Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Panama City
Level: Consultancy
Location: Panama
Categories: Social Policy
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, care
How can you make a difference?
Background
UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is composed of 24 country offices that work in 36 countries and territories. The main role of the regional office (RO) is to provide technical assistance, build the capacity and exercise quality control to the 24 country offices.
The Social Policy Unit (SPU) at UNICEF LACRO works in the provision of technical assistance, quality assurance and evidence generation in relation to the eradication of child poverty and the strengthening of social protection systems, in support of Social Policy Officers and Specialists in UNICEF’s country offices.
The Gender Action Plan 2022-2025 proposes that UNICEF contribute to strengthening the Gender-responsive social protection systems and gender-responsive care work. It suggests that interventions should emphasize the empowerment of girls and women and increased access to education, health, social and gender-based violence response services, as well as family-friendly policies with respect to parental support, accessible childcare and child benefits, all of which shift the paradigm towards paid, equitably distributed and sufficiently valued care work.
In the context of the XV Regional Conference on Women in LAC, UNICEF led a consultation process to include girls’ perspectives and recommendations in the Regional Gender Agenda 2023-2025, focusing on the Care Society. The adolescents consulted through this process mentioned that they observe an unfair division of care work in their countries and communities and that this has a negative impact on their ability to exercise rights such as to have access to quality education, to decent jobs, to enjoy of free time, access to health and well-being services and opportunities, among others.
Purpose of the Assignment
This consultancy aims to support the data analysis and writing of rigorous research pieces related to the regional social protection agenda, including family care and support agenda, under the guidance and supervision of the Social Policy Regional Advisor in collaboration with the Regional Gender Advisor. The work will focus on two main areas: (i) social protection outlook after COVID in the region and (ii) the impacts of care-related responsibilities on adolescence, to inform the development of social protection and adolescent focused policies and programs.
Specific Tasks
Specifically, the consultant will:
(i) Contribute to UNICEF LAC social protection strategy in the region by updating statistical information, latest developments and policy recommendations post COVID-19, with attention to gender inequalities and the inclusion of people with disabilities and migrants.
(ii) Produce a statistical analysis of adolescents in LAC, focusing on time use patterns of the population of boys and girls between 12 and 18 years of age based on recent information from time use surveys. The purpose of this study will be to characterize and understand the role of children and adolescents, girls in particular, in care work and the implications this role has on child development and wellbeing and the broader social organization of care, while touching upon its relationship with the intergenerational transmission of gender norms and poverty (based on available data).
Expected Results [measurable]
Expected outputs:
1. Development of a workplan and timeline, including proposed methodologies.
2. Production of a draft social protection strategy for LAC (report) for comments and a final report (with comments addressed) to be published. The final report should be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation as well as report data and graphs.
3. Production of a draft report on the impacts of care-related responsibilities on adolescence for comments, followed by a final report. The study on adolescents will focus on time use patterns among adolescent girls and boys in Latin American countries with attention to care responsibilities and touch upon the intergenerational transmission of gender norms and the overlap with poverty (income and/or multidimensional) as allowed by available data. The final version of this report should be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation of the results, as well as data and dictionary of variables used.
Deliverables
Description
Duration [in days]
Expected deadline and payment schedule
Social Protection Strategy Report and presentation (.doc and .ppt)
20
July 2023 (40%)
Brief report on the update on the analysis of the time use patterns among adolescents in Latin American countries. The report will include preliminary findings and recommendations based on the analysis. (.doc)
30
August 2023 (20%)
Final report and slides presentation on the analysis of the time use patterns among adolescents in Latin American countries, touching upon the intergenerational transmission of gender norms and the overlap with poverty; database and dictionary of variables used in the final study (.doc and .ppt and .xlsx)
30
October 2023 (40%)
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum Requirements and Qualifications
Education
- Advanced academic degree (Master’s) in Economics (Statistics, Social Sciences, Gender or related field). Holding a doctoral degree (e.g., PhD) will be considered an asset.
Work Experience
- Demonstrated experience of econometrical and/or data-base analysis research, preferably through a record of academic publications, in related or similar areas.
- Record of peer-reviewed publications, with a focus on social protection and/or social policy issues.
- Demonstrated experience and skills in conducting gender data analysis applied to research
- Experience in the production of research oriented to policy debate, including for governments and/or multilateral organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Languages
- Proficiency in English and Spanish required.
Technical knowledge (if applicable)
- Advanced/Expert use of Stata or similar statistical software.
- Advanced/Expert writing skills.
- Expert understanding of issues concerning childhood, adolescence, and gender equality in the social policy and social protection fields.
Administrative details
Supervision
The contractor will report to the Social Policy Regional Advisor.
Workplace
This is a home-based consultancy
Duration
This consultancy will have a duration of four (4) months.
How to Apply
Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily and monthly fees in their financial proposal.
Travel
Travel is not foreseen for this consultancy. Should travel is included:
Travel will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.
- Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.
- For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.
- Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.
- UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2, numerals (d) and (e)
- For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).
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.
*****
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.
Advertised: 15 May 2023 Eastern Daylight Time
Deadline: 22 May 2023 Eastern Daylight Time
