Consultancy (Part-time, Home-based): Migration Policy & Research Specialist - Child Notice Report on Child-Specific Country of Origin Information Analysis, Country Relations, Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP)

The purpose of this consultancy work is to develop a Child Notice to inform the development of an advocacy strategy, engage with government and other partners at country level and decide how to engage with UNICEF country offices in countries of origin and third countries of return. UNICEF is seeking a consultant to compile the data and to draft the Child Notice on Albania according to an already developed reporting structure and methodology already established by UNICEF and UNICEF National Committees.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope

Mediterranean migration routes in 2020. As of March 2020, nearly 52,000 refugee and migrant children were present in Italy, Greece and the rest of the Balkans^[1].

An important challenge lies in the response from governments with a strong focus on return policies and practices for irregular migrants and people whose asylum application has been rejected.  Return of migrants is high on the agenda of most European governments and is discussed at the highest level in the European Union (EU) -most recently in the EU Asylum and Migration Pact[2]. European governments are increasingly developing readmission agreements with countries of origin to facilitate the return of migrants or refugees whose asylum’s applications have been rejected. In 2015, the European Commission called for “improved cooperation with third countries for identifying and readmitting nationals”^[3]. States consider that stepping up returns is necessary to restore public trust in States’ ability to control their borders and to alleviate pressure on resources. Under the current narrative, “credible” and “effective” return policies and practices are a precondition to prioritize people entitled to international protection, to open avenues for regular migration and to conditional trade and ODA. These agreements are heavily criticized as failing to incorporate international law obligations and human rights standards and as being wrongly linked to trade agreements and Overseas Development Aid.

In addition, there is a growing concern among organizations working on children’s rights, including UNICEF, on the process determination of who returns, the conditions of return of children and on the concept of “safe countries”. To date, there are no harmonized standards on best interest determination nor on return procedures specific to children (including unaccompanied children) among European countries and very limited guarantees on child rights situation in countries of origin. When the decision of sending children back to their countries of origin or in transit countries is taken, there is no monitoring system in place to follow up and ensure standardized conditions of the children throughout each step of the return process, whether in the countries of departure or in the countries of origin or transit. 

Reliable and specific country of origin information is of great importance for children on the move.   Information about the local situation of children in countries of origin is needed for all decisions relating to the best interests of the child and for identifying durable solutions. In the case of return, impartial information about the country of origin increases the opportunity of safe and sustainable returns and decreases the chances of children being re-victimized through exploitation, abuse or trafficking during their migration journey

Currently, child-specific country of origin information is scarce or unavailable. This means that authorities (immigration services, policy makers) and professionals (lawyers, guardians, judges, NGO’s and counter-trafficking organizations) in EU Member States often take decisions based upon outdated and non-child specific information.

The Child Notice will generate child-specific country of origin information analysis (Child notices) on a country, that should be used in the asylum procedure or other procedures considering the best interests of the child such as those designed to provide protection to trafficked children. The Child notices will provide for better information on possible durable solutions for these children, such as the safe return of children to countries of origin, and the protection and reintegration of children upon their return. The Child notice will be developed according to an already established reporting structure for Child Notices that is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The National Committees will share the final Child Notice with government officials and key stakeholders in order to better inform return and reintegration decisions.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of this consultancy work is to develop a Child Notice to inform the development of an advocacy strategy, engage with government and other partners at country level and decide how to engage with UNICEF country offices in countries of origin and third countries of return.

UNICEF is seeking a consultant to compile the data and to draft the Child Notice on Albania according to an already developed reporting structure and methodology already established by UNICEF and UNICEF National Committees.

MAIN TASKS

• Finalise the country of origin research questions and methodology based on the report on the lessons learnt in collecting information for Child Notice.
• Desk study: Review of existing reports, documents, evaluations and other relevant documents on the situation of children in the concerned country.
• Additional interviews with resource persons and/or international and national organizations if needed.
• Validation of the collected data by local experts (UNICEF country office included) in a meeting or through written consultation.
• Develop a first draft of the Child Notice according to an already established report structure, share and finalize outline and timeline for the Child Notice.
• Revise the draft to produce a final version, taking into account the feedback received.
• Draft, share and finalize (based on comments received from UNICEF various divisions and National Committees) a Child Notice (including annexes) on existing legal and policy framework, decision and process on return of migrant children, based on legal analyses and country reports in the country of origin. The Child Notice should not exceed 50 pages, including annexes and will include graphics and tables as needed.
• Compile, draft, share and finalize an Executive Summary/Overview (5 to 8 pages max) document summarizing main findings and recommendations on child-sensitive return.
• Prepare a presentation/talking points on the Child Notice.
• Responsible for writing, proofreading and providing quality assurance. May require coordination with UNICEF, rewriting for greater readability and better logical sequence. 

DELIVERABLES

1. First deliverable: 1^st Draft Child Notice report (20% of the gross fee)
2. Second deliverable: 2^nd Draft Child Notice report (20% of the gross fee)
3. Final deliverable: Child Notice in English, including a graphic on the return process, Executive Summary/Overview of the Child Notice report (5 to 8 pages), including a PowerPoint presentation/talking points on the findings and recommendations of the Child Notice report (60% of the gross fee)

Payment upon receipt of the deliverables.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Master’s degree in public policy, communication, human rights, development studies or related field is required.
• A minimum of 8 years of experience as writer, including in the development of reports on children or human rights. Substantial experience in data collection, research and drafting of reports.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills.
• Familiarity with UNICEF’s programmes in migration (including in National Committees countries) is essential.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge and understanding of written and spoken Albanian is a strong asset.
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills.
• Proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Preferably knowledge on the children’s rights situation in Albania.

ESTIMATED DURATION OF THE CONTRACT AND PROPOSAL

The consultant is expected to deliver the deliverables as per the plan above, tentatively starting on 14 December 2020 and ending on 26 Feb 2021. The estimated time to finalize the deliverables is up to 32 working days.

REPORTING TO 

The consultant will report to the Advocacy and Policy Manager in the PFP Child Rights and Programming Team, Country Relations.

WORKPLACE

This consultancy is home-based. No travel is expected.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

Remarks: Please indicate in the cover letter your ability, availability (the earliest date you can start), and respective gross fee (in USD) to undertake the respective deliverables (including all other expenses related, if applicable). Applications submitted without a gross fee will not be considered.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein. Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.