Consultancy - Neurotechnology policy consultant - Global Office of Research and Foresight - 10 months - Remote/Work from home

UNICEF Innocenti - Global Office of Research and Foresight is seeking to engage a consultant to extend this work by focusing on neurotechnology, children and their rights. The consultant will analyze policies and regulations that protect children in the era of neurotechnology, and where there are regulatory gaps. The consultant will help bring together a community of experts, and with their guidance: illustrate to government policymakers, child rights groups, the private sector and the UN how neurotechnology can impact children today and in the future through use cases, and develop guiding recommendations into neurotechnology policymaking and regulation so that children are protected and empowered.

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, answers 

UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight (GORaF) is the dedicated research office of UNICEF. It undertakes and commissions research and foresight on emerging or current issues of relevance for children to inform the strategic directions, policies and programs of UNICEF and its partners. The Global Office explores emerging issues, identifies research gaps, brings together existing researchers, and supports or undertakes research, foresight and data collection to address critical questions, develop policy recommendations and inform global debates relevant to children.

Rapid advancements at the convergence of AI and neurotechnology provide unprecedented potential for capturing, sharing and manipulating information from the human brain. Neurotechnology offers powerful opportunities for improving children’s health, well-being and optimizing education, but also presents new challenges to child rights that need to be addressed to prevent harm and unintended consequences. If neurotechnology progresses unchecked, it can impact on children’s right to freedom of thought and their mental privacy, affecting them today and throughout their lives. UNICEF Innocenti has previously commissioned a report on neurotechnology and children, which briefly describes neurotechnology, its current and potential/future uses, benefits and risks.

UNICEF Innocenti is recruiting a consultant to extend this work by focusing on neurotechnology, children and their rights. The consultant will analyze policies and regulations that protect children in the era of neurotechnology, and where there are regulatory gaps. The consultant will help bring together a community of experts, and with their guidance: illustrate to government policymakers, child rights groups, the private sector and the UN how neurotechnology can impact children today and in the future through use cases, and develop guiding recommendations into neurotechnology policymaking and regulation so that children are protected and empowered.

How can you make a difference? 

Major areas of work and responsibility:

1. Building on initial background report conducted for UNICEF, identify key stakeholders to involve in the project, events to target for maximum advocacy impact and visibility for children’s right, and policy/regulatory processes to influence in the future.

2. Assemble and convene an expert advisory group with knowledge of neurotechnology, policy and children’s rights in the digital environment, to help guide the project’s focus areas, implementation and analysis. Experts could come from the organizations like the NeuroRights Foundation, universities conducting research into neurotechnology, private sector companies, and UN bodies such as Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Office of the Tech Envoy responding to the Secretary-General’s call in the Our Common Agenda report to prevent potential harms in the digital space from neurotechnology. Convene four expert group meetings.

3. Develop a project plan, report outline, criteria for potential use cases to demonstrate impacts on rights, and approach to regulatory landscape scanning, with reviews/inputs from the expert advisory group.

4. Lightly map and summarize the policy/regulatory environment with regards to neurotechnology, and for children, in particular, to reveal gaps in existing normative frameworks or regulations, and opportunities for intervention. Global and national documents should be covered.

5. Write a guidance report (up to 5,000 words document) with:
- Summarize key points from the background paper (for readers who may only view this guidance report).
- Illustrative use cases and foresight methods such as future scenarios or personas of how children do and might interact with neurotechnology should be included, with explanations of how neurotechnology impacts – positively and negatively – on children’s rights. These should aim to make impacts relatable and tangible and help guide precautionary policies and regulations (through an action/inaction lens for policymakers). This section builds on some of the uses described in the background report.
- Updates on current efforts around neurotechnology and rights, such as the legal analysis being undertaken by the UN Human Rights Council. Light analysis and summary of relevant normative frameworks or regulations, with gaps and opportunities for intervention.
- A set of guiding recommendations, aimed at policymakers and regulators as well as neurotechnology developers, for how children can be empowered and protected with neurotechnology.

6. As part of developing the main report, conduct key informant interviews and convene and co-lead a (virtual or face-to-face) workshop with the expert advisory group to develop/validate the recommendations to protect and empower children.

7. Author one articles/blog post to give visibility to the report and issue to be published by UNICEF.

8. Liaise with colleagues working on data governance to identify and cross-reference potential synergies.

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

• A minimum of eight years of professional work experience at national or international levels conducting research, legal or policy analysis, and report writing in the field of emerging technologies related to child or human rights.
• Demonstrated experience or knowledge in the field of ICT and neurotechnology policy or practice required. Experience with neurotechnology or children in developing country contexts is desirable.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and excellent attention to detail. Proven experience of writing policy recommendations is an asset. Experience presenting outputs at conferences and to policymakers is an asset.
• Motivated self-starter, with demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively in geographically dispersed teams and across cultures.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment; experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset.
• Ability to organize own work and to carry out a project with limited supervision according to deadlines.
• Commitment to UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, transparency, and accountability.

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (such as Arabic, French, or Spanish) is an asset. 

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. 

Conditions of Consultancy

1. The Consultant will not be entitled to any separate travel entitlements under the Contract. All expenditure related to the travel plans set out in the Contract are deemed to be covered by the lump sum fee. It is likely that there will be one travel mission, but the location and time are to be determined. In the case of travel, it shall be further added through an amendment setting out the additional fee in consideration of the additional travel requirements on the following basis: (a) UNICEF will pay for travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route; provided however that in exceptional circumstances, such as for medical reasons, travel in business class may be approved by UNICEF on a case-by-case basis. (b) UNICEF will reimburse the Consultant for out-of-pocket expenses associated with such travel by paying an amount not exceeding the daily subsistence allowance that would be paid to staff members undertaking similar travel for official purposes.
2. UNICEF Innocenti will assist consultants with arrangements for visas, work permits, vaccinations, etc.
3. UNICEF does not regard Individuals engaged under a consultancy contract as “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures. Consultants are therefore not entitled to benefits such as leave, pension 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.
4. Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
5. Consultants are encouraged to ensure that they fully understand (a) the requirements of each deliverable and (b) the workload associated with reaching a deliverable.
6. UNICEF Innocenti recognizes that, due to the locations of some of its research, events may occur that either delay deliverables or prevent them from being completed. These events need to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine the impact on the payment schedule of the contract. It is UNICEF Innocenti’s objective to be fair to consultants in situations where deliverables are delayed or no longer attainable through no wrongdoing of the consultant.
7. Consultants 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.

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.