International Consultant – UNICEF – Jakarta

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, Quality of Life

A steadily growing economy isn’t benefiting all. Half the population still lives in poverty and children’s changes can vary dramatically depending on their families’ wealth or where they live.

For more information, visit the UNICEF Indonesia Country Office website: https://www.unicef.org/indonesia/

Title: International Consultant: Adolescent Strategy
Type of Contract: SSA (Special Service Agreement)
Duty Station: Home based with travel to Jakarta
Duration: March – June 2018 (40 working days)

Please upload your financial proposal (proposed fee: daily rate or lump sum) and a written sample of your work when applying.

How can you make a difference?

Adolescents (10-19 yrs) in Indonesia, are equal to almost 18 per cent of the total Indonesian population. This high proportion of young people are at the centre of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),but they should also be actively involved as agents of change in their communities. The adolescents of today will be the policy makers of 2030. The development and well-being of adolescents can have a major impact on that of the rest of the population. This second decade, is a second critical window of opportunity. Investments in this time of a child’s life can make all the difference in their future potential.

This period is also a time when inequities become more evident. For example, adolescent girls from poor families are particularly at risk of child marriage, which affects 1 in 9 girls across the country (SUSENAS 2016). Older-aged adolescents and adolescents in poorer wealth quintiles are more likely to have poor nutritional status (e.g., being stunted and thin). Girls may also risk missing school as they begin menstruation and become victims of bullying. According to Government data, boys are also impacted by bullying and are especially at risk of physical attacks in schools (32%). Many adolescents have a limited understanding about their reproductive health and HIV/AIDS and this puts them at high risk of having unwanted pregnancies, or contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Finally, although literacy rates are high, adolescents in secondary school are still at risk of dropping out of school because of financial issues, pregnancy or marriage.

Adolescent programming is a critical intervention area for UNICEF. In UNICEF Indonesia, adolescent development and well-being work is an emerging area of work that still requires refining in terms of vision and objectives. A recent independent review of promising practices in adolescent programming found that “the context for adolescent programming in Indonesia is heterogeneous and complex. Inequalities persist and the underlying trends are predicted to continue.” One of the key challenges in adolescent programming highlighted by the study is that while “significant key interventions are underway” there is weak integration across sectors and that this is “not well-defined through a strategic plan for adolescent programming which details intended outcomes[1].” At the regional level, the East Asia and Pacific Regional Office has identified adolescent development as one of the 3 priorities for the office. At the global level, adolescent programming is clearly embedded as a cross-cutting priority in the new UNICEF Strategic Plan (2018-2021).

 

Since adolescent programming is still a nascent area of work, and the challenges faced by adolescents are so great, a multi-sectoral adolescent strategy for the Country Office is urgently needed in order to prioritise focus areas, and identify the most effective strategies to achieve results for adolescents; taking into account UNICEF’s added value and comparative advantages in Indonesia. In addition to this, adolescence is a period when gender norms are defined and established, from the government data available, it is clear that gender issues continue to be a challenge for young people in Indonesia, in order to have an effective office strategy on adolescence, the gender issues surrounding this age group should be taken into consideration. The objective of this assignment is to facilitate the development of an office wide Gender Responsive Adolescent Strategy Note that will help prioritise and increase the quality of UNICEF Indonesia programming for adolescent well-being across priority domains.

[1] Oxford Policy Management (2017), “How do you know what is good for me? An Overview of Promising Practices in Adolescent Programming in Indonesia by UNICEF (and other partners)”.

 

WORK ASSIGNMENT:

  • Introductory interviews and desk review of key documents
  • Workshop and consultations with UNICEF cluster adolescent focal points, chiefs of cluster and discussions with senior management and Regional Office Advisors to identify vision of the strategy.
  • Preparation of draft Strategy note for Adolescent Development
  • Review and finalize Strategy Note including feedback from UNICEF internal planning processes (mid-term review)
  • Review existing Adolescent Programmes (maximum 4) to assess level of gender responsiveness

OUTPUT:

  • Desk review report
  • Summary documents as a basis for the consultations and workshop
  • Workshop report with key next steps and strategy structure
  • Draft Strategy document for review during UNICEF Mid-Term Review meetings
  • Final Strategy Note document (max. 20 pages). Strategy Note should include: background analysis of situation of adolescents in Indonesia, key issues, UNICEF’s added value, priority areas, recommended approaches and strategies to adolescent programming including on how to ensure our programmes are gender-responsive).  Final contents and priority sections will be discussed with UNICEF prior to finalizing.
  • Set recommendations for improvement for each programme.

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

  • Relevant master degree qualifications in social sciences (e.g. education, public health, social work etc.).
  • At least 10 years’ experience in adolescent development, gender, child protection, education or other social sector(s) especially experience in providing technical assistance to government stakeholders and in conducting research/study in sectors related to adolescent development.
  • Sound experience in designing and implementing strategies across sectors.
  • Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English – essential.
  • Experience in working  for or collaborating with international organizations, such as UNICEF, is a strong asset.
  • Experience working in Indonesia is desirable.
  • Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Please click here to Apply Online

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