open source, concepts and definitions of DPGs and DPI, country level realities and digital transformation and innovation
• Excellent research, written and verbal communication skills.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 

Travel:

• No travel is expected for this assignment

Payment details and further considerations

Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed 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.

How to apply:

• Interest applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee.  Please see the financial proposal template.
• Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.  Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx

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. 

In case of any questions, contact us at [email protected]