UNICEF Pacific is seeking a motivated national or international consultant to help integrate child-responsive approaches into the Solomon Islands’ new National Adaptation Plan—an important role in one of the world’s most climate vulnerable regions. This 10 month assignment (51 working days) includes 14 days in Honiara and 37 days remote, offering a balance of in-country engagement and flexible work. You will collaborate with UNICEF teams, government counterparts, and partners to ensure children’s needs and rights are reflected in national climate resilience planning. The consultant will report to the Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in the Solomon Islands, who will provide administrative oversight and facilitate engagement with government and partners. Technical guidance and quality assurance will be provided by Climate and Environment Specialists at the UNICEF Pacific Multi Country Office in Suva and the Solomon Islands Field Office. If you’re passionate about climate action and child rights, apply now!

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to an advocate.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, though only a third are currently on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work here: UNICEF Pacific Islands.

The Solomon Islands is increasingly vulnerable to climate induced hazards, including more intense tropical cyclones, sea level rise, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and extreme rainfall leading to flooding and landslides. These hazards pose significant risks to lives, livelihoods, ecosystems, and the continuity of essential services.

Children are disproportionately affected. Climate related hazards disrupt health, nutrition, education, WASH, child protection, and social protection systems. They damage school infrastructure, interrupt learning, increase displacement, and contribute to psychological distress and long-term trauma. Strengthening the resilience of social services is therefore critical to ensuring that essential healthcare, education, and child protection services remain accessible before, during, and after climate shocks.

The Government of Solomon Islands, through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), has taken meaningful steps to address these challenges. The National Climate Change Policy (2023–2032) integrates climate action into the National Development Strategy and enhances national adaptive capacity. The country ratified the Paris Agreement on 21 September 2016 and is preparing to submit its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The 2008 National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA) identified urgent adaptation priorities across sectors such as agriculture, water, health, education, energy, environment, infrastructure, fisheries, tourism, and human settlements. It recognizes that women and children will bear a disproportionate burden of climate related health impacts and that schools—particularly those near the coast—face increasing risks from storms and cyclones.

To respond to escalating climate risks, MECDM is now developing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which will provide a strategic framework for integrating climate change adaptation and loss and damage across national and subnational planning. A national Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (CRVA) is currently underway with financial support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and technical assistance from Beca International Consultants Ltd, Earth Sciences New Zealand, and NAL Engineering. Findings from the sector-based CRVA will guide strategic adaptation planning and investment prioritization for the NAP.

Recognizing the heightened vulnerabilities of children, there is an urgent need to ensure that child-responsive measures are embedded throughout climate adaptation efforts, especially within social sectors. UNICEF is working closely with MECDM and GGGI to integrate child-sensitive approaches and concrete child-focused interventions into the new NAP. This collaboration ensures that the risks and needs of children—and the systems that support them—are fully reflected in national adaptation strategies.

While GGGI will contract a firm to lead the NAP development, UNICEF intends to recruit a dedicated consultant to work with MECDM, GGGI, and the contracted firm. This collaboration will help ensure that child rights and needs are comprehensively addressed and prioritized, strengthening the resilience of social services and better protecting children from the growing impacts of climate change.

How can you make a difference? 

In close coordination and collaboration with UNICEF, MECDM, GGGI, and GGGI’s contracted firm, the Consultant will ensure consistency, complementarity, and the timely integration of child-sensitive and child-responsive approaches into the development of the Solomon Islands NAP.

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Integrate child rights approaches and considerations in the NAP1 addressing the specific vulnerabilities of children and the social services they rely on (including health, nutrition, education, WASH, child protection and social protection).
• Drawing on the Solomon Islands subnational Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), currently under development by UNICEF and expected to be finalized by early 2026, the Solomon Islands Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) and other relevant literature, provide an evidence-based analysis of the impacts of climate change on children and the role of essential social services in building child and community resilience. This includes conducting child-sensitive risk and impact assessments that integrate gender, accessibility, social inclusion, and life cycle considerations.
• Identify sector-specific adaptation measures that are evidence-based and responsive to the needs of children, including the definition of relevant indicators, targets, baselines, and other elements for integration into the NAP results frameworks.
• Review and provide recommendations and inputs to the draft NAP, national financing strategies developed by GGGI’s contracted firm to ensure the integration of child-sensitive and social sector approaches across these documents.
• Facilitate coordination with and participation of relevant social sector ministries to ensure an inclusive, comprehensive, and integrated approach to adaptation planning. This includes organizing and facilitating meetings and discussions among key stakeholders.
• Facilitate the participation of adolescents and young people in the NAP planning process to ensure their perspectives, needs, and solutions are captured. This includes organizing one in-person consultation workshop to gather inputs for the draft NAP, and one virtual feedback session to brief participants on how their contributions were incorporated. NOTE: All costs related to these consultations will be covered by UNICEF and should not be included in the consultant’s financial proposal.
• Review and synthesize relevant project documents and literature to inform all stages of the consultancy.
• Prepare and submit regular progress reports, including summaries of key meetings, consultation outcomes, and other relevant updates.
• Maintain close collaboration and continuous communication with UNICEF, the MECDM, GGGI, and GGGI’s contracted firm to ensure consistency and alignment throughout the consultancy. This includes participation in virtual and in-person meetings as requested.
• Undertake any other tasks relevant to the consultancy as instructed by UNICEF Pacific.

Please refer to the ToR ( Individual Consultant TOR- Solomon Islands National Adaptation Plan.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines. 

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced university degree in development studies, social sciences, public policy, public health, or a related field. A focus on children's rights, gender, or social inclusion is an asset. Demonstrated knowledge on climate change and environment is an asset.

Work Experience:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in national planning, policy development, or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience in integrating child rights, gender equality, and/or social inclusion into climate or development policy frameworks.
• Experience conducting climate risk and impact assessments, particularly with social social-sensitive lenses.
• Experience working with or supporting government-led planning processes, ideally in collaboration with multiple sectors such as health, education, WASH, child protection or social protection.
• Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations, including with adolescents and youth, is highly desirable.
• Experience working in developing countries, preferably in the Pacific Islands or similar contexts
• Previous experience working with UNICEF or a UN system agency is an asset.

Skills:

• Strong analytical and research skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent facilitation, coordination, and communication skills, including the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders at national and subnational levels.
• Culturally sensitive and able to work effectively in a multicultural environment, including remote coordination across time zones.
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills in English.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and deliver quality outputs under tight deadlines.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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.

Remarks:  

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

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female and male candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

The consultancy is open to both national and international applicants. All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.