Consultancy – Regional Office Advocacy Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, LACRO, Panama City (3 Months)

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, commitment

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Development of Regional Office Advocacy Strategy for UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean

Scope of Work:

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a global organization dedicated to promoting the rights and well-being of every child. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of children and ensure their survival, development, and protection.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF aims to strengthen the children’s rights agenda and improve the lives of vulnerable children and adolescents. For that purpose, UNICEF intends to develop a comprehensive Advocacy Strategy for its Latin America and Caribbean regional office. The strategy will serve as a roadmap for UNICEF´s Regional and Country Offices for engaging key actors in the region to contribute to the children’s rights agenda, with a focus on the first decade of childhood. It will encompass a wide range of stakeholders, including international finance institutions, donors, intergovernmental bodies, think tanks, influencers, and other key voices from the region on children’s rights.

Objective:

The primary objective of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive Advocacy Strategy for UNICEF’s Latin America and Caribbean regional office for the period from 2023 to 2025, with the aim of influencing decision makers and other stakeholders, and leveraging resources to advance children’s rights in the region. With a focus on the first decade of childhood, the strategy should align with UNICEF’s global priorities and include a comprehensive mapping of key actors that should be targeted with clear engagement strategies to effectively drive UNICEF´s advocacy efforts.

Deliverables:

More specifically, as part of this consultancy the selected consultant will be responsible for the following key deliverables:

i) Final Regional Advocacy Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean:

• The consultant will initially develop a proposal for the structure of the regional office Advocacy Strategy that will be revised and validated by UNICEF.
• Based on the approved structure and following consultation with regional UNICEF teams, the consultant will develop an advanced draft of the Advocacy Strategy which will be submitted to UNICEF for review and feedback. This draft should include an analysis of key challenges and opportunities for high-level advocacy and develop a strategic power mapping of key stakeholders who can play a key role in defining the children´s rights agenda in the LAC region.
• Based on feedback received from UNICEF, the consultant will finalize the Advocacy Strategy ensuring integration of feedback and inputs from consultations and discussions. The final strategy should collect information on how key partners are supporting and investing in children and propose specific approaches for engagement with identified targets, this should include an analysis of access barriers and opportunities to identify potential entry points for each target.
• The strategy should define SMART advocacy outcomes for UNICEF in the region and include an advocacy theory of change with prioritized tactics for how those outcomes should be reached. The strategy should also include
  a clear monitoring framework and define a process to track progress in the implementation of the advocacy strategy.
• The Advocacy Strategy should also include the development of key advocacy messages for UNICEF in the LAC region.

ii) Summary PowerPoint Presentation and 3-pager:

• Based on the final regional Advocacy Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, the consultant will design a PowerPoint presentation and a 3-pager summarizing the key elements of the strategy. Both products should effectively convey the main objectives of the strategy, the main stakeholders that UNICEF should target and clear engagement strategies for high-level advocacy. Both products should be well-designed so they can be presented to a wider internal audiences.

iii) Additional considerations:

• In close coordination with Regional Office focal points, the consultant is expected to carry out consultations and interviews with external stakeholders to gather their inputs and insights for the regional Advocacy Strategy.
• The consultant will also be expected to hold two consultations with UNICEF regional office teams, one for co-creation during the development of the strategy draft, and another for validation as part of the feedback process.
• The consultant will be responsible for developing a comprehensive mapping of stakeholders to be included in the Advocacy Strategy based on their expertise and influence on children’s rights in the region, but these should cover at least:
  – International Finance Institutions, such as World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and CAF.
  – Government Donors, such as the United States, European Union and Canada, among others.
  – Intergovernmental bodies, such as the Organization of American States (OAS), Caribbean Community (CARICOM) or Central American Integration System (SICA), among others.
  – Governments in the region, especially Government leaders championing children´s rights.
  – Influencers and Key Voices, such as regional child rights activists/experts, strategic media outlets, community and youth representatives who advocate for children’s rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  – Regional children´s rights platforms and networks, such as MMI LAC
  – Think tanks and research institutions.
• The final products will be developed in English and are expected to be professionally edited and designed when submitted for final approval.
• The final Regional Advocacy Strategy is expected to be approximately between 20-25 pages.
• The consultancy will take place between 15 August – 4 November with an estimated requirement of 40 consultancy days spread during this period (see table of deliverables below).

Work Assignments Overview	Deliverables/Outputs	Delivery deadline
Prepare a detailed outline for the Regional Office Advocacy Strategy (Estimated 3 consultancy days)	Final Outline Proposal	21 August
Conduct desk review and consultations with key stakeholders, including a one-day co-creation workshop with regional heads of section. Develop an advanced draft of the Regional Office Advocacy Strategy to be submitted for UNICEF review (Estimated 18 consultancy days)	Advanced Draft of Regional Office Advocacy Strategy	15 September
Develop a final draft of the Regional Office Advocacy Strategy, integrating feedback and comments from UNICEF teams, including a one-day validation workshop with heads of section. (Estimated 14 consultancy days + workshop costs)	Final Draft Regional Office Advocacy Strategy, including an advocacy M&E framework	6 October
Design a summary PowerPoint Presentation and 3-pager based on the final draft Regional Advocacy Strategy (Estimated 7 consultancy days)	Summary PowerPoint Presentation and 3-pager	16 October
Incorporate any final minor feedback from UNICEF teams into the Regional Office Advocacy Strategy PowerPoint Presentation and 3-pager (Estimated 3 consultancy days)	Final Regional Office Advocacy Strategy	4 November

 

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

Minimum Qualifications required:

• Candidates with Bachelor´s Degree across multiple disciplines will be considered as long as the candidate has proven experience in international development.
• At least 10 years of experience working in international development with a focus on child´s rights.
• Previous experience developing advocacy strategies is required, preferably in the field of children’s rights or related areas.
• Prior experience working for UNICEF or a child´s rights organization is a strong asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Strong knowledge and understanding of the Latin America and Caribbean region, including its socio-economic and political context, child rights issues, and key stakeholders.
• Capacity to engage with diverse stakeholders, including international organizations, governments, donors, and civil society organizations, among others.
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information, issue practical recommendations and design clear frameworks and roadmaps that can be put into action.
• Fluency in English, with excellent written communication skills. Knowledge of Spanish is a strong asset

Administrative details

Supervision

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Chief of Communication and the Regional Adviser Public Partnership.

Workplace

The consultant will work home-based, using their own personal premises, materials, and equipment’s.

Duration

This consultancy will have a duration of approximately 3 months, with estimated start date August 2023.

How to Apply

Candidates should complete the online application, including Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily, monthly and total fees in their financial proposal.

Travel

Travel missions are not foreseen for this consultancy. Should travel is applicable, it will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.

• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.
• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.
• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.
  UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2, numerals (d) and (e)
  5. For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).

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.