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.
Context
Since 1964, child rights have anchored the strong partnership between the Government of Malaysia and UNICEF. UNICEF's work in Malaysia aims to ensure every child, especially the most vulnerable, has a fair, equitable start in life — with all girls and boys, regardless of location, family income or disability, enjoying equal access to quality services and an equal chance to reach their full potential.
Malaysia is an upper-middle income, culturally diverse country with a large, dynamic youth population: children and young people under 24 make up roughly 40% of the population and are a critical constituency for the country's development. While access to services and opportunities has expanded, many young people — particularly from low-income households, indigenous communities, disability communities, and migration-affected populations — still face barriers to learning, protection, wellbeing and participation. They are also navigating a rapidly shifting social and economic landscape shaped by climate risks, technological change, misinformation and evolving civic spaces. These trends highlight the need for stronger, more inclusive systems that build relevant skills, protect rights, and create safe, meaningful opportunities for young people to influence decisions affecting their lives.
Malaysia's national priorities — including Malaysia Madani and the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan — emphasize equity, wellbeing, sustainability, unity and human capital development, creating important openings to strengthen adolescent development and participation. Continued investment in system strengthening, inclusive participation platforms, evidence generation and cross-sectoral partnerships is essential to ensure development gains reach all children and young people, especially the most marginalized.
Operating in an upper-middle income context, UNICEF Malaysia drives advocacy, policy influence and targeted programming through evidence generation, technical advice and scalable models for system-wide change. Using a human rights-based approach, the country programme is designed with the Government of Malaysia and aligned with the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and the 13th Malaysia Plan, while responding to UNICEF's global priorities, Agenda 2030, and the "Leave No One Behind" and "Build Back Better" agendas.
UNICEF Malaysia's 2026–2030 Country Programme places adolescent development, meaningful participation and civic engagement among its key priorities, shaped in part by consultations with diverse groups of children and young people. UNICEF has also established the Young People's Advisory Group (YPAG) to strengthen young people's role in shaping programmes, advocacy and decision-making.
Within this context, the UNV Adolescent Programme Coordinator will provide coordination, knowledge management and documentation support to the Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) team — helping coordinate YPAG and other youth initiatives, supporting capacity building on meaningful participation, and documenting learning, good practices and results to strengthen UNICEF's work with and for children and young people in Malaysia.
Malaysia is an upper-middle income, culturally diverse country with a large, dynamic youth population: children and young people under 24 make up roughly 40% of the population and are a critical constituency for the country's development. While access to services and opportunities has expanded, many young people — particularly from low-income households, indigenous communities, disability communities, and migration-affected populations — still face barriers to learning, protection, wellbeing and participation. They are also navigating a rapidly shifting social and economic landscape shaped by climate risks, technological change, misinformation and evolving civic spaces. These trends highlight the need for stronger, more inclusive systems that build relevant skills, protect rights, and create safe, meaningful opportunities for young people to influence decisions affecting their lives.
Malaysia's national priorities — including Malaysia Madani and the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan — emphasize equity, wellbeing, sustainability, unity and human capital development, creating important openings to strengthen adolescent development and participation. Continued investment in system strengthening, inclusive participation platforms, evidence generation and cross-sectoral partnerships is essential to ensure development gains reach all children and young people, especially the most marginalized.
Operating in an upper-middle income context, UNICEF Malaysia drives advocacy, policy influence and targeted programming through evidence generation, technical advice and scalable models for system-wide change. Using a human rights-based approach, the country programme is designed with the Government of Malaysia and aligned with the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and the 13th Malaysia Plan, while responding to UNICEF's global priorities, Agenda 2030, and the "Leave No One Behind" and "Build Back Better" agendas.
UNICEF Malaysia's 2026–2030 Country Programme places adolescent development, meaningful participation and civic engagement among its key priorities, shaped in part by consultations with diverse groups of children and young people. UNICEF has also established the Young People's Advisory Group (YPAG) to strengthen young people's role in shaping programmes, advocacy and decision-making.
Within this context, the UNV Adolescent Programme Coordinator will provide coordination, knowledge management and documentation support to the Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) team — helping coordinate YPAG and other youth initiatives, supporting capacity building on meaningful participation, and documenting learning, good practices and results to strengthen UNICEF's work with and for children and young people in Malaysia.
