Consultancy: Peacebuilding and Fragility Consultant - HATIS, PD - NYHQ, Requisition# 506100

UNICEF has made progress over the last few years in strengthening its capacity to both ensure that its work is conflict sensitive (do no harm) and to engage in peacebuilding (do more good) all with the aim of improving its results for children in fragile and conflict affected settings. To continue and further strengthen this work, the Humanitarian Action and Transition Section (HATIS) in Programme Division (PD) is planning to recruit a consultant to support the implementation of its work plan.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

1. Background:

More than 246 million children currently live in areas affected by armed conflicts and violence. By 2018, it is estimated that half the world’s poor and the majority of out-of-school children will live in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.  In 2000, 23 percent of the world’s children were living in the 52 Countries that are designated as fragile by the OECD and the World Bank.  By 2014, that figure had risen to 28 percent, representing almost a third of the world’s child population.  In these contexts, access to basic social services and the protection of child rights are largely hampered due to widespread insecurity and weak institutions, leading to child deprivation and increased poverty.

With the adoption of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, which includes a specific goal on peaceful and inclusive societies, the international community has once again emphasized the centrality of peace and peacebuilding to achieving development.  The agenda calls for a stronger integration between humanitarian, development and peacebuilding pillars of the United Nations. The UN Security Council and General Assembly have also issued concurrent resolutions on ‘sustaining peace’ call on the UN system to respond in a more coordinate and holistic manner to the dynamics and effects of violent conflict as well as address its underlying causes for achieving sustainable peace. 

Achieving results for children and operating effectively in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, requires a stronger link between development and humanitarian programming, a better understanding of context through stronger risk analysis, including conflict analysis, and a focus on reducing vulnerabilities and building capacities of local actors and institutions, especially at the sub-national and local level to address underlying causes of fragility and conflict.   It also requires UNICEF to ensure its programmes are conflict sensitive (do-no-harm) and to the extent possible contribute to sustainable peace (do-more-good). UNICEF will continue to develop and refine specific guidance, tools, as well as strengthen staff capacity to achieve maximum results for children living in fragile and conflict affected contexts.

2. Purpose:

UNICEF has made progress over the last few years in strengthening its capacity to both ensure that its work is conflict sensitive (do no harm) and to engage in peacebuilding (do more good) all with the aim of improving its results for children in fragile and conflict affected settings. To continue and further strengthen this work, the Humanitarian Action and Transition Section (HATIS) in Programme Division (PD) is planning to recruit a consultant to support the implementation of its work plan.

3. Expected results:

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist – Fragility and Peacebuilding, and in close coordination with the Risk and Resilience Specialist, EMOPS and Regional Offices, the consultant will be responsible for the following results: 

3.1   Provide support to the global Fragility and Peacebuilding programme, particularly remote and direct support (field missions) to UNICEF Country Offices in the design and implementation of conflict analysis processes, the development of peacebuilding strategies/programmes, and the monitoring of their implementation.

3.2   Provide support to the roll-out of UNICEF’s new guidance on conflict analysis, peacebuilding programming and working in fragile contexts, including as part of the risk informed programming and organization of training workshops for capacity building

3.3   Provide support to partnerships at the global and country levels in support of UNICEF’s engagement in peacebuilding, sustaining peace and/or prevention agenda particularly as it relates to child rights and delivery of basic social services

3.4   Support the integration of child rights and basic social services into national and global level peacebuilding and prevention policy and planning frameworks as appropriate

3.5   Support knowledge management and lessons learned arising from the fragility and peacebuilding programme for application to UNICEF’s wider engagement in fragile, conflict affected and risk prone contexts.

3.6   Draft reports, updates, and briefing notes as necessary.

4. Timeframe:

Start date: 01 September 2017                                                                        

End date:   28 February 2018 

Deliverables	Duration (Estimated # of days)	Deadline
Monthly intermediary reports on activities completed and results achieved	21	30/Sept/2017
	22	31/Oct/2017
	21	30/Nov/2017
	22	31/Dec/2017
	22	31/Jan/2018
	20	28/Feb/2018
TOTAL	128

 5. Key competences, technical background, and experience required:

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, international development, conflict studies, public policy or other related field.
• A minimum of 10 years of work experience in conflict analysis, peacebuilding, conflict sensitivity, and international development, with a focus on fragile and conflict affected contexts. 
• Familiarity with UNICEF programming and the challenges of implementing such programmes in fragile and conflict affected countries.
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in French and/or Spanish is highly desirable.
• Strong communications skills, including during formal public speaking.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable).  Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.