National Consultancy on Air Quality Monitoring and Youth Empowerment, 10 months, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

UNICEF Mongolia is looking for a National Consultant to aims to implement air quality monitoring and air pollution related initiatives within the framework of the UNICEF’s green school project, enhance knowledge of schoolteachers, students and parents on climate change and air pollution and empower children, adolescents and young people to engage in climate and environmental related decision-making processes, community-based activities and initiatives via existing platforms such as YOUCCAN and Teen Parliament.

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, protection.

Mongolia experiences a lengthy and bitterly cold winter . From October to March, average nighttime temperatures are -10° or lower, and with extremes reaches -40°C around December and January.  Especially for young children, it is crucial to stay warm for survival and well-being. To combat the cold, most of the poor households rely on the burning ofraw coal using inefficient stoves to heat their often poorly insulated homes, including the traditional home called  “ger”, a tent-like structure covered with felt. This results in unprecedented levels of air pollution in many urban centres across the country where well over 60 per cent of the population resides. Air pollution affects public health, in particular children and maternal health, and resulting in an increased incidence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

The UNICEF Country Programme Document 2023-2027 specifies that Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) & Climate, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED) programme will support children and adolescents to realise their right to safe WASH services and a healthy and sustainable environment while being better able to respond to climate, disaster and environmental risks and shocks. Within the Country programme 2023-2027, UNICEF Mongolia is aiming to reduce impacts of climate change and air and environmental pollution on children, pilot and scale up renewable energy systems and low carbon energy technologies at institutional and household levels and educate, engage and empower children to tackle environmental issues, bring their voices on child rights to healthy and safe environment and influence decision making processes.

Since 2019, in collaboration with the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) and National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring, 96 low-cost air quality sensors have been installed in 67 kindergartens and 21 health facilities in Ulaanbaatar and provinces. Furthermore, UNICEF has established and supported Youth for Climate Change and Clean Air Network (YOUCCAN) and initiated the Teen Parliament project jointly with the Parliament of Mongolia to empower adolescents to learn and in climate and environmental projects and participate in the decision making processes.  

How can you make a difference? 

The consultancy service aims to implement air quality monitoring and air pollution related initiatives within the framework of the UNICEF’s green school project, enhance knowledge of schoolteachers, students and parents on climate change and air pollution and empower children, adolescents and young people to engage in climate and environmental related decision-making processes, community-based activities and initiatives via existing platforms such as YOUCCAN and Teen Parliament.

Implement air quality monitoring initiatives at selected schools:

• Conduct training of trainers to enhance knowledge of kindergarten and schoolteachers, parents and school children on climate change and environmental sustainability.
• Establish the “Living Lab for Nature and Children” in selected schools in Ulaanbaatar and Orkhon province to engage children, adolescents and young people in air pollution and air quality monitoring, energy, environmental projects.
• Implement tree planting, indoor and outdoor gardening activities in selected schools in Ulaanbaatar and Orkhon province to reduce air pollution.
• Design and coordinate the implementation of youth-led environmental, air and water quality related projects.
• Compile and carry out analysis of child-related climate and air and environmental pollution data, summarize key findings and produce communication material such as fact sheet, Op-Ed and policy briefings.

Youth empowerment through YOUCCAN and Teen Parliament platforms:   

• Develop Teen Parliament and YOUCCAN concept note, and programme document focused on climate Change, sustainable consumption, energy and other related SDGs and coordinate the implementation at national and subnational levels.  
• Organise trainings on climate change, disasters and coping, and air pollution impacts and prevention measures to children and adolescents.
• Develop a booklet to introduce and raise awareness about the “General comments #26 of UN Committee on the Rights of the Children and the environment with a special focus on climate change” and organize a workshop.
• Coordinate with the Government (MoET) and UNFCCC national focal point in Mongolia to ensure demonstration of UNICEF’s innovative climate and youth actions at the international events including the “Conference of the Parties” (COP) -the supreme decision-making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Contract duration: 10 months.

Travel plan: The consultancy service is related to the green school initiative of UNICEF in Ulaanbaatar and Orkhon province. Therefore, the consultant may be requested to travel to Orkhon province 3 times (3 days approx..) during the period of consultancy. S/he is responsible for arranging her/his own travel and should submit all invoices to UNICEF for payment.

Project Management:

Direct supervisor: Climate change and clean air specialist.

Frequency of performance review:

• Monthly-based progress updates and if needed adjustments into the initial plan of work.
• Deliverable-based performance review and reporting. 

Please find the details of the Terms of Reference here  ToR AQ monitoring and youth empowerment_ad.pdf

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

• Minimum qualifications required: Bachelor’s degree in environment, energy or social science.
• Relevant working experience: 2 years of work experience.
• Knowledge of air quality related data analysis and experience is an asset.
• Fluency in Mongolian and English.

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.