CONSULTANT - TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE UNESCO'S SECTION OF HEALTH AND EDUCATION, EDUCATION SECTOR

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Multiple

Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 20-SEP-2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Education is one of the cornerstones of development, offering children and adolescents strong foundations for a promising future. However, for many, schools are not the safe and inclusive spaces that they are meant to be, and violence in its many forms affects learners’ right to learn and thrive. Violence in education is prevalent and multifaceted. It includes physical violence like fighting, psychological violence such as bullying and harassment, sexual violence including sexual exploitation and assault, and technology-facilitated violence and cyberbullying. It has wide-reaching impacts on children and adolescents’ learning and development, health, sense of belonging and protection. 

Violence in education is often influenced by gender and other identities, with school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) disproportionately affecting girls and learners perceived as not conforming to prevailing gender norms. Beyond, work on ending violence in school therefore requires a strong intersectional lens, understanding the needs and vulnerabilities of different groups. This includes, but is not limited to, those whose disability status, or whose real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/expression leads to greater levels of violence or bullying and discrimination.

UNESCO’s strategy on education for health and wellbeing prioritises fostering safe and inclusive environments. Under this pillar, UNESCO supports its member states with the development and implementation of programmes, policies, systems-strengthening efforts and evidence generation on ending violence in and through education, with an intentional gender lens and including through its flagship Our Lives, Our Rights, Our Futures (O3) programme. At global level, UNESCO provides normative and technical guidance, co-convenes and contributes to knowledge-sharing platforms, commissions research, and advocates towards the prioritisation of violence in education and SRGBV. Since 2014, UNESCO co-chairs the global working group on ending SRGBV together with the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). UNESCO also supports country-level, regional and global dialogues on ending violence in and through education.

In recent years, there have been renewed efforts to address violence in education. In 2024, key partners rallied to put violence in education including SGBV at the centre of landmark events such as the IPSCAN Congress, the Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum, the Feminists for Gender Transformative Education (FemNet 4 GTE) meeting, and the Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (VAC) where safe and inclusive learning environments are prioritised as one of the key tracks to accelerate progress towards ending VAC. 

In parallel, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in and through education is emerging as a global priority and an emerging area of work for UNESCO, including in connection to violence in education.
In this context, UNESCO seeks to strengthen its technical capacity to support ongoing and new initiatives around safe and inclusive learning environments. This includes building linkages between different thematic areas related to violence in education – including MHPSS – to ensure that well-being is centred in education discourse and that all learners can thrive.
 

Long Description

Purpose of the contract:

UNESCO is seeking a professional consultant with specialized expertise to play a pivotal role within the Section of Health and Education. The consultant will support UNESCO’s work to foster safe and inclusive learning environments, leverage education to prevent violence and link to support services, and bring attention to gendered and intersectional dimensions of violence in education. 

Specifically, the consultant will perform the following duties, working closely with the team working on safe and inclusive learning environments:
 

Long Description

Duties and responsibilities:

•    Coordinate the conceptualization and implementation of a research agenda setting exercise on ending violence – including SRGBV – in and through education. The consultant will:

o    Engage in strategic discussions with partners and members of the ‘global working group to end SRGBV’ interested in supporting or contributing to this exercise;
o    Together with UNGEI, set up and facilitate the Technical Reference Group to provide technical stewardship to this exercise;
o    Draft ToRs for the recruitment of a research team in close collaboration with UNGEI;
o    Provide technical support and quality assurance to the research process;
o    Work with UNGEI, TRG and research team to coordinate online consultations and other key activities as part of the research process;
o    Coordinate dissemination and uptake activities (e.g. technical brief, launch webinar…)

•    Support UNESCO’s contribution to the global working group on ending SRGBV, including:

o    Lead on UNESCO’s contribution to an exploratory piece on the value proposition of the working group, in close cooperation with UNGEI. This will include reviewing deliverables and strategizing on how to leverage findings;
o    Support the coordination of the SRGBV working group including membership growth and management, WG engagement and meeting design and facilitation;
o    Provide technical support to design, implementation and launch of joint activities and products with the WG as and when needed.

•    Lead on conceptualisation of upcoming work on school violence prevalence data:

o    Lead on a mapping of recent datasets on prevalence of school violence including SRGBV;
o    Co-lead the conceptualisation of a new publication on school violence data.

•    Support country or regional  programme implementation including:    

Provide technical backstopping to priority countries and regions engaged in strengthening work on ending violence in and through education; 
o    Contribute to the conceptualisation and development of tools geared towards supporting countries and regions looking at implementing programmes on safe and inclusive learning environments.
o    Ongoing Support to the Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments portfolio, including linking to thematic areas such as Health and Comprehensive Sexuality Education.

The consultant will:Support the organisation and follow up of event including in relation to linkages between CSE and violence prevention in an upcoming CSE symposium;
o    Support an emerging workstream connecting safe and inclusive learning environments and MHPSS;
o    Assist in the packaging, presentation and communication of research and knowledge products on safe and inclusive environments;
 

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

•    Advanced university degree (master’s degree or higher) in social sciences, education, gender studies, child protection, gender-based violence, or related

Experience:

•    A minimum of 5 years of proven relevant expertise in the area of violence prevention, gender-based violence, gender equality and/or school violence.

•    Specific experience working at the intersection of education and protection or in the field of violence prevention preferred.

•    A proven track record developing and coordinating research and evidence reviews including on sensitive topics (violence prevention, child protection, GBV).

•    Experience working within and facilitating multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral partnerships. 

•    Experience of working with UN organisations will be an asset.

Language:

•    Strong command of the English language and excellent writing skills are essential. 

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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