Social Policy Officer, NOA, Temporary Appointment, Ankara Turkey, #120188

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.

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,

Child labour is a major violation of children’s rights and wellbeing. In 2021, the number of children in child labour has increased to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years, according to recent calculations of UNICEF and ILO.1 Globally, 9 million additional children are at risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022 as a result of the pandemic, and unless social protection measures are taken, 46 million more children may become child labourers. According to TURKSTAT’s Child Labour Force Survey (2019), 720,000 Turkish children are engaged in child labour, referring to 4.4% of all 5-17 age children. These 1 https://data.unicef.org/resources/child-labour-2020-global-estimates-trends-and-the-roadforward/ statistics do not include refugees2 . Various studies report very high prevalence of child labour among refugees.3

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child underlines that every child has the right “to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education” or that is likely to harm the child’s health or “physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.” Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Target 8.7 underlines that states should take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.

As party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Turkey is formally committed to eliminate child labour. Turkey is also party to ILO conventions 138 (the Minimum Age Convention) and 182 (on the Prevention of the Worst Forms of Child Labour). Various national laws contain provisions regarding the tasks in which children cannot be not be employed, minimum ages and the rights/protection of children in work. The Labour Law bans employment below the age of 15. The 11th National Development Plan4 (NDP) sets targets for eliminating child labour (objective 609). The Plan underlines the need for increasing coordination among key stakeholders as key to achievement.

The National Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 2017-2023 is the primary platform coordinating the child labour response of Turkey. It builds on seven pillars: (1) improving legislation, (2) strengthening organizational structures, (3) increasing awareness, (4) ensuring participation of social partners and society, (5) ensuring access to education, (6) addressing poverty and (7) extending social protection and security network. Although laws and regulations in Turkey are highly aligned with key international conventions and prohibit child labour, the gaps in monitoring, reporting and following up, and the shortcomings in enforcement of laws hinder a complete elimination of child labour across the country5 . The National Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (2017-2023) has become a country-wide and multi-sectoral framework in response to complex context behind child labour. Along with other national and international organizations, UNICEF Turkey has supported the development and implementation of the National Program through various programmes and partnerships.

UNICEF Turkey has a multi-sectoral approach to support elimination of child labour in Turkey. This work builds on UNICEF’s key global frameworks6 (particularly Child Rights and Business Principles and Integrated Social Protection) addressing the rights and wellbeing of children and adopts them to national developmental context and institutional set-up of Turkey.

In partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS), Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS), private sector, civil society, and universities, UNICEF Turkey contributes to the National Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (2017-2023) 7 through five strategic action areas focusing on (1) strengthening the key governmental capacities (2) child sensitive social protection, (3) business practices aligned with child rights and wellbeing; (4) certified vocational training and inclusive workplace learning for skills; (5) evidence generation and advocacy. These actions complement each other.

The Social Policy Officer provides support to the implementation of the programme on child labour and children’s rights and business principles (CL & CRBP) for 8 months covering the maternity leave period of the manager of this period including one month prior to her leave and approximately one month after her return to ease the hand over processes. 

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Chief of Social Policy Section and in coordination with UNICEF Social Policy Officer working for Child Labour and CRBP programme, the No-A will be accountable for the following tasks:

1. Overseeing the implementation of activities that are taking place on the basis of the Country Programme Document (CPD) 2021-2025, Rolling Work Plans (RWPs), Programme Cooperation Agreements (PCAs) and other partnership arrangements with regards to Child Labour and CRBP programme. Mainly;

• Partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security – RWP for 2022

• Partnership with Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK) – RWP for 2022

• Partnership witj Development Workshop Cooperative (DW)

• Partnership with Dutch National Committee for UNICEF & Dutch and Turkish private sector on child labour and child rights in supply chains; due diligence.

2. Developing new RWPs with MoLSS and TESK with support of Social Policy Officers

3. Monitoring and reporting progress against set indicators and targets of existing partnerships to the Chief of Social Policy (MoLSS RWP, TESK RWP, DW PCA and FLA PCA)

4. Conducting programmatic visits, organizing coordination meetings, technical working groups with partners and stakeholders as set in partnerships

5. Engaging in advocacy around improving linkages with other social policy interventions within inter-agency coordination platforms

6. Preserving communication and coordination with UNICEF sections, particularly child protection and education on cross cutting areas regarding child labour such as technical, vocational education and training, increasing opportunities to acquire employable skills etc.

7. Managing grants reserved for the programme and developing donor reports

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

•  A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of one year of relevant professional experience is required. 
• Experience in working with public institutions, civil society organizations, international organizations, and the private sector. 
• Excellent analytical and conceptual abilities.
• Excellent writing and reporting abilities (in both English and Turkish)
• Experience/familiarity with UNICEF planning and programming frameworks, including the Business for Results (B4R) and Child Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) is an asset
• Fluency in English and Turkish is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Builds and maintains partnerships

• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

• Drive to achieve results for impact

• Innovates and embraces changes

• Manages ambiguity and complexity

• Thinks and acts strategically

• Works collaboratively with others

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.