Details
Mission and objectives
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children.The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been present in Brazil since 1950, supporting the most important changes in the area of childhood and adolescence in the country. UNICEF participated in major immunization and breastfeeding campaigns; the mobilization that resulted in the approval of article 227 of the Federal Constitution and the drafting of the Child and Adolescent Statute; the movement for universal access to education; programs to combat child labor; among other great advances in guaranteeing the rights of Brazilian girls and boys.In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. Therefore, in its cooperation program with the Brazilian government for the period 2017-2021, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most vulnerable and excluded girls and boys, with a special focus on children and adolescents who are victims of extreme forms of violence .These children and adolescents in situations of greater vulnerability are spread throughout Brazil, but they are more concentrated in the Amazon, in the semiarid and in large urban centers. Through the UNICEF Seal, UNICEF promotes commitments to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents in the Semiarid and in the Brazilian Legal Amazon. In large cities, UNICEF works with a focus on reducing intra-municipal inequalities, through the Platform of Urban Centers (PCU).
Context
Since 1950, UNICEF has supported the most important transformations in the area of childhood and adolescence/young people in Brazil. In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. For this reason, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most excluded and vulnerable girls and boys, and the victims of extreme forms of violence. These boys and girls in situations of greater vulnerability are present throughout the country, but with a greater concentration in the Amazon, in the Semi-Arid region, and in large urban centers. Aiming to address the challenges of promoting the positive transition of the most vulnerable adolescents and youth (14-29 years old) from education to the world of work, UNICEF Brazil launched in October 2020, through Public-Private-Youth partnership (PPYP), the One Million Opportunities (1MiO) initiative, a joint effort of young people, UN organizations, governments, private sector and civil society organizations. Leveraging its digital platform, 1MiO is part of the global Generation Unlimited (GenU) agenda and aims to create one million opportunities of quality education, connectivity, skills development, professional training, apprenticeship, internship, employment and civic participation for vulnerable young people. Brazil currently has the largest generation of young people in its history. There are more than 47 million people between the ages of 15 and 29, and the forecast is that this number will be reduced by half in the coming decades. Without being able to leverage the power of this generation, by means of educational opportunities, professional training, digital inclusion, and access to work and income, in a decent and sustainable way, the country puts its social and economic future at risk. The cycle of exclusion and lack of opportunities begins in early childhood. There are 32 million children and adolescents between 0 and 17 years of age who face daily violations of essential rights in Brazil, such as access to food, housing, and sanitation. In terms of access to education, there are 6.1 million with two or more years of school delay, at potential risk of dropping out of school. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 5.1 million did not participate in any school activity. Without access to the basics for their full development and with their right to Education denied, thousands of adolescents and youth become victims of violence. Between 2009 and 2019, 333,330 adolescents and young people aged 15 to 29 were victims of homicide in Brazil, this being the main cause of disappearance of this population. 1MiO has been scaling rapidly, creating over 200,000 opportunities together with an ecosystem of partners from the private sector (106), civil society (27) and governments (1,823 municipalities, 6 states and 8 capitals). The purpose for this UNV position is to engage, monitor and support companies participating in 1MiO and also to expand the initiative's network with the private sector.
Task description
Under the supervision of the Programme Officer, the UN Volunteer Senior Expert for UNICEF's 1MiO initiative in Brazil will be responsible for managing the initiative's relationship with the private sector, leveraging the results of job opportunities and vocational training for young people through the activities below. • Engaging companies and private sector organizations to adhere to the 1MiO initiative's commitments to provide job opportunities and professional training to vulnerable youth. • Hold meetings – digital and face-to-face - with leaders, recruitment and selection teams, diversity and inclusion and employees in general of the companies participating in 1MiO to make them aware of the necessary steps for the productive inclusion of young people in vulnerable situations in the world of work with topics such as: selection process, welcoming, mentoring, in-service training, career development, guaranteeing rights, protection against violence, and the related. • Produce communication and training materials to engage and sensitize companies and private sector organizations to the 1MiO agenda and organize and promote digital and face-to-face events to this end. • Monitor the commitment of the companies participating in 1MiO for the generation of apprentice, internship, employment, and professional training opportunities for vulnerable youth through qualitative and quantitative data collection and periodic reporting of results. • Expected result: Support for 1MiO's reporting, life stories, and digital and physical communication materials for donors, partners, and youth.