Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) UN Volunteer Specialist

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been present in Brazil since 1950, supporting the most important changes in childhood and adolescence in the country. UNICEF participated in major immunization and breastfeeding campaigns; the mobilization that resulted in the approval of Article 227 of the Federal Constitution and the drafting of the Child and Adolescent Statute; the movement for universal access to education; programmes to combat child labour; among other great advances in guaranteeing the rights of Brazilian girls and boys. In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. Therefore, in its cooperation programme with the Brazilian Government for the period 2024-2028, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most vulnerable and excluded girls and boys, with a special focus on children and adolescents who are victims of extreme forms of violence. These children and adolescents in situations of greater vulnerability are spread throughout Brazil, but they are more concentrated in the Amazon, in the Northeast and in large urban centers. Through the UNICEF Seal, UNICEF promotes commitments to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents in the Northeast and in the Amazon regions in Brazil. In large cities, UNICEF works with a focus on reducing intra-municipal inequalities, through the #AgendaCidadeUNICEF.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in every-thing the organisation does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. In conflict and disaster, children suffer first and suffer most. UNICEF works to strengthen the links between humanitarian action and development work, delivering a continuum of support. In Brazil, UNICEF directly responds to four current emergencies: the Venezuelan migration outflow, the Yanomami emergency, the drought in the Amazon and the floods in Rio Grande do Sul.
At present, over a million refugees and migrants from Venezuela live in Brazil, where the Federal Government manages the Operation Welcome in Roraima and Amazonas. Since 2018, UNICEF has an office in Boa Vista and an outpost in Pacaraima to ensure refugee and migrant children, adolescents and their families have access to their rights. Also in Roraima, UNICEF has been working in coordination with Brazilian authorities at national and local levels in the Yanomami emergency response, in close collaboration with indigenous organizations.
In October 2023, all the 62 municipalities in Amazonas declared an emergency state due to a historical drought. UNICEF’s office in Manaus is supporting State and Municipal authorities in the implementation of anticipatory child-sensitive measures, in coordination with indigenous organizations, UN agencies and partners.
Earlier this year, Rio Grande do Sul state declared a level III public calamity (highest level of emergency) for 478 municipalities due to the biggest flood to hit the state since 1941. UNICEF has been supporting the government on a range of areas, in child protection, education, health, social protection, WASH and Social & Behaviour Change (SBC).
Social and Behaviour Change in UNICEF is a cross-cutting programme strategy that analyses and addresses the cognitive, social and structural determinants of individual practices and societal changes in both development and humanitarian contexts. SBC brings social and behavioural evidence generation together with participation in community-led and human-centred processes.
Within SBC, Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) is a series of activities or interventions aimed at individuals, social groups and networks, at the household and community level, that addresses how information is transmitted, perceived, understood and applied during emergencies. Besides providing life-saving information, it is necessary to understand the barriers preventing individuals and groups to accessing essential services or adopting positive practices.

Under the guidance of the Chief of Communication and Advocacy and the Social and Behaviour Change Officer, in close coordination with the Emergency Manager, the RCCE UN Volunteer Specialist will support UNICEF in planning, systematizing and leveraging SBC emergency interventions, in liaison with field offices handling humanitarian situations, with occasional short missions.

1) Support the strategy design, development and implementation of SBC activities and participation mechanisms in humanitarian contexts (migration outflow, drought, indigenous health crisis, floods in the South and future occurrences)
• Research and/or participate in conducting comprehensive SBC situation analysis of social, cultural, economic, communication and political issues in the country/region. Collect and synthesize qualitative and quantitative information and data.
• Collect, draft and/or organize materials and related documentations for SBC strategies and plans.
• Assess the impact of SBC activities to achieve measurable behavioural and social change. Submit qualitative report/synthesis of results for development planning and improvement.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to provide operational and technical support to the design of SBC strategies, and research, develop, test, produce and use quality SBC materials and/or organize events and activities to ensure maximum outreach and impact.
• Follow up on the production of SBC materials to ensure technical quality, consistency and relevancy of communications materials that are developed, produced and disseminated to target audience (e.g. individuals, communities, government officials, partners, media etc).
• Collect, assess and organize information for budget planning and management of programme funds and prepare documentations and related materials for financial plan.

2) Networking and partnership building, knowledge management and capacity building
• Build and maintain partnerships through networking and proactive collaboration with national and international civil society organizations, community groups, leaders and other critical partners.
• Collaborate with internal global/regional communication partners to harmonize, link and/or coordinate messaging to enhance SBC outreach and contribution to programmatic outcomes.
• Institutionalize/share best practices and knowledge learned/products with global/local partners and stakeholders to build capacity of practitioners/users, and disseminate lessons learned to key audiences including donors and partners. Develop training materials for training activities and revise them periodically for improvements and updates.