Child Protection Specialist (Coordination)

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work to translate that commitment into practical action, especially for the most disadvantaged children. In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria. All 14 Pacific island countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations.

Context

UNICEF Pacific aims to protect children against all forms of violence, including neglect, abuse, exploitation, separation from parents and any form of harm to their well-being and development, through strengthening child protection systems. We are doing this by working in partnership with the governments, faith-based and civil society organisations to: • Include child protection laws and policies based on international standards; • Provide capacity building to each of the five sectors including social welfare, judiciary, police, health and education; and • Build commitment from partners to plan and implement actions to address violence against children.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Chief Child Protection or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Child Protection Specialist (Coordination) will: • Act as the communications focal point for Pacific Child Protection Team. Liaise with colleagues in Pacific MCO and Field Offices and external partners on key child protection updates and prepare Child Protection newsletters and regional network meetings including documentation. • Provide dedicated support (1-2 months) to the Pacific Conference of Churches to coordinate meetings, gather information and support the finalization of the programme document required for the partnership with UNICEF Pacific. • Support coordinate meetings with partners and core research group on the scoping study to provide an overview of the issues relating to children who are left behind (Labour Mobility/Seasonal Workers Scheme) in four Pacific countries (Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Samoa) in partnership with the University of South pacific and Western Sydney University. • Support the organization of the national and regional child protection meetings. • Using UNICEF monitoring tools, consolidate change measured/impact of UNICEF-supported child protection activities. • Any other related tasks as required by the Supervisor. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day). • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. Deliverables/Outputs: - Act as liaison with sections within UNICEF and field offices - Support the finalization of the programme document with UNICEF - Document monthly updates on child protection activities - Prepare 1 newsletter per quarter approved by Chief Child Protection, and disseminate/share with CP network (govt, cso, fbo partners) in the region - Document progress/change measured from UNICEF-supported activities through partnerships with churches, civil society organizations in Fiji and selected PICs covered by the partnerships. - Document and produce quarterly updates on good practices and lessons learned on child protection support provided - Support coordinate meetings of the core study group - Support coordinate country meetings with key govt partners and other relevant stakeholders - Support coordinate validation workshops required for the 4 PICs (Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands & Fiji) - Support final launch and dissemination meetings - Support preparations required/coordination with governments on the Pacific Regional Child Wellbeing Summit - Support other national and regional meetings as required - Provide support to other tasks as required