WASH Specialist

Details

Mission and objectives

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.
UNICEF has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to increase opportunities for them to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to ensure that these rights become enduring ethical principles and international standards of conduct towards children.

Context

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. The UNICEF staff and experts/Contractors should act in accordance with the UN Code of Conduct and UNICEF Mission.
In the framework of the Armenia – UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation 2021-2025, a key expected outcome (Outcome 3) envisages that children and adolescents learn in an enabling and safe environment. To this end, UNICEF Armenia under CPD (Country Programme Document) Output 3.4 prioritizes joint efforts with the Government and other national and international partners to ensure that national policies, plans, budgets on resilience building and environmentally-sound measures in the education sector are designed based on evidence and adequately operationalized, especially in the most underserved schools and preschools.
In addition to the general needs, since the end of September 2023, more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians, including 30,000 children have sought refuge in Armenia, leaving behind their homes, schools, and everything familiar to them.
Children, adolescents, and young people bear the heaviest toll of humanitarian crises. Access to services including psychosocial support, education, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, and child protection is critical to ensuring children can get the support they need and overcome the distress caused by displacement. This comes on top of pre-existing situations of vulnerability among children and their families, including difficulty in accessing quality and comprehensive basic social services and poverty.
Quality access to water and sanitation, hygiene is an important condition for the effective implementation of programs and the creation of dignified environments for children and adolescents in need and vulnerability. Many communities and facilities where UNICEF conducts emergency response are in need of improvement of WASH facilities.
The WASH UNV will support the establishment of hygiene models in targeted schools and the coordination of the renovation of the WASH facilities in the various target communities during the emergency response phase. Also, in addition to improving the physical environment, the support will include activities aimed at developing the capacities and awareness of teachers and administrative staff, and promoting behavioral change in relation to hygiene practices.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of DRR/Climate Change Officer and in close collaboration with CBS officer and Education, Child Protection, and Communication teams the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Supporting the programme section in researching, compiling and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data and information from a variety of sources on subject matters relevant to the work of the section to facilitate programme delivery as well as preparation of reports, working papers and presentations.
• To make sure that WASH-related activities are well communicated and organised with other sections and individual consultants and contractors.
• Supporting the revision of existing models and standards related to WASH in schools closely collaborating with relevant state agencies and local authorities making sure all the relevant documentation and procedures are in place for WASH model establishment and renovation.
• Helping conduct regular programme visits of partner’s projects to assess quality of implementation and adherence to standards
• Monitoring the status and implementation of WASH facilities and tracking the efficient distribution of WASH supplies in targeted sites.
• Participating in relevant meetings/events on programming to collaborate with partners/colleagues
• Assisting in developing terms of reference for WASH and climate change activities as needed;
• Participating in advocacy activities designed to influence Government and other stakeholders to prioritize WASH, particularly in schools and kindergartens;
• Contributing to regular reporting on achievements, projects, pertinent developments and strategic needs for the DRR/Climate Change section, donors and partner agencies;
• Supporting with preparations, note taking and drafting of reports for workshops, conferences and meetings i.e., mid-year and end year joint reviews with the Government, and cooperating partners.