National UNV in Nutrition Data Analytics, Research and Knowledge Management

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
In all of its work, UNICEF takes a life-cycle based approach, recognizing the particular importance of early childhood development and adolescence. UNICEF programmes focus on the most disadvantaged children, including those living in fragile contexts, those with disabilities, those who are affected by rapid urbanization and those affected by environmental degradation.
UNICEF was created with a distinct purpose in mind: to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future.
We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children. We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished: no child should suffer or die from a preventable illness. We work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people because it is right to keep them from harm and enable them to protect others. We help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS to live their lives with dignity.
We are UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Context

UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA), through effective support to country offices and strategic engagement with regional partners, contributes to winning support for the cause of children from decision-makers and the wider public, particularly on key priority issues in South Asia. This includes providing technical assistance, capacity building and thought leadership for enhancing results for adolescent girls, women and young children less than two years in development and humanitarian crises.
South Asia region has made significant progress in reducing child undernutrition. However, progress is currently too slow to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) nutrition targets and the progress is not shared equally among and within countries in the region. The region remains home to 36 per cent of the global burden of stunted children under five; more than half of all wasted children under five. This is affecting the survival, optimal growth, and development of children, hampering attempts to accelerate human capital formation in the region.
The evolving face of child malnutrition in the South Asia region demands a multi-faceted response that supports nutritious diets, essential nutrition services and positive nutrition practices for children, adolescents, and women. UNICEF ROSA has prioritised the nutrition programme area as one of the eight Areas for Acceleration in its 2022 – 2025 Regional Office Management Plan (ROMP). The UNICEF ROSA ‘Nourishing South Asia @2030 framework’ renews focus on improving adolescent girls and women’s nutrition; access to nutritious foods for young children; early detection and care for nutritionally vulnerable infants and young children under the age of two years. The framework lays out five key strategic action areas to galvanise regional action to accelerate progress on nutrition.
One of the strategic actions seeks to leverage the power of evidence, data and knowledge as a key enabler of nutrition results for children and women in South Asia. This includes generation, customization, sharing and communication of knowledge and data and strengthening its use to drive advocacy, policy and programme action and to track progress on maternal, adolescent and child nutrition in the region. Actions that UNICEF ROSA will take entail analyses of quantitative and qualitative data sets, systematic reviews, documentation of case studies, drafting of technical reports, preparation of peer review journal manuscripts as well as supporting country offices in the design and implementation of research and evidence generation activities including harmonization of research protocols and tools across country offices engaged in implementation research
The National UNV in Nutrition Data Analytics, Research and Knowledge Management position will provide technical support and contribute to regional efforts to strengthen evidence generation, data analysis and use, knowledge management, evidence-based advocacy and partnerships for the Nutrition Area of Acceleration Nourishing South Asia @2030 agenda.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the day-to-day supervision of [Nutrition specialist] or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV [Nutrition Data Analytics, Research and Knowledge Management] will:
• Contribute to the generation, collation, analyses and dissemination of data on the nutrition situation of children, adolescent girls and women in the South Asia region.
• Conduct secondary quantitative and/or qualitative analyses of data sets from surveys and studies and programme implementation data.
• Research and collate information, data, and research on maternal, adolescent and child nutrition and support literature reviews to fill key knowledge gaps and contribute to the existing body of literature summarizing the latest research on nutrition in South Asia.
• Conduct spatial mapping and produce a visualization of sub-national disparities using appropriate digital mapping and visualization tools available.
• Support drafting of technical reports and peer review journal manuscripts on thematic knowledge priorities to support the Nutrition Area of Acceleration Nourishing South Asia @2030 agenda.
• Support technical copywriting and review of research papers and reports developed in-house by the ROSA nutrition section and in collaboration with development and academic partners.
• Produce quality knowledge products of various types – policy papers, thematic briefs, peer-reviewed articles, reports, advocacy pieces, multi-media materials, and presentations and support their dissemination and use.
• Participate and contribute to the exchange of data, analyses and information with UNICEF COs and HQ, and with development, academic and research partners.
• Support knowledge dissemination and use of multiple platform types (electronic mailing lists, internet, social media, webinars, etc.) to expand the opportunities to reach target audiences with UNICEF’s knowledge and data.
• Support evidence-based advocacy efforts and prepare communication and information materials to promote awareness and enhance UNICEF ROSA’s influence on regional partnerships, policies, and decisions that impact maternal and child nutrition.
• Support nurturing of regional data and knowledge partnerships to enhance communication, coordination, and collaboration.
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/expected outputs:
• As an active UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to the Nutrition Section UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
• Filling priority data and knowledge gaps identified by the Nutrition Section through technical support for quantitative and qualitative analyses of data sets from surveys and studies and programme implementation data.
• An updated sub-national survey data and programme data repository providing trends, burden and projections of key nutrition indicators and its visual presentation established and updated regularly.
• Technical reports and journal manuscripts on thematic knowledge priorities for Nourishing South Asia @2030 agenda. e.g. adolescent and maternal nutrition, are available.
• Strengthened networking, advocacy, partnership building and sustenance of effective close working partnerships with regional nutrition networks, academic and research institutions on evidence generation, data analysis and use, and knowledge management.
• Enhanced evidence-based advocacy and communication to drive policy and programme action and to track progress on maternal, adolescent and child nutrition in the region.
• Timely availability of technical review/quality assurance of documents and briefing notes to support ROSA Nutrition Section with high-level engagement with strategic partners.
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment. A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed