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Apply for the Remote Consultancy: Children and Youth engagement in climate action Consultant at UNICEF

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Closing Date: 4 February 2025

Apply for the Remote Consultancy: Children and Youth engagement in climate action Consultant at UNICEF

Overview

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, UNICEF work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region is composed of 33 countries of which 16 are Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Most countries in the region have reached macroeconomic standards which label them as middle or upper middle-income countries. However, there is still a high and persistent level of poverty in most countries, despite sustained economic growth over the last decade. The Human Development Index (HDI) varies greatly across the region, and persistent economic inequalities translate into unequal access to land, water, adequate housing, infrastructure and services, particularly for the most vulnerable groups.

Rapid urbanization rates exacerbate existing socioeconomic challenges. The probability of being affected by climate‐related events and climate change is strongly modulated by the pre‐existing conditions of poverty and inequality. For example, extreme events will strongly affect the rural and urban poor who often reside in informal settlements in high‐risk areas (e.g., flood plains and steep slopes). Besides being extremely vulnerable to natural hazards (both climate and non‐climate‐related), LAC has become increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of environmental hazards, including those imposed by climate change; according to the available scientific information the region will be severely affected even under lower levels of global warming.

The climate change crisis is no longer a purely environmental issue but, instead, a socio‐economic crisis, and particularly a child rights crisis. There is a collective moral responsibility to scale practical solutions to climate change with real potential to make a difference for children and youth to survive, grow, and thrive. The coming years will be critical. to promote concrete solutions with the potential of securing large‐scale impact, particularly through catalysing partnerships (public, private, etc.) for climate resilience. With the recent growth in youth climate action, UNICEF, and its allies have a unique role to play to ensure that children and youth voices are adequately heard and responded to by decision-makers, empowering children and youth as changemakers.

The Strategic Plan for 2022–2025, Goal Area 4, recognizes that climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive and that all levers of the organization need to work together in a coordinated fashion.

To achieve these objectives , UNICEF LAC Regional Office (LACRO) will support countries to strengthen the social services that matter most to children by:

a) Supporting the development of financial and socioeconomic justification for strengthening social services, highlighting the benefits of doing this across critical sectors (e.g., health, education and water), and supporting its incorporation into national budgeting frameworks b) Shaping and implementing standards for green and resilient social services in sectors c) Providing direct support for implementation, including strengthening infrastructure, building knowledge and skills with community and government workers, and updating government monitoring frameworks UNICEF’s comprehensive approach focuses on empowering children and young people with education, skills and opportunities to be champions for the planet and e) ensuring that their voices are heard and their rights protected.

Duties and Responsibilities

Therefore, the Children and Youth engagement in climate action Consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the UNICEF LACRO Regional Climate Change and Sustainable Development Advisor and his/her scope of work will focus on e) by leading and reporting the implementation of LACRO’s CEED youth engagement strategy, guiding country offices and partners, developing new strategies to create and promote spaces for young advocates, youth‐led groups and youth‐focused partners to foster active engagement of children, adolescents and youth in climate and environmental policy and action.

The Children and Youth engagement in climate action Consultant will facilitate the advancement of youth engagement in the climate action agenda by conducting data mining, drafting briefs, and contributing inputs for knowledge products related to youth and climate change.

Required Qualifications

University degree in areas related to climate change, administration/management, environmental policy, social sciences and public policy.
A minimum of six years of professional experience related to climate, environment, and youth engagement in developing countries.
Experience on youth participation and climate action advocacy at local and regional level in LAC. Experience with vulnerable communities is an asset.
Knowledge and technical expertise in international climate policy.
High capacity in coordination, analysis, and synthesis.
Previous experience coordinating with high-level spaces related to climate governance is an asset.
Good understanding of the climate action and development context in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Familiarity with UNICEF programming and planning processes is an asset.
Languages Fluency in Spanish and English is required. Knowledge of French or Portuguese will be considered an asset.

Administrative details

Workplace: The consultancy is home-based.
Duration: Estimated start date is February 16, 2025, until December 25, 2025
Travel: Travel is foreseen for this consultancy. Please include this in your proposal.