Job no: 539669
Contract type: Consultancy
Level: Consultancy
Location: Madagascar
Categories: Gender Equality, Consultancy

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, every right

Background

The prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse has, for decades, been at the core of UNICEF’s mandate. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by employees, personnel and sub-contractors of UNICEF and implementing partners. In December 2018, under the Championship of UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, the IASC Principals laid out in a Plan for Accelerating PSEA at Country-Level. The plan outlines three main priorities:

1) safe, accessible and dignified reporting that is gender and child sensitive;

2)quality SEA survivor assistance; and

3) enhanced accountability, including through prompt and respectful investigations.

To demonstrate UNICEF’s commitment to advance the agenda on PSEA, ED Fore allocated US$11 million in 2018 to support 16 countries, where crises have created a spike in vulnerability. A Results Monitoring Framework has been developed and rolled-out at country level to measure progress and results at country and global level. Following the endorsement of the United Nations Protocol On Allegations Of Sexual Exploitation And Abuse Involving Implementing Partners (hereinafter referred to the UN Protocol) in February 2018, UNICEF has incorporated prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse standards in the General Terms and Conditions of partnership agreements with civil society organizations.

UNICEF has been leading and working with partners on the fight against sexual exploitation and abuse against children and beneficiaries, together with workplace discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority. Since 2020 UNICEF Madagascar country office (MCO) has been engaged in strengthening its efforts in this area, both within the office and as part of the joint PSEA task force composed by organizations members of the Humanitarian Country Team.

As part of the implementation of its PSEA workplan, UNICEF MCO trained an important share of staff (more than 230 persons) based in the capital and in the region, including 35 sector focal points; multiple trainings have been conducted for non governmental implementing partners (IPs); in compliance with global procedures, MCO started the process to evaluate the SEA risk rating of its IPs, training and launching the self evaluation exercise for around 90% of them.

Given the number of governmental and non governmental partners that work with MCO, and considering the importance of ensuring that PSEA is duly taken into consideration as a priority to prevent SEA cases, improve reporting channels and enhance the referral system for survivors, UNICEF is seeking a dedicated complementary expertise that will support the main PSEA focal point, MCO management and sector focal points in implementing the 2021 PSEA plan.

The incumbent of this post will help capacitate additional focal points on PSEA in the country office so that they can continue to perform the concerned responsibilities on a sustainable basis after the phase-out of the post.

The PSEA Specialist will be home-based but reporting to the main MCO PSEA focal point and to the office management,  based in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

The consultancy will build on the work of the current PSEA focal point, and will allow for the completion of PSEA risk assessment of all national CSO implementing partners (IPs), the adaptation of training materials, the follow up of risk reduction plans for the IPs and the improvement of MCO SEA reporting channels. Utilizing the PSEA Toolkit and Materials produced by HQ, the PSEA Specialist will also focus on strengthening the prevention, risk mitigation and investigation capacities of the IPs and the Country Office systems to monitor and support PSEA at IP level.

How can you make a difference?

The Purpose of the proposed assignment is to support for institutionalization of PSEA/Safeguarding best practice in UNICEF Madagascar CSO partners; strengthening the prevention, reporting, referral and investigation capacities of the partners and the country office systems to monitor and support PSEA at implementing partner level.

For every child, results

Specific Tasks

Under the supervision of the main MCO PSEA focal point and the guidance of the office Representative, the consultant will provide strategic advice and coordination around strengthening PSEA capacity and practice at implementing partner level in the Country Office.

Key tasks will include:

Strategic Advice and Coordination

• Support senior leadership in developing, implementing and monitoring PSEA partner capacity building and risk assessment plans;
• Support the country office in managing and coordinating responses to SEA concerns and incidents at IP level;
• Contribute to and ensure coherence with the work of the Madagascar joint PSEA Task Force, keeping the senior leadership updated on PSEA/Safeguarding developments and making appropriate recommendations on enhancing prevention strategies;

Monitoring and Strengthening Implementing Partner PSEA Capacity and Practice

• Supporting and monitor implementation of IP PSEA action plans, providing technical advice to strengthen capacity as required;
• Complete capacity assessments on new partners and repeat PSEA assessments where indicated, especially for those partners who have scored high risk in the initial assessment.
• Work with relevant focal points in the Child Protection section to support partners to implement internal complaints and investigation procedures, which are coherent with existing and planned community-based complaints mechanisms (CBCMs);
• Advise management of any concerns regarding IPs with persistent high PSEA risk levels, which could result in termination of the partnership;
• Advise management on any challenges with meeting the UNICEF PSEA standards in the Madagascar context.
• At the end of the assignment, provide senior management with a summary report of work completed with matrix of current partner PSEA capacity, highlighting challenges and risks identified and providing clear recommendations for future SEA risk management.

Training and Learning

• Deliver online PSEA training to implementing partners, utilizing the UNICEF PSEA Toolkit and materials adapted to the local context;
• Develop ToRs, train and support UNICEF Focal Points who will monitor IP PSEA practice, conduct capacity assessments and follow up on capacity gaps in future;
• Deliver PSEA training to wider UNICEF staff.
• Compile and support dissemination of PSEA learning within UNICEF and the wider Somalia PSEA network.