Public Finance and Governance Associate

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress.

UNICEF and China have a long history of collaboration. In 1947, China became the first country in Asia to welcome a partnership with UNICEF, and our first programme provided emergency relief services to children. Between 1948 and 1951, our work in China included child feeding, as well as training to build capacity for maternal and child health care, sanitation and first aid. This training programme later influenced China's “barefoot doctor” rural healthcare system. Our partnerships in China resumed in 1979. Since that time, we have contributed to many of China's most significant developments for children.

This UN Volunteer assignment will support the investment and governance portfolio of UNICEF China’s Social Policy section within the China–UNICEF Country Programme 2026–2030. The programme promotes child-centred social policy so that more children, especially those facing poverty, exclusion or unequal access to services, benefit from social protection and services that support children and families.

Fiscal policy, public expenditure and investment decisions shape the resources available for children and the quality of services they receive. The portfolio connects analysis of national and local public finance with policy dialogue on equitable resource allocation, sustainable financing, public service delivery and accountable governance. Relevant areas include child-related expenditure, central–local fiscal relations, transfer payments, childcare and family benefits, and the implications of demographic change and fiscal pressures for essential services.

The assignment will also support research on development financing, including the links between sovereign debt, fiscal space and investment in human capital. It will help translate evidence from China and international experience into practical inputs for policy discussion and knowledge exchange. The Associate will work with UNICEF colleagues and support engagement with relevant finance and planning authorities, sector ministries, research institutions and development partners, under the supervisor’s guidance.

Special attention will be paid to how these policies and financing arrangements are implemented within the context of China's rural revitalization agenda. This includes examining how public investment, local governance systems, and service delivery mechanisms can better support children and families in rural areas, reduce disparities in access to essential services, and contribute to inclusive and sustainable rural development.

The role offers an opportunity to apply economic and financial analysis to children’s rights and well-being, while developing practical experience in research, programme support and policy communication.

Under the direct supervision of the Social Policy and Economic Specialist from UNICEF China, the UN Associate Volunteer will:

1. Public expenditure analysis.
- Collect, clean and organize national and subnational budget and expenditure data.
- Support analysis of allocations, execution, trends, adequacy, equity and efficiency in selected child-related services.
- Examine how fiscal policies, public investment and financing mechanisms support service delivery and child well-being, particularly in the context of rural revitalization and local governance.
- Document sources, definitions and limitations, distinguishing budget estimates from actual spending and nominal changes from real changes.

2. Development financing and investment.
- Undertake desk research on development finance, sovereign debt and fiscal space, including China’s international development financing where relevant to the workplan.
- Compile country examples and evidence on how financing arrangements and public investment affect essential services, human capital and children’s well-being.
- Assist with costing, financing-gap estimates and simple scenarios using methods agreed with the supervisor.

3. Rural revitalization and local governance.
- Support research and policy analysis related to China's rural revitalization agenda, with a particular focus on implications for children and families.
- Contribute to the documentation of innovative approaches, case studies and lessons learned from China and international experience to inform policy dialogue and knowledge exchange.

4. Research and policy communication.
- Review Chinese- and English-language literature and policy documents.
- Prepare draft analytical notes, charts, presentations, case studies and briefing materials for technical review.
- Summarize findings clearly for non-specialist audiences and assist with translation and checking of relevant technical content.

5. Programme and partnership support.
- Help prepare technical meetings, consultations and knowledge-sharing events.
- Compile background materials, record discussions and follow up on agreed actions.
- Maintain activity and deliverable trackers, and contribute factual inputs to progress reports and coordination with researchers and programme partners.