Task description
Under the general supervision of the Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) Officer, the UNV Adolescent Programme Coordinator will support the planning, coordination, delivery and documentation of programmes with and for young people. The role will contribute across four areas: 1. Young people’s participation, civic engagement and advocacy; 2. Capacity building on meaningful participation; 3. Knowledge management and documentation; and 4. Broader ADAP programme support. The main responsibilities are outlined below:
1. Young people’s participation, civic engagement and advocacy
• Coordinate and support initiatives that strengthen young people’s participation, civic engagement and advocacy, including UNICEF’s Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG), World Children’s Day and engagement with children’s councils and related platforms on joint child rights and advocacy initiatives;
• Engage with UNICEF programme sections to identify and coordinate safe, inclusive and meaningful opportunities for young people to contribute to programme initiatives and advocacy;
• Liaise with young people’s networks, children and youth councils, civil society organizations, human rights bodies and other partners to support coordinated engagement and collaboration;
• Support the coordination of consultations, participatory group discussions, roundtables and panel discussions, ensuring that young people’s participation is safe, ethical, inclusive and meaningful.
2. Capacity building on meaningful participation
• Support the planning, design and delivery of skills-building workshops and interactive sessions for young people, partners and UNICEF colleagues;
• Contribute to capacity-building activities on meaningful participation principles, safeguarding and practical approaches for engaging young people safely and effectively;
• Coordinate with national and subnational partners, young people’s networks, civil society organizations and private sector actors to support capacity-building initiatives.
3. Knowledge management, documentation and learning
• Support the monitoring, drafting and consolidation of programme results to inform periodic reporting, learning and knowledge-sharing;
• Document and amplify young people-led impact by curating stories, supporting multimedia assets, contributing to dissemination plans and identifying appropriate communication channels;
• Maintain data management tools and tracking systems to monitor outreach, engagement and participation of young people;
• Contribute to a resource repository of guidance, tools and materials on adolescent development, safeguarding and meaningful participation for internal and external stakeholders;
• Monitor and curate relevant current affairs, evidence, statistics and data on young people to support programme planning, advocacy and reporting.
4. Broader ADAP programme support
• Provide coordination support for key child rights and other relevant advocacy opportunities;
• Provide additional coordination, administrative and programme support as required for the ADAP programme and country programme delivery. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take an active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results, and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/Expected outputs:
As an active UNICEF Malaysia ADAP team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client–friendly and high–quality support rendered to the team and its beneficiaries in the performance of her/his/their functions, including:
• Strategic growth and involvement of our digital and traditional media audience,
• Lessons learned and best practices are shared,
• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs),
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed
1. Young people’s participation, civic engagement and advocacy
• Coordinate and support initiatives that strengthen young people’s participation, civic engagement and advocacy, including UNICEF’s Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG), World Children’s Day and engagement with children’s councils and related platforms on joint child rights and advocacy initiatives;
• Engage with UNICEF programme sections to identify and coordinate safe, inclusive and meaningful opportunities for young people to contribute to programme initiatives and advocacy;
• Liaise with young people’s networks, children and youth councils, civil society organizations, human rights bodies and other partners to support coordinated engagement and collaboration;
• Support the coordination of consultations, participatory group discussions, roundtables and panel discussions, ensuring that young people’s participation is safe, ethical, inclusive and meaningful.
2. Capacity building on meaningful participation
• Support the planning, design and delivery of skills-building workshops and interactive sessions for young people, partners and UNICEF colleagues;
• Contribute to capacity-building activities on meaningful participation principles, safeguarding and practical approaches for engaging young people safely and effectively;
• Coordinate with national and subnational partners, young people’s networks, civil society organizations and private sector actors to support capacity-building initiatives.
3. Knowledge management, documentation and learning
• Support the monitoring, drafting and consolidation of programme results to inform periodic reporting, learning and knowledge-sharing;
• Document and amplify young people-led impact by curating stories, supporting multimedia assets, contributing to dissemination plans and identifying appropriate communication channels;
• Maintain data management tools and tracking systems to monitor outreach, engagement and participation of young people;
• Contribute to a resource repository of guidance, tools and materials on adolescent development, safeguarding and meaningful participation for internal and external stakeholders;
• Monitor and curate relevant current affairs, evidence, statistics and data on young people to support programme planning, advocacy and reporting.
4. Broader ADAP programme support
• Provide coordination support for key child rights and other relevant advocacy opportunities;
• Provide additional coordination, administrative and programme support as required for the ADAP programme and country programme delivery. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take an active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results, and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/Expected outputs:
As an active UNICEF Malaysia ADAP team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client–friendly and high–quality support rendered to the team and its beneficiaries in the performance of her/his/their functions, including:
• Strategic growth and involvement of our digital and traditional media audience,
• Lessons learned and best practices are shared,
• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs),
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed
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