Consultancy – Climate-resilience Birth Registration Systems Study at UNICEF

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, answers
UNICEF
Innocenti Global Office of Research and Foresight (UNICEF Innocenti)
works closely with researchers, governments, practitioners and other
partners in 190 countries and territories. Innocenti’s overall aim is to
contribute to more effective and sustainable outcomes for children,
including their rights and protection. UNICEF Innocenti generates
research, knowledge and analysis on child rights and well-being
globally, for UNICEF, partners, and the wider international development
and donor community. Its activities help to identify key challenges for
child rights, as well as effective solutions and responses, working
collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to inform policy,
guide practice and strengthen results from investments.

Birth
registration is fundamental for legal identity, social services, and
rights. Ensuring system resilience is crucial for continuity and
disaster response. Climate change exacerbates the frequency and severity
of natural and humanitarian disasters. Climate change-induced natural
and humanitarian disasters pose significant challenges to the effective
functioning of birth registration systems. Disruptions caused by such
events can lead to the loss of vital records, hindering individuals’
access to essential services and legal rights.
There is a critical need to secure and adapt birth registration systems
to address these challenges to ensure their resilience in the face of
disasters.

This research aims to identify strategies for
securing and adapting birth registration systems to ensure uninterrupted
service delivery, even in the face of disasters, by focusing on
improvement in the routine functioning of the system as well as special
measures needed.

How can you make a difference?
The
primary objective of this research is to generate evidence-informed
recommendations for securing and adapting birth registration systems in
response to climate change-induced natural and humanitarian disasters.
The aim is to assess existing vulnerabilities and gaps in birth
registration systems and develop recommendations for routine system
functioning and disaster-specific adaptations.

Specifically, the
research aims to synthesize existing evidence and good practices
through desk-based review, consultation, and case study analysis, in
order to produce recommendations for the following aspects of birth
registration system strengthening:
– Business Process Improvement:
Identify areas for business process improvement within birth
registration systems to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and
resilience.
– Decentralization of Services: Explore strategies for
decentralizing birth registration services to ensure accessibility and
minimize disruption during disasters.
– Engagement with the Health
Sector: Examine opportunities to engage with the health sector to
strengthen linkages between birth registration and healthcare services
in general and as a mitigation strategy during disasters and health
crises.
– Digitalization: Assess the role of digital technologies in
enhancing the resilience and adaptability of birth registration systems
during disasters.
– Demand creation: Review promising strategies to
increase demand for birth registration services, particularly among
marginalized and vulnerable populations, particularly in disaster-prone
areas.
– Safe storage of data: Identify best practices for secure
data storage and recommend measures (cloud-based backups, offline
redundancy (physical storage), and encryption protocols) to ensure data
integrity and availability.
– Reconstruction mechanisms: Review
existing guidance guidelines for reconstructing lost records and
restoring birth registration services in post-disaster scenarios by
establishing disaster recovery protocols, collaborating with disaster
response agencies, and using age-appropriate biometric identifiers for
re-identification.
– Populations on the move: Develop measures to
address the needs of populations on the move, including refugees,
internally displaced persons (IDPs), and migrants, in accessing birth
registration services during and after disasters.

Proposed Approach and Methodology
The
consultant will work closely with UNICEF Innocenti and UNICEF Child
Protection (CP) section to conduct and deliver the study. To achieve the
objectives, they will employ the following methods:

The research will involve:
(i)
Rapid global evidence review of existing literature and case studies on
the impact of climate change-induced disasters on birth registration
systems and existing adaptation measures,
and identification of key evidence gaps. (With input from leading institutions working on BR issues).
(ii)
Virtual stakeholder consultations with identified countries to share
findings and identify recommendations for adaptation of good practice,
including UNICEF Country/Regional offices, government agencies,
international organizations, civil society groups, and communities
affected by disasters to gather insights and perspectives.
(iii)
Analyzing best practices and innovative approaches from various contexts
for securing and adapting birth registration systems in disaster-prone
areas.
(iv) Developing policy and practice recommendations, focusing
on routine improvements and special measures needed for disaster
resilience.
(v) Assessing the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of
proposed recommendations in different socio-economic and environmental
contexts.

