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For every child, the right to a future

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF prioritises engaging children and young people as a central strategy to improve the relevance and impact of its programmes. It collaborates with governments and youth mechanisms at the national level to promote meaningful, systemic participation across civic spaces and to incorporate youth perspectives into decision-making processes.

Internally, UNICEF ROSA aims to embed systematic and meaningful youth participation within its initiatives and across regional and global advocacy platforms. The region regularly partners with young people to co-create projects, gather insights, and share recommendations, supported by a diverse network of young leaders who contribute to UNICEF's goals.

In 2025, a regional Young People Action Team (YPAT) was established to facilitate cross-country learning, communication, and collaboration between regional events and national advisory bodies. The first cohort includes 36 adolescents and youth from across South Asia. This group collaborates closely with UNICEF ROSA to enhance program relevance in areas such as communication, advocacy, research, evaluations, adolescent participation, and humanitarian action. The goal is to improve UNICEF's accountability to young people by integrating their insights into key initiatives, build capacity through training and mentorship in leadership and advocacy, and create a sustainable platform for young people' s involvement at regional and global levels. This approach aims to foster authentic, youth- led collaboration and advance joint advocacy through partnership and co- developed campaigns. To support these efforts, UNICEF seeks an international consultant to assist in developing young leaders by providing training and mentorship in leadership, advocacy, and policy influence, focusing on preparing youth trainers to deliver the Youth Advocacy Guide and facilitating training for the South Asia Young People's Action Team and youth involved in national councils, coordinating the engagement of trained trainers.

UNICEF prioritises fostering children’s and young people’s engagement as a core strategy to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of its programmes. It also collaborates with governments and youth mechanisms at the regional and country levels to promote meaningful and systemic young people-led actions across civic spaces and fosters mainstreaming of youth leadership and engagement into decision-making processes through formal and informal platforms.  

At the regional office, we are working to embed systematic and meaningful participation of young people within our programmes and across regional and global advocacy and policy platforms. In 2025, we launched the first cohort of the South Asia Young People’s Team (YPAT) from across the region. In addition to ensuring consistent, meaningful participation and engagement of children and young people within our programmes and across regional and global forums, it also aims to build capacity through training and mentorship in leadership, advocacy, and policy influence, creating an inclusive platform for ongoing youth involvement in regional and global events.

In this context, UNICEF is seeking an international consultant to support the development of young leaders through training and mentorship in leadership, advocacy, and policy influence. Specifically, the international consultant is expected to build the capacity of the youth trainers and young people engaged with the national youth councils in South Asia to deliver the Youth Action Guide in the future and facilitate training for the UNICEF South Asia Young People’s Action team, coordinating engagement of the trained trainers.

Scope of Work:

Specifically, working in close cooperation with the UNICEF ROSA APSE team, the international consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Development of a plan of the ToT on the virtual training facilitation skills for 16 ROSA Youth YAG Trainers. Considering prior knowledge and experience both in in-person facilitation and in young people-led advocacy of the participants, the consultant will need to develop a detailed virtual ToT plan and all the teaching and learning materials required.
2. Development of a plan of the ToT on the virtual training facilitation skills for 36 changemakers from the national youth councils. The consultant will need to develop a detailed agenda and teaching and learning materials for the 5-day virtual training for 36 young changemakers from the national youth councils, taking into account that the training will be co-facilitated by the pre-trained youth trainers.  
3. Development of the plan of the Youth Action Guide (YAG) training for the YPAT team. The consultant will need to develop a detailed agenda and teaching and learning materials for the 3-day virtual training for the ROSA YPAT team, taking into account that the training will be co-facilitated by the pre-trained youth trainers.  
4. Facilitate the YAG Virtual ToT. Facilitate the virtual ToT for 16 young trainers from the existing cohort of youth trainers who received in-person ToT training in September 2024 so that they could perform as co-facilitators, mentors and future local YAG trainers. The 3-day (TBC) ToT will be conducted in virtual mode.
5. Facilitate the virtual YAG ToT. Facilitate the ToT for 48 young mentors – changemakers from the national youth councils so that they could perform as co-facilitators, mentors and future local YAG trainers. The 5-day ToT will be conducted in virtual mode.
6. Facilitate 3-days YAG virtual training for the YPAT team. Working jointly with the trained local youth trainers, the consultant shall equip 36 adolescents and young people with communication, leadership and advocacy skills. Moreover, the consultant will need to support the participants to develop an Action Plan on spearheading engagement for 2025 as an outcome of the training.  

Main Deliverables:

1.1    The training agenda, presentation slides, case studies, handouts and other relevant materials are developed and approved by UNICEF – by 8 September 2025

1.2    The ToT and all teaching and learning materials, including the agenda, presentation slides, handouts, are developed and approved by UNICEF – by 15 September 2025

2.1  At least 16 young trainers are equipped with the virtual format facilitation skills to deliver the YAG training and provide mentoring support – by 19 September 2025

2.2 At least 30 YPAT members are equipped with skills and techniques of the youth-led advocacy and action model – by 26 September 2025

2.3 At least young changemakers from the national youth councils have increased awareness and improved communication, leadership and advocacy skills. Action Plans on spearheading youth-led advocacy and actions for 2025-2026 are developed – by 30 October 2025

3.1 A workplan is co-created with the YPAT members by facilitating interactive engagement  - by 30 September 2025

Note: This is home-based consultancy. Interested candidate should submit financial proposal along with the application.

Duration: 1 September 2025 to 14 November 2025 

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Bachelor's degree

Desirables: Participatory methodologies, adolescent and youth development, training and other relevant fields.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required*:

• A minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience in high-level participatory training, developing training guides and materials.
• Strong experience working on issues faced by adolescents and youth, e.g. mental health, climate anxiety, etc.
• Relevant experience in UN system agency, especially with the UNICEF Youth Advocacy Guide, is an asset.
• Good communication and public speaking skills.

Language requirements

Fluency English is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.