National Consultant – Development of Action Plan for Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Remote/Home-based with occasional travel, 40 working days

UNICEF Country Office (CO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is committed to advancing children's rights through comprehensive initiatives aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges facing children in the region. One of the cornerstone efforts in this regard has been the Action Plan for Children of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015-2018. This Action Plan, endorsed by the BiH Council of Ministers and developed in collaboration with various ministries, targeted crucial areas such as civil rights, violence prevention and response, family welfare, healthcare, education, and special protection measures.

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, an advocate.

UNICEF Country Office (CO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is committed to advancing children's rights through comprehensive initiatives aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges facing children in the region. One of the cornerstone efforts in this regard has been the Action Plan for Children of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015-2018. This Action Plan, endorsed by the BiH Council of Ministers and developed in collaboration with various ministries, targeted crucial areas such as civil rights, violence prevention and response, family welfare, healthcare, education, and special protection measures.

Building on these efforts, UNICEF BiH is supporting the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees and the BiH Council for Children to develop a new Action Plan for Children to reinforce and expand the gains made in previous years. This new plan aims to address the critical areas identified in the UNICEF Situation Analysis of Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ensuring better resource alignment, inclusivity, data-driven interventions, multi-sectoral collaboration, capacity building, and robust monitoring and evaluation systems. The development of this Action Plan is crucial for the continued advancement of children's rights and well-being in BiH.

UNICEF BiH CO is seeking a dedicated Individual Consultant to lead the development of this Action Plan for Children. The consultant will work closely with government entities, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach to the plan's development.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Under the supervision of Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the Individual Consultant will develop a draft Action Plan for Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The consultant will engage in a thorough process involving desk review, research, stakeholder consultation, and strategic planning. The assignment will be executed in three phases: inception phase, draft report phase, and final draft phase. This work aims to advance UNICEF's mission of promoting and protecting children's rights, driving positive change for children in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the Individual Consultant will:

1. Conduct Inception Phase:

• Comprehensive Desk Review: Carry out an in-depth review of all relevant documents, including the previous Action Plan for Children (2015-2018), Bosnia and Herzegovina's priorities in children’s rights, existing strategies, action plans at all levels, and other similar documentation. This review should also include an analysis of international best practices and successful models from other countries.
• Inception Report Preparation: Prepare an inception report that details the proposed methodology, a comprehensive work plan, and a timeline for developing the Action Plan for Children for the period 2025-2029. This report should include an initial assessment of key issues and a risk management strategy to address potential challenges during the development process.

2. Develop a Draft Action Plan for Children:

• Data Collection and Analysis: Collect and analyze relevant quantitative and qualitative data on children's rights and well-being in BiH. This should include identifying key gaps, disparities, and areas needing urgent attention or improvement.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Organize and lead comprehensive stakeholder consultations, including interviews and focus group discussions with government bodies, civil society organizations (CSOs), children, youth, and other relevant stakeholders. Ensure that the inputs gathered reflect diverse perspectives and are incorporated into the Action Plan.
• Drafting the Action Plan: Develop a detailed draft Action Plan for Children that includes clear objectives, strategic priorities, actionable strategies, and measurable indicators. Ensure that the plan is evidence-based and aligns with both national and international frameworks.

3. Finalize the New Action Plan:

• Refinement of Draft: Refine and revise the draft Action Plan based on detailed feedback from UNICEF, government partners, CSOs, and other stakeholders. Ensure that the revisions enhance the plan's relevance, feasibility, and impact.
• Alignment with Standards: Ensure that the final Action Plan aligns with BiH's priorities and international standards, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant human rights instruments.
• Presentation Preparation: Develop and prepare a comprehensive presentation on the finalized Action Plan to be delivered to the BiH Council for Children. The presentation should highlight key components, expected outcomes, and the roles of various stakeholders.

4. Provide Advocacy Support:

• Advocacy Materials Development: Develop a suite of advocacy materials, including policy briefs, fact sheets, and communication strategies to promote the Action Plan. These materials should be designed to raise awareness about children's rights issues in BiH and mobilize support for the Action Plan's implementation.

The Individual Consultant will be expected to maintain regular communication with the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and provide periodic updates on the progress of the work, addressing any challenges encountered and adjustments made to the work plan.

Deliverables:

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

• University degree Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, or another related social science discipline.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in child advocacy, policy analysis, and/or developing action plans within the realm of children's rights and welfare, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Demonstrated proficiency in leading the development of comprehensive action plans, including research, analysis, drafting, and implementation strategies.
• Proven ability to facilitate consultations with government entities, NGOs, children, and other stakeholders, ensuring inclusivity and meaningful participation in the action plan development process.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, essential for producing high-quality action plans and delivering impactful presentations.
• Previous experience in relevant areas of UNICEF programming, such as child protection, education, health, and social services, is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated knowledge of gender issues will be an asset.

Additional Skills & Functional Competencies

• Proficient in fostering a collaborative work environment conducive to creativity and productivity.
• Experience in translating research findings and stakeholder inputs into actionable policy recommendations and strategic interventions to address children's rights issues effectively.

Language Proficiency

• Fluency in English and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language 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 here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors 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.