Potential countries of focus are LMICs identified by
UNICEF which have both a comparative availability of data, and
intersecting aspects of climate and/or humanitarian pressures –
including (but not limited to), for instance, Bhutan, Ethiopia,
Malaysia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Major areas of work and responsibility
The research will result in the following deliverables:
Deliverable 1: Inception outline, detailing structure of comprehensive report and workplan
Deliverable
2: Comprehensive report, presenting research findings, synthesis of
best practices for securing and adapting birth registration systems, and
recommendations.
Deliverable 3: Policy brief, summarizing key findings and recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders.
Deliverable 4: Guidelines for implementation: providing detailed guidance for implementing recommended strategies and measures.

Supervision
The
consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNICEF
Innocenti Child Protection Specialist and in close coordination with
UNICEF Child Protection Section, HQ.

Reporting Requirements
Attendance in weekly or bi-weekly project management meetings with UNICEF Innocenti focal point.

Conditions of Consultancy
UNICEF
does not issue computer equipment to consultants. The consultant will
be responsible for providing the necessary computer equipment for the
consultancy themselves and should include the cost implications of this
responsibility in their bid for the consultancy. The cost of software
and subscriptions that may be necessary to complete the consultancy
(e.g., Microsoft Word) also needs to be factored into the bid for the
consultancy.

UNICEF does not regard Individuals engaged under a
consultancy contract as “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and
Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures.
Consultants are therefore not entitled to benefits such as leave,
pension 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.

Payment of professional fees
will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the
right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up
to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the
deliverables on the part of the consultant. Prospective consultants are
encouraged to ensure that they fully understand (a) the requirements of
each deliverable and (b) the workload associated with reaching a
deliverable.

UNICEF recognises that, due to the locations of some
of its research, events may occur that either delay deliverables or
prevent them from being completed. These events need to be reviewed on a
case-by-case basis to determine the impact on the payment schedule of
the contract. It is UNICEF’s objective to be fair to consultants in
situations where deliverables are delayed or no longer attainable
through no wrongdoing of the consultant.

Consultants 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.

Administrative issues
The Bidder is requested
to provide an all-inclusive cost in the financial proposal, factoring in
all cost implications for the assignment as described above. Where
travel is expected as part of the assignment, it will be clearly
specified by the bidder (e.g. location, duration, number of journeys),
and included in the estimate cost of travel in the financial proposal.
Any travel will be calculated based on economy class travel, and costs
for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable
daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the
International Civil Service Commission (ISCS), including unexpected
travel.
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To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• An
  advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in economics,
  political science, sociology, public health/social policy, sociology, or
  relevant fields in areas of UNICEF work is required.
• Strong familiarity with birth registration systems and programme design.
• Good
  familiarity with humanitarian and climate-shock-related contexts in
  LMIC settings, and broader humanitarian child protection issues.
• Established
  methodological expertise on the design and implementation of cost of
  inaction studies, preferably in the context of humanitarian and/or
  development contexts.
• Proven record of research-relevant publications and deliverables in this topic area.
• Clear
  record of deliverables in provision of high-quality research reports,
  briefs, and analytical outputs for mixed high-level policy,
  practitioner, and research audiences.
• Strong methodological expertise in economics, data analysis and modelling; strong writing skills.
• Professional, respectful and fully committed to maintaining ethical behaviours.
• Fluency
  in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language
  (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an
  asset.

Other Requirements:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Understanding
  the importance of timely delivery, validation and feedback processes as
  well as precision when selecting and referencing background sources.
• Excellent
  understanding and knowledge of software such as, but not limited to,
  Microsoft Office applications, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.; basic
  statistical analysis and reporting skills (percentages, means, and
  drawing of charts).
• Self-sufficient, comfortable organizing and
  managing time and information to achieve defined goals and optimum
  results and able to work to strict deadlines.
• Flexible, and able
  to work effectively on multiple assignments simultaneously and to adapt
  to changing demands and circumstances. Professional, respectful, and
  fully committed to maintaining ethical behaviors.
• Familiarity with evidence synthesis processes would be an asset.
• Clean criminal record and does not subscribe to harmful gender attitudes.

For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s
Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and
Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get
acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

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.
Go to our Homepage To Get Relevant Information.
Advertised: 05 Jul 2024 GMT Daylight Time
Deadline: 19 Jul 2024 GMT Daylight Time