TA Child Protection Sub-Cluster Coordinator, P3, Niamey/Niger
Niamey
- Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
- Location: Niamey
- Grade: Mid level - P-3, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
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Occupational Groups:
- Social Affairs
- Legal - Broad
- Legal - International Law
- Human Rights
- Humanitarian Aid and Coordination
- Children's rights (health and protection)
- Civil Society and Local governance
- Protection Officer (Refugee)
- Animal Health and Veterinary
- Closing Date: Closed
In the context of the ongoing Level 2 Emergency in Diffa region, Niger, UNICEF’s Child protection Section is recruiting an experienced Coordinator, to lead the national and regional sub cluster.
UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children's rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world
SUMMARY
In the context of the ongoing Level 2 Emergency in Diffa region, Niger, UNICEF’s Child protection Section is recruiting an experienced Coordinator, to lead the national and regional sub cluster.
For every Child, an advocate
The Niger continues to face multiple humanitarian crisis, including conflict and displacement, food insecurity and malnutrition, floods, and epidemic outbreaks. The Diffa region (South East) is particularly hit by several crises, but mostly by the Lake Chad Basin conflict. As of end of November 2016 it was estimated that the region was hosting 241,065 displaced people, including 121,320 internally displaced people, 105,386 refugees and 14,359 Nigerians returnees, scattered over 97 spontaneous sites.
A number of humanitarian actors, mostly international NGO’s, as well as government child protection services, have been implementing a wide range of interventions to address protection issues. These include: Child Friendly Spaces where children participate in socio-recreational activities which help them reduce stress in an environment which provides a sense of normalcy, and where children with special needs are identified and referred to psychosocial support or other services as needed; identification, documentation, temporary care, family tracing and reunification of unaccompanied and separated children; services for children victims of any form of violence – sexual, physical or emotional abuse, early/forced marriage, worst forms of labour, trafficking, recruitment into armed groups, etc.; establishment of community-based child protection mechanisms which includes volunteers and youth peer educators committees which role is to raise awareness about prevention and response to child protection issues, as well as to detect and report child protection cases; awareness-raising through community radios.
In order to avoid duplication and to ensure adequate geographic and thematic coverage, a full-time person is needed to coordinate interventions. This person is assisted by an Information Management Officer in charge of collecting, processing and analyzing data on the situation of children and on interventions carried out by all child protection actors in the area.
This position is part of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Cluster approach, led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), which is the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance.
This person will provide technical support to the two coordination mechanisms of the Child Protection Sub-Cluster of the Protection Cluster. In the capital city, Niamey, the Child Protection Working Group is led by UNICEF and co-led by the Ministry in charge of Child Protection, and comprises all CPiE country office representatives of INGOs working in the area of CPiE in Diffa. In Diffa, it is led by the Regional Child Protection Directorate and co-led by UNICEF, and comprises all CPiE field actors, all of which are international NGO’s. The former focuses on strategic coordination and the latter on operational coordination on the ground.
How can you make a difference?
On behalf of UNICEF, the Country Lead Agency for the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (AoR), and in support of the Government, the purpose of this position is to provide leadership and to facilitate processes at national as well as field level (in Diffa), that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response by participants in the Child Protection Working Group.
This will involve:
Collaboration with Protection Cluster, SGBV Sub-Cluster and other actors
- Work with the Protection Cluster and / or other actors including other Areas of Responsibility to identify opportunities to integrate Child Protection into other protection and other sector activities and to avoid duplication
- Work with the Protection Cluster and / or other humanitarian actors to prevent unintentional harm to children as a result of inappropriate humanitarian assistance.
- Collaborate with the Protection Cluster and/or other bodies as necessary to support and contribute to SGBV coordination mechanism as necessary.
Strategic Planning
- In collaboration with national and international Child Protection Actors, map current institutional response capacities – including conducting a child protection specific 6Ws.
- In collaboration with Child Protection Actors, develop a realistic evidence‐based, interagency Child Protection response plan, including both programmatic and advocacy activities (results oriented).
- Work with partners to develop a child protection interagency emergency preparedness plan (before, during and post emergency)
- During the transition phase of an emergency, work with child protection actors, government and other key stakeholders, including, where appropriate, groups at the global level, to develop a clear plan of action to hand over child protection in emergencies work to the appropriate actors.
- Promote emergency response actions, while at the same time considering the needs for early recovery planning. When feasible, work with Child protection actors to identify entry points for building national child protection systems.
- Coordinate the preparation of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP)
Assessment
- Work with the Protection Cluster lead to ensure that key child protection concerns are reflected in OCHA‐led multi‐sectoral assessments, as well as other non‐child protection specific sectoral assessments.
- If necessary and together with Child Protection Actors, organize and supervise an interagency child protection needs assessment to map out priority protection gaps and identify key resources and assets while considering the impact of the emergency on existing protective systems.
- Coordinate the preparation of the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO)
Capacity Building
- Work with Child Protection actors at national as well as field level (Diffa) to develop an interagency CPiE capacity building strategy that meets the needs and priorities of key national and local stakeholders (i.e. Community, Civil society, Government officials, NGOs, non‐ CP Humanitarian actors) in order to be able to implement the agreed programmes.
- Conduct training workshops for child protection actors as needed.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- With Child Protection Actors, identify benchmarks for the interagency Child Protection response plan, and ensure periodic review of agency and interagency response.
- With partners, identify response gaps (including geographic coverage and programmatic scope) and seek solutions for filling gaps. When implementing agencies are unable to fill an identified gap, work with UNICEF – and the Protection Cluster – to find a solution.
- Contribute to the preparation of UNICEF monthly Situation Reports (SITREP)
- Coordinate the updating of OCHA Online Reporting System (ORS)
Management and Representation
- Promote, respect and ensure that the Principles of Partnership are reflected in the day‐to‐ day work of the Child Protection coordination mechanism at national as well as field level (Diffa).
- Represent the interest of the sectoral group in discussions with the humanitarian community and other stakeholders on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy.
- Establish results‐oriented, two‐way communication channels between the national and sub‐national level to promote, upgrade and strengthen a more standardized child protection response at the operational and national level.
- Represent Child Protection Actors within the Protection Cluster, the OCHA lead inter‐cluster coordination mechanisms and, when possible, within the HCT/UN country team, as well as within any other inter-agency humanitarian coordination mechanism.
- Provide technical support to Child Protection Working Groups: call meetings, write minutes of meetings, keep documents organized in Drop Box, share information, write annual report of Child Protection Sub-Cluster.
Fund Raising
- In close consultation with Child Protection Actors, develop CERF and other proposals.
- Contribute to the mobilisation of resources to fill funding gaps.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- Advanced university degree in the Social Sciences (Master’s Degree).
- At least five years of relevant experience, i.e. in inter-agency coordination and programme management in the area of child protection in emergencies.
- Demonstrated excellent leadership, negotiation, communication, facilitation, advocacy and writing skills.
- Full working proficiency in oral and written French and English.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. To view our competency framework, please click here.
Functional Competencies
- Leading and Supervising – Level I
- Formulating Strategies and Concepts – Level II
- Relating and Networking – Level II
- Applying Technical Expertise – Level III
- Deciding and Initiating Actions II
- Analyzing Level III
Duration: 364 days
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.
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