Details
Mission and objectives
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work to translate that commitment into practical action, especially for the most disadvantaged children.
In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada.
Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria. All 14 Pacific island countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations.
In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada.
Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria. All 14 Pacific island countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations.
Context
UNICEF Pacific operates in one of the most disaster‑prone regions globally, where tropical cyclones, droughts, floods, and climate shocks regularly undermine children’s wellbeing and strain national response systems. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific face acute challenges related to geographic dispersion, high logistics costs, and limited fiscal space, making predictable and timely disaster risk financing (DRF) a critical enabler of effective humanitarian response and anticipatory action.
UNICEF is supporting Pacific governments to strengthen Climate and Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (CDRFI) approaches through a regional SIDS Platform, which combines parametric insurance (including PCRIC Replica), contingent grants, and anticipatory action protocols. These instruments are designed to ensure rapid financing for child‑focused preparedness, early action, and response, while progressively embedding DRF approaches within national systems.
The UN Volunteer Specialist will support UNICEF Pacific’s humanitarian and DRF agenda by contributing to the operationalisation, coordination, and country‑level alignment of these financing mechanisms. The assignment will focus on strengthening linkages between risk analytics, financing triggers, and money‑out systems, ensuring that DRF instruments translate into timely, effective action for children and vulnerable communities across the Pacific.
The role will work closely with UNICEF programme sections, regional partners, and government counterparts, contributing to learning, documentation, and capacity support around DRF and anticipatory humanitarian action.
UNICEF is supporting Pacific governments to strengthen Climate and Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (CDRFI) approaches through a regional SIDS Platform, which combines parametric insurance (including PCRIC Replica), contingent grants, and anticipatory action protocols. These instruments are designed to ensure rapid financing for child‑focused preparedness, early action, and response, while progressively embedding DRF approaches within national systems.
The UN Volunteer Specialist will support UNICEF Pacific’s humanitarian and DRF agenda by contributing to the operationalisation, coordination, and country‑level alignment of these financing mechanisms. The assignment will focus on strengthening linkages between risk analytics, financing triggers, and money‑out systems, ensuring that DRF instruments translate into timely, effective action for children and vulnerable communities across the Pacific.
The role will work closely with UNICEF programme sections, regional partners, and government counterparts, contributing to learning, documentation, and capacity support around DRF and anticipatory humanitarian action.
Task description
Under the supervision of the Emergency Specialist, the Humanitarian Disaster Risk Financing and Anticipatory Action Specialist (Pacific) will support UNICEF Pacific’s work on humanitarian preparedness and Disaster Risk Financing, with a specific focus on the operationalization of DRF instruments within the Pacific SIDS context, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
A. Support to Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI) initiatives
• Assist UNICEF Pacific in the coordination and operational follow‑up of regional DRF mechanisms, including PCRIC Replica insurance, contingent grant mechanisms, and anticipatory action protocols, ensuring alignment with humanitarian response priorities.
• Support the documentation and analysis of trigger mechanisms, expected outflows, and country‑specific use cases, helping translate technical designs into programmatically actionable guidance.
• Contribute to internal briefings and summaries on DRF instruments for UNICEF pro-gramme teams and management.
B. Strengthening “money‑out” preparedness and humanitarian readiness
• Support mapping and review of money‑out systems at country level (processes, agreements, roles) to enable rapid deployment of funds when DRF instruments trig-ger.
• Assist in identifying operational bottlenecks related to logistics, pre‑positioning, and partner readiness, particularly in dispersed island contexts, in line with Pacific MCO priorities.
• Contribute to lessons‑learned reviews following activations or simulations of DRF and anticipatory action mechanisms.
C. Government engagement and alignment
• Support UNICEF engagement with national governments on DRF‑related topics, contributing to alignment between UNICEF systems and national disaster risk management and financing frameworks.
• Assist in preparing background notes, talking points, and briefing materials for joint discussions with government counterparts and regional partners on DRF and anticipatory action.
D. Knowledge management and learning
• Support consolidation of guidance, tools, and learning products emerging from the Pacific DRF work, including summaries of simulations, dashboards, and operational workflows requested by country offices.
• Contribute to cross‑regional knowledge exchange by documenting Pacific experiences relevant to other SIDS contexts.
During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check‑ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance feedback.
A. Support to Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI) initiatives
• Assist UNICEF Pacific in the coordination and operational follow‑up of regional DRF mechanisms, including PCRIC Replica insurance, contingent grant mechanisms, and anticipatory action protocols, ensuring alignment with humanitarian response priorities.
• Support the documentation and analysis of trigger mechanisms, expected outflows, and country‑specific use cases, helping translate technical designs into programmatically actionable guidance.
• Contribute to internal briefings and summaries on DRF instruments for UNICEF pro-gramme teams and management.
B. Strengthening “money‑out” preparedness and humanitarian readiness
• Support mapping and review of money‑out systems at country level (processes, agreements, roles) to enable rapid deployment of funds when DRF instruments trig-ger.
• Assist in identifying operational bottlenecks related to logistics, pre‑positioning, and partner readiness, particularly in dispersed island contexts, in line with Pacific MCO priorities.
• Contribute to lessons‑learned reviews following activations or simulations of DRF and anticipatory action mechanisms.
C. Government engagement and alignment
• Support UNICEF engagement with national governments on DRF‑related topics, contributing to alignment between UNICEF systems and national disaster risk management and financing frameworks.
• Assist in preparing background notes, talking points, and briefing materials for joint discussions with government counterparts and regional partners on DRF and anticipatory action.
D. Knowledge management and learning
• Support consolidation of guidance, tools, and learning products emerging from the Pacific DRF work, including summaries of simulations, dashboards, and operational workflows requested by country offices.
• Contribute to cross‑regional knowledge exchange by documenting Pacific experiences relevant to other SIDS contexts.
During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check‑ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance feedback.
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