Communications and Advocacy for Healthy Environments for Healthy Children – Req # 575059

UNICEