Consultancy for drafting of UNICEF Confidential Report to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Pre-sessional working Group Meeting, Windhoek, Namibia (For Internationals only)

UNICEF Namibia is looking for a dedicated international consultant with relevant human-rights based reporting experience to complete the assignment by the stipulated due date. As such, UNICEF Namibia requires to recruit an individual consultant to effectively conduct the assignment within the stipulated timelines. The consultant is expected to review the State party report submitted by Government of Namibia, review other relevant documentation including the Universal Periodic Review report of 2010, relevant reports of the Government of Namibia, the Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents, and civil society documentation, along with other key evidence on the progress in realization of children’s rights in the country. The consultant will be under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Representative and will work closely with the Chief of Communications, the Deputy Representative and the Child Protection Specialist.

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, Rights for shelter 

The Government of Namibia signed the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1990. The government ratified the UNCRC on 28 September 1992. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd report was submitted in 2010, and the 4th,5th, and 6th periodic reports in 2020 to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The full consideration of the Namibia reports will take place in September 2023.

In advance of this, the CRC Committee will conduct a Pre-Sessional Working Group Meeting in which the Committee will consider issues and prepare for the formal dialogue with the State party.

The consultancy’s objective is to draft UNICEF’s confidential report to be shared with the CRC Committee to be discussed during the Pre-Sessional Working Group Meeting.

This process requires a dedicated consultant with relevant human-rights based reporting experience to complete the assignment by the stipulated due date. As such, UNICEF Namibia requires to recruit an individual consultant to effectively conduct the assignment within the stipulated timelines.

How can you make a difference? 

Scope of Work
The consultant is expected to review the State party report submitted by Government of Namibia, review other relevant documentation including the Universal Periodic Review report of 2010, relevant reports of the Government of Namibia, the Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents, and civil society documentation, along with other key evidence on the progress in realization of children’s rights in the country.

Goal and Objective:
The overall objective of this consultancy is to draft UNICEF’s confidential report to be shared with the CRC in advance of the hearing.

Activities and Tasks:
The consultant shall be required to undertake the following tasks.
1. Conducting literature review to analyses existing information on the progress made in Namibia towards promoting rights of children, including policies, legislation vis-à-vis implementing the child rights agenda. This will be based on the reports from various sectoral Ministries, UNICEF, civil society organizations and other development partners. In addition, review existing structures/establishments for implementing the CRC agenda.
2. Review the country’s adoption of the CRC recommendations and ratification of new protocols.

3. Reviewing of Initial State Party Report and the 4th, 5th and 6th periodic reports to the United Nations on the Convention of the Child by Namibia and subsequent Concluding Observations.
4. Facilitating consultation process (internal to UNICEF and with key partners) on the progress made in implementing the CRC.
5. Consolidating data from consultative meetings based on relevant reporting guidelines.
6. Drafting of report based on relevant reporting guidelines.

Based on the documentary material and discussions, the consultant will prepare a confidential report of no more than 30 pages, together with suggestions for the List of Issues and Concluding observations to be considered in the Pre-Sessional Working Group Meeting.

In drafting the report, the consultant will follow the guidelines in the UNICEF CRC Resource Guide, and will consider the following:

The submission should cover:
• Positive developments since the previous review by the Committee, showing the progress made, the extent to which the concluding observations have been met as well as evidence of Government commitment to realizing the rights of children.
• Challenges and constraints in the realization of child rights, at various levels, including geographic, ethnic, gender, socio-economic and other disparities, public awareness of and attitudes towards child rights, resources, etc.
• Important informational gaps in the State Party report and new developments since the submission of the State Party report, including laws, policies, and programmes as well as research advancing new knowledge
• Specific issues of concern to be raised with Government, including previous concluding observations and recommendations that have not been implemented, and
• The different rights violations experienced by girls and boys.

The report should also include information related to:
• Emerging challenges, including the impact of climate change, the economic crisis, migration, and corporate business activities that impact on children’s rights,
• Specific categories of children, and
• The entire life cycle, from early childhood development to adolescence.

It should also:
• Propose questions the Committee may want to ask the State Party delegation in the List of Issues or during their dialogue,
• Make concrete recommendations on specific, feasible and realistic actions needed to inform the list of Issues, the dialogue with the State Party, and Concluding Observations and Recommendations, and
• Highlight additional technical support that UNICEF and other members of the UN (United Nations) Country Team (UNCT) could provide.

Work Assignment Overview

Payment Schedule

Payment, upon completion of each deliverable according to the following schedule:

• Submission by the consultant, and quality review by UNICEF, of inception report; and the draft outline of report and detailed summary of issues to be covered in line with the guide outline in the CRC Resource Guide. (30%).
• Submission of Full draft report (for comment); the Final CRC Confidential Report (70%); 3–4-page summary brief and PowerPoint presentation summarizing the report. (60%).
  All payments will be made only, upon satisfactory completion of the deliverables mentioned above.

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

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) from an accredited academic institution in Law, Human Rights/Child Rights, Social Sciences, Social Development, Social Policy, or any other relevant field.
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in human rights-based approaches preferably with a focus on children’s rights and including civil and political rights, economic, social, and cultural rights.
• Proven experience in the development of similar reports relating to the CRC, or in drafting of international treaties reports.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a local language is an asset.  The candidate must have a proven ability to communicate timely, clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. 

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

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

  To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

How to Apply

Application must include:
• A cover letter, no longer than 1 page, and detailed curriculum vitae showing how the consultant meets the required qualifications, experience and expertise.
• Examples of previous work as per the Terms of Reference.  
• Minimum three professional referees from similar previous work include the name and contact person, title and contact information.
• A technical proposal outlining the methodology/approach, demonstrating the consultant's understanding of the Terms of Reference and timelines for the respective deliverables.  
• A financial proposal/budget quoted in US Dollars. The financial proposal must include all expected costs such as travel costs to Windhoek, accommodation and administrative costs for the consultant.  UNICEF will not cover any additional costs outside the approved financial proposal.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

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 (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). 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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.