Child Protection Strategy Consultant At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time position – UNOPS International Individual Contract Agreement within the Field Protection Service in the Division of International Protection in our Geneva Headquarters in Switzerland.

UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.

Title: Child Protection Strategy Consultant

Duty Station: Home based with travel to Geneva if required

Duration: 3.5 months

Contract Type: Individual Consultant (Task- Based)

Closing date: 07 September 2021

Start date: ASAP

Organisational context

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. An unprecedented 79.5 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 26 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Responding to the protection needs of children is a core component of UNHCR’s protection mandate.

During emergencies as well as in protracted refugee situations, children are often at risk of abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation, requiring UNHCR and partners to identify and systematically provide protection services through a clearly defined case management system. UNHCR’s 2020 BIP Guidelines provides specific guidance on implementing Best Interests Procedure (BIP) for children at heightened risk. Ensuring that UNHCR staff and partners have the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver timely and effective BIP is essential for the protection of children.

The Child Protection Unit (CPU) sits within the Field Protection Service of UNHCR Department of International Protection and provides technical support and guidance to regional bureaus and field operations across humanitarian and refugee operations through developing policy, guidelines and tools, facilitating learning and development events, coordinate and work with colleagues and partners to enhance the prevention, mitigation and response strategies to protect children of concerns as well as strengthening youth engagement.

The position

UNHCR is seeking to hire a consultant to develop support the development of the organisation’s Child Protection Strategy. This will include undertaking a desk review of reports and policies, drafting the strategy with consultation with internal and external stakeholders, and developing and action plan for the roll-out of the Strategy.

The revised strategy will be broadly aligned with and build upon the Child Protection Framework to provide strategy direction for UNHCR child protection programme, UNHCR child protection programming in the field and our relationship with our key partners. It will respond to the recommendations and findings of UNHCR’s child protection data analysis, evaluation and audit. It will serve to provide clarity and direction across different levels of UNHCR to deliver effective child protection programmes, articulate UNHCRs leadership role in child protection coordination in refugee settings, and clarify UNHCR’s role in IDP settings. The strategy will also align with UNHCR’s new results-based management framework, COMPASS, provide measurable benchmarks for UNHCR child protection programming, where relevant clarify differences in UNHCR child protection programming in various settings, clarify roles and responsibilities for the protection of children across the organisation and set standards for staffing capacity for child protection in different settings. It will provide an updated strategic direction for UNHCR’s approach to child protection that reinforces child protection as an organisational policy priority and promotes and guides UNHCR in delivering on this priority.

Duties and responsibilities

The assignment is home based with possible travel to Geneva, should this be deemed necessary for the finalisation of the Strategy.

The first phase will focus on development of an inception report (including a workplan), review of reports, particularly the child protection evaluation, audit and data analysis as well as existing policies and standards and the development an outline of the Strategy. During phase two, the consultant will produce the first draft based on Child Protection Unit feedback on the outline, carry out consultations with Child Protection Unit, focal points from other protection units at DIP, and Regional Bureau, as well as key external counterparts. During phase three, the consultant will finalise the Strategy for review and clearance and develop an action plan for roll-out.

Phase One

• Prepare and inception report
• Undertake desk review of policies and reports
• Produce an outline of the Strategy

Phase Two

• Undertake virtual workshop to seek inputs of key stakeholders into the strategy
• Carry out consultations with Child Protection Unit, focal points from other protection units at DIP, and Regional Bureau, as well as key external counterparts
• Prepare the first draft of the Strategy and undertake remote presentation of first draft

Phase Three

• Prepare the second draft of the strategy (redline review) and present second draft to key stakeholders (virtual presentation)
• Prepare final version of the Strategy incorporating redline review comments
• Prepare an action plan for the roll-out of the strategy

Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required

Education:

· University Degree in International Law, Human Rights, International Development, International Relations, Political or Social Science.

Work Experience:

· 9 years of experience in humanitarian child protection programming with some degree of field experience.

· Demonstrated expertise in child protection is essential

· Experience and knowledge in child protection programming, funding, and advocacy

· Experience developing global strategies in protection or related areas, experience developing child protection strategies is an asset

· Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of French or Spanish or Arabic is an asset.

Location

The successful candidate will be home-based.

Conditions

The consultancy may require short travel to Geneva.