Health, Nutrition and Early Child Development 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.

In Brazil, almost 27 million children and adolescents (49.7% of the total) are denied one or more rights. The most affected ones are black and indigenous girls and boys, from poor families, living in rural area or in peripheries of urban centers. Most of these children are in a situation of inequality, excluded by public policies, with a very high social deficit. For young children living in contexts of poverty and inequality, the lack of integrated care may have long term consequences in their lives, considering that they are at important stages of growth and development, considered a window of opportunity for health, learning and emotional well-being. Infant mortality, malnutrition, lack of access to early childhood education, and the high incidence of domestic violence and sexual abuse, have been identified as some forms of violation of the rights of young children in the region.

UNICEF works with governments, businesses, civil society and academia to strengthen their systems so that children receive the services required for their developmental needs in the territory. The Early Childhood Friendly Unit Initiative (UAPI), implemented in seven Brazilian capitals (Belém, Manaus, Fortaleza, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Luís) aims to support the qualification of services of excellence for young children through the technical assistance, training, monitoring and certification of health (Primary Health Care Facilities),education units (daycare centers and preschools) and social assistance equipment (Social Assistance Reference Centers). The initiative has the potential of promoting intersectoral work between different areas, gathering efforts from different institutions for the strengthening of services, improving monitoring and evaluation of workflows, and leading to the elaboration and implementation of a concrete action plan for improving the identified bottlenecks.

As part of Rio de Janeiro team, the UN Volunteer will contribute to the implementation of UNICEF Immunization, Healthy Eating and Mental Health strategies, UAPI, Agenda Cidade UNICEF, early child development (ECD) and Primeira Infância Antirracista ( PIA) initiatives and other activities related to Rio de Janeiro office Strategic Framework, closely coordinating with the areas of education, social protection, adolescents and child protection. As a final result, most excluded boys and girls will benefit from enhanced and inclusive public policies and services, especially to ensure that all children are surviving, thriving and with good health in contexts of armed violence.

This assignment will support the implementation of the national and local health, nutrition and ECD strategy in Rio de Janeiro as the main focus, guiding the local strategy on the same topic as an integral part of the Rio de Janeiro Strategic Framework focused on Violence Prevention and Response in contexts or armed violence. As such, the UN Volunteer is supposed to design, implement, and monitor health, nutrition and ECD activities, in partnership with government and relevant civil society organizations, based on the strategies developed by Brasília’s Health, Nutrition and ECD Teams and the Strategic Framework for Rio de Janeiro.

Under the supervision and guidance of the Rio de Janeiro Chief Field Office and working closely with the UNICEF Health and ECD specialists’ team, the UN Volunteer will provide support on strengthening the Health and ECD programmes, with focus on the strengthening health initiatives and their connections to violence prevention and response in territories affected by armed violence in Rio de Janeiro.

As such, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks/ responsibilities:

• Monitor and implement Early Childhood Friendly Unit (UAPI) Initiative
• Participate in strategic meetings and discussions about the UAPI initiative in Rio de Janeiro with government stakeholders and external consultantsby providing technical expertise and inputs for the strengthening of the initiative, identifying bottlenecks and lessons learned as well as potentialities that must be taking into consideration for a solid and sustainable programme.
• In close coordination with the Child Protection Specialist for Rio de Janeiro co-lead and support the discussions about the UAPI incorporation in the Rio de Janeiro framework focused on violence prevention, including through UAPI Social Assistance, and other revelant Violence Prevention and response initiatives
• Lead and participate in the Scientific Committee meetings of the UAPI in Rio de Janeiro, supporting the municipality in decisions regarding the need of specific training, diagnosis, definitions of targets, strategic action plans and the final evaluation.
• Organize and implement the certification process together with Scientific Committee and City Hall.
• Immunization: support advocacy activities for the active search for the most vulnerable children with no immunization or with delay in vaccination, especially in contexts of armed violence.
• Provide technical inputs for Communication campaigns and Social Behavior Change initiative, in close collaboration with the Communications specialist for Rio de Janeiro.
• Participate in strategic meetings and support capacity building focused on the Health and ECD results for the Agenda Cidade UNICEF, such as Semana do Bebê and PIA – Primeira Infância Antirracista.
• Support the discussions and implementation of activities related to prevention of violence against children and healthy eating throughout education.
• Collaborate with Adolescents Development area in supporting the development of mental health and adolescent health programmes, especially in contexts of armed violence, Coordinate the development and implementation of programmatic interventions with implementing partners in Rio de Janeiro.
• Support the preparation of donor reports and proposals, annual reports and other relevant documents.
• Monitor and implement the Annual work plans and its budget for Health, Nutrition and ECD, including PIA, in Rio de Janeiro.
• Participate in team meetings and external events.