Communications and Advocacy Specialist (polio and immunization)

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF works in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents – and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines, we support child health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality education and skill building, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies, and the protection of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation. Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing lifesaving help and hope to children and families. Non-political and impartial, we are never neutral when it comes to defending children’s rights and safeguarding their lives and futures.

Context

The UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) is based in Dakar, Senegal, covering 24 countries in the region. The Communication and Advocacy team leads the regional office’s communication and advocacy efforts, collaborating across sections and supporting country offices to get children’s issues into the public domain, strengthening political will in support of UNICEF's mission, and enhancing the organization’s credibility and brand in West and Central Africa. Immunization, including polio eradication, is one of the Communication and Advocacy team’s thematic areas of work. West and Central Africa is the region with the lowest immunization coverage in the world due to a combination of factors that include poverty, weak national health systems, conflicts, the impact of climate change and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic. When children are not vaccinated, they are not immunized against diseases and therefore at greater risk of life-long disabilities or even death – and so are the communities they live in. According to the latest global data, the DTP3 coverage (3rd dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis combined vaccine) for the whole region was 69 per cent in 2022, down from 72 per cent in 2019, with 4.4 million children that did not receive a single dose of vaccine. Over the past years, many countries in the region have seen the reemergence of preventable diseases that for decades have been fought tirelessly to control, including polio. In 2023, 59 per cent of the outbreaks reported in the WHO Africa region occurred in West and Central Africa alone, often simultaneously and spilling over borders. Outbreaks of the variant poliovirus were recorded in 13 out of the region’s 24 countries in 2022. Additional countries are considered at high risk of polio infection or re-infection due to low levels of immunity and surveillance, according to the Global polio eradication initiative (GPEI). That is why it is critical that UNICEF and partners work with governments to regain lost ground on immunization and polio eradication and ensure that all children are vaccinated. Eradicating all forms of poliovirus and accelerating routine immunization requires an urgent, deliberate and dedicated effort to bring together all partners around these common goals, including by improving access, information campaigns, the surveillance system and sufficient domestic resources. Note: In addition to duty station specific vaccine requirements, appointments 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 appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers 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 contracts. UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers 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 recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.

Task description

As part of the joint efforts to eradicate all forms of poliovirus and accelerate routine immunization, the UNICEF West and Central Africa regional office is looking for a UN Volunteer expert in advocacy and communication. Under the supervision of the UNICEF WCARO Communication Specialist and in close collaboration with UNICEF colleagues at the country, regional and headquarters level as well as with key external partners, the UN volunteer will support the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of advocacy and communication efforts related to polio eradication and routine immunization in the region, more particularly in priority areas and countries facing outbreaks. Duties include: • Assist UNICEF country offices in West and Central Africa in the development of their advocacy and communication strategies and/or plans related to polio eradication and immunization, more particularly in priority areas of the region and as part of the emergency response to polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases outbreaks. • Support the implementation of these advocacy and communication plans, contributing to a range of tactics such as the regional amplification and/or support to the production of multimedia advocacy assets including in the field and for digital platforms, advocacy briefs, various user-friendly materials, messages, creative campaign activations and the organization of special events. • Travel to the field to support countries in the region in their advocacy and communication efforts as part of their emergency response to outbreaks, including by producing and/or leading on the timely production of qualitative multimedia assets (photo, videos, stories, infographics, etc.). Several 1-2 weeks field missions are planned during the year. • Develop assets for use on the regional web and social media platforms on a regular basis, in close collaboration with the UNICEF regional digital colleague, and contribute to social media listening. • Support the production of photo, video and other content, including through the management of external providers as necessary. • Assist in editing/re-writing human interest stories, blogs, articles, speeches, concept notes, reports, etc. for use at the regional level. • Facilitate media interview requests at the regional level. • Assist in the day-to-day delivery of the advocacy and communication efforts, developing and tracking project plans to ensure progress and address obstacles and bottlenecks, including by supporting effective budget management, projections and tracking. • Support the establishment of baselines against which advocacy and communication outcomes are regularly monitored to analyze the effectiveness of strategies, approaches and activities; produce and disseminate advocacy M&E results on a regular basis. • Assist in building advocacy capacities among both internal staff and external partners, including by documenting and disseminating advocacy and communication good practices. • Ensure strong coordination with global and regional polio eradication and routine immunization partners, supporting the flow of information to / from key stakeholders, including by participating to multi-partners meetings or events, sharing information as relevant. • Research current and potential advocacy partners. Assist and maintain a database of formal and informal partnerships and networks whose support is essential to achieving advocacy objectives. • Undertake other key responsibilities to support the performance and impact of the Communication and Advocacy Section as required.