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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

Vanuatu is increasingly exposed to climate-induced hazards, including the rising frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, sea level rise, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and extreme rainfall events that lead to flooding and landslides. These hazards pose severe risks to lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems, and significantly disrupt critical infrastructure and service delivery. Children are disproportionately affected, with cascading impacts on essential social sectors such as health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and child and social protection. These compounding vulnerabilities highlight the urgent need for integrated, climate-resilient development approaches that protect the rights and well-being of children and communities.

Such climate-related hazards threaten children's safety and can lead to displacement from their homes. They also damage school infrastructure, disrupt learning, and force children out of education for extended periods, impacting their development and future opportunities. Furthermore, these events contribute to significant psychological distress, anxiety, and trauma in children, with long-term consequences for their mental health and well-being. Building the resilience of social services is therefore paramount to safeguarding the well-being of children in the face of increasing climate risks. This includes the ability to prepare for and respond to shocks and maintain the continuity of essential services such as healthcare, education, and child protection even during and after climate shocks and disasters, ensuring that children and families continue to receive critical support.

In response to the growing challenges posed by climate change, the Government of Vanuatu—through the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management (MoCC)—has taken significant actions to address climate change impacts and build national resilience. A key pillar of this effort is the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which provides a strategic framework for integrating climate change adaptation systematically into national and subnational development planning. The NAP, supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), aims to overcome critical barriers to effective adaptation, including fragmented planning processes, insufficient data and information systems, and limited technical and institutional capacities. Through the development of Provincial Adaptation Plans (PAPs), enhancement of institutional frameworks, and strengthening of climate data and knowledge management systems, the initiative is working to build a more climate-resilient Vanuatu capable of responding and adapting to current and future climate risks.

In recognition of the unique vulnerabilities of children to climate change, there is a critical need to integrate child-responsive measures into all aspects of climate change adaptation and resilience building, particularly within the social sectors. In this context, UNICEF is collaborating with MoCC and GGGI to integrate child-sensitive and responsive approaches into both the NAP and the six PAPs currently under development. This process aims to ensure that the specific risks and vulnerabilities faced by children—and the systems that support them, including education, health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and child protection—are effectively reflected in adaptation policies and strategies.

GGGI has contracted the firm GHD to lead the development of the NAP and PAPs, while UNICEF seeks to recruit a dedicated consultant to work closely with MoCC, GGGI, and GHD to ensure that child rights and needs are comprehensively addressed and prioritized. This collaborative approach will contribute to strengthening the resilience of social services and better protecting children from the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.

How can you make a difference? 

In close coordination and collaboration with UNICEF, MoCC, GGGI and GHD, this consultancy aims to support the development of the Vanuatu NAP and six PAPs integrating a child-sensitive and responsive approaches.

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Integrate child rights approaches in the NAP and the six PAPs addressing the specific vulnerabilities of children and the social services they rely on (including health, nutrition, education, WASH, child and social protection).
• Drawing on the Vanuatu subnational Children’s Climate Risk Index – Disaster Risk Model (CCRI-DRM), currently under development by UNICEF and expected to be finalized by June), the Vanuatu Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) and Risk Maps (being developed by GHD), and other relevant literature, provide an evidence-based analysis of the impacts of climate change on children and the role of essential social services in building child and community resilience. This includes conducting child-sensitive risk and impact assessments that integrate gender, accessibility, social inclusion, and life cycle considerations.
• Identify sector-specific adaptation measures that are evidence-based and responsive to the needs of children, including the definition of relevant indicators, targets, baselines, and other elements for integration into the NAP and PAP results frameworks.
• Review and provide recommendations and inputs to the draft NAP, PAPs, national and provincial financing strategies developed by GHD to ensure the integration of child-sensitive and social sector approaches across these documents.
• Facilitate coordination with and participation of relevant social sector ministries to ensure an inclusive, comprehensive, and integrated approach to adaptation planning. This includes organizing and facilitating meetings and discussions among key stakeholders.
• Facilitate the participation of adolescents and young people in the NAP planning process to ensure their perspectives, needs, and solutions are captured. This includes organizing one in-person consultation workshop to gather inputs for the draft NAP, and one virtual feedback session to brief participants on how their contributions were incorporated.
• NOTE: All costs related to these consultations will be covered by UNICEF and should not be included in the consultant’s financial proposal.
• Review and synthesize relevant project documents and literature to inform all stages of the consultancy.
• Prepare and submit regular progress reports, including summaries of key meetings, consultation outcomes, and other relevant updates.
• Maintain close collaboration and continuous communication with UNICEF, the MoCCA, GGGI, and GHD to ensure consistency and alignment throughout the consultancy. This includes participation in virtual and in-person meetings as requested.
• Undertake any other tasks relevant to the consultancy as instructed by UNICEF Pacific.

Please refer to the ToR ( TOR CEED.VAN.NAP.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines. 

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

Please submit a separate financial offer along with your application. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a breakdown for the following:

• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above.
• Travel-related expenses- economy class airfare, terminal expenses, and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA).
• Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

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

Education:

• • Advanced university degree in development studies, social sciences, public policy, public health, or a related field. A focus on children's rights, gender, or social inclusion is an asset. Demonstrated knowledge on climate change and environment is an asset.

Experience & Skills:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in national planning, policy development, or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience in integrating child rights, gender equality, and/or social inclusion into climate or development policy frameworks.
• Experience conducting climate risk and impact assessments, particularly with social social-sensitive lenses.
• Experience working with or supporting government-led planning processes, ideally in collaboration with multiple sectors such as health, education, WASH, or social protection.
• Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations, including with adolescents and youth, is highly desirable.
• Experience working in developing countries, preferably in the Pacific Islands or similar contexts
• Previous experience working with UNICEF or a UN system agency is an asset.
• Strong analytical and research skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent facilitation, coordination, and communication skills, including the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders at national and subnational levels.
• Culturally sensitive and able to work effectively in a multicultural environment, including remote coordination across time zones.
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills in English.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and deliver quality outputs under tight deadlines.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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 a. Consultants 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.