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Background & Rationale:
South Sudan is a conflict prone fragile country that continues to suffer effects of past and ongoing conflicts. These conflicts exacerbate worsening humanitarian crisis in some parts of the country, negatively impacting South Sudan’s social indicators. The country ranks 185 on the Human Development Index (UNDP 2021 Report), with life expectancy at birth (years) at 57.9 (59.4 female, 56.4 male). Adolescent birth rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) is 62 percent, and under-five mortality (death per 1,000 live births) is 98.6 percent. Child malnutrition in is above the 15% emergency threshold and the economy is performing poorly. The IMF reports South Sudan’s GDP (current prices US $) at 230.1 (the 2021 estimates), with revenue and debt in 2021 (as % GDP) respectively standing at 50.6 and 64.4. Overall, the socioeconomic indicators of South Sudan are dire.
South Sudan has high levels of inter-twined vulnerabilities largely due to conflicts, worsened by impacts of climate change. The resultant shocks are thus both idiosyncratic and covariate in nature, affecting vast parts of the country, with children and women the most affected segments of the population. The country’s human and institutional capacity to anticipate, absorb, accommodate, and recover from the effects of a shocks and stresses is extremely deficient, and the national policies and strategies to prevent, reduce, and manage disasters are either non-existent or weak. Together, these hamper national capacity to build and strengthen the resilience of affected populations during and after shocks and crisis.
The national social protection system and the national Disaster Risk Management framework are underdeveloped and not linked to the humanitarian sector. The building blocks of each of these systems are not yet assessed and therefore cannot be leveraged. The number of South Sudanese receiving humanitarian social protection programmes is significant but confined to hot spots. Benefit levels and the associated services of these programmes are comparatively deficient, and coverage, adequacy and the comprehensiveness of the programmes are mostly inadequate.
Notwithstanding, Social Protection is enshrined in South Sudan’s founding documents. The country’s Revitalized National Development Strategy (R-NDS, 2021) identifies Social Protection as a national priority. The R-NDS builds on the commitment of Government contained in South Sudan’s National Social Protection Policy Frame approved by a Council of Ministers’ Resolution (No. 28/2014) on 28 February 2014. The policy framework covers non-contributory instruments for the vulnerable using a lifecycle approach and has a three-tier structure covering implementation, strategic planning, and policy making – and this across all levels of Government, up to subnational levels. The framework and the associated programmes re-affirm South Sudan’s commitment to care and provide for its vulnerable population, including women and children.
The National Social Protection Policy Framework outlines the role of government in social protection. The Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare is responsible for strategic planning and coordination of social protection and designing and implementing social protection programmes. Both Ministries of Education and Agriculture also have roles. The State Ministries of Gender are tasked with coordination roles, including roles on service delivery, identification, monitoring and reporting. Local authorities do awareness and sensitization of communities, identify beneficiaries and support delivery of services. The Ministry of Gender chairs the national Social Protection Technical Working Group, a coordination mechanism linked to the Partners’ Social Protection Working Group led by social protection actors at national level. The country also has a functional Inter-Agency Cash Working Group, and there are limited donor-funded social protection programmes comprising conditional cash transfers (public works programmes), fee waivers (education scholarships), in-kind (school feeding) and unconditional cash transfers. These programmes do prioritize national systems building and/or strengthening.
Scope of Work
This consultancy seeks to help South Sudan build its human and institutional capacity in social protection primarily through implementing a pilot child support programme. The assignment thus includes components pertained to social protection systems’ strengthening, social policy development, humanitarian cash programming and disaster risk management.
Working under the direct supervision of the Social Policy Specialist and overall guidance from the Deputy Representative Programmes in Juba the Social Protection Consultant will provide social protection technical support to SSCO and the Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare (MGCSW). Broadly, the support will cover social protection aspects pertained to systems building and strengthening, policy development and humanitarian cash programming.
To advance the agenda of government on social protection and enhance social protection programming in the country, the scope of work of the Consultant includes the following tasks:
1. Establish strong linkages with social protection partners including the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to ensure the holding of regular advocacy and sensitization programmes to help social protection stakeholders lobby for funds and other relevant support for the cause of social protection in the country.
2. Map and identify relevant donors and government-led programs from amongst those existing at national level to enable establishment of future social protection programs for SSCO.
3. Support SSCO in planning and implementing a Child Grant Programme
4. In close collaboration with the Social Policy Specialist, work on social protection related activities with colleagues in the other UNICEF South Sudan Programmes
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
The main duties and responsibilities of the consultant include:
1. Produce a comprehensive Strategy Document on the development of a child sensitive Social Protection Policy for South Sudan
2. Develop the building blocks for the implementation of a pilot child support programme with focus on Standard Operating Procedures on the implementation, payment reconciliation plan, and lessons learned thorough operational research, implementation experience and programme monitoring
3. Finalize the SSCO Cash Strategy.
This consultancy requires full time presence in South Sudan.
Deliverables Timeline Cost
1. Comprehensive Strategy Document (based on UNICEF’s Global Framework) to develop a national child sensitive Social Protection (SP) policy, and a consensus building workshop on South Sudan SP policy Five weeks
July 3rd to August 7th 2023 (20.8% upon completion of deliverable 1)
2. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that clearly outlines implementation of the child grant Four weeks
August 7th to September 4th 2023 (16.7% upon completion of deliverable 2)
3. A three-month payment reconciliation plan and related processes Five weeks
September 4th to October 9th 2023 (20.8% upon completion of deliverable 3
4. A lesson learned document with thorough components on operational research, implementation experience and programme monitoring, for use in future CSG resource mobilization and roll out initiatives Five weeks
October 9th to November 13th 2023 (20.8% upon completion of deliverable 4)
5. A comprehensive synthesis of the Social Protection System, Disaster Risk Management, and the Humanitarian Sector in South Sudan for use in future assessments and leveraging of the three sectors/systems. Seven weeks
November 13th, 2023, to January 2nd 2024 (22.6% upon completion of deliverable 5)
6. Cash Strategy for South Sudan Six weeks
January 2nd, 2023, to February 5th 2024 (20.8% upon completion of deliverable 6)
Minimum Qualifications required: Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:
• Master’s degree in Social Science, preferably in Social Protection or in related field.
• 5 years’ experience in the Social Protection space with concentration on child grant and related social protection schemes.
• Additional 3 years of relevant experience in lieu of a master’s degree.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Willingness to travel and work in field environments.
• Excellent written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of local language (Arabic) of the country is considered as an asset.
All applicaitons must be accampanied with detailed technical and financial proposal.
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.
Advertised: 23 Jun 2023 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 07 Jul 2023 E. Africa Standard Time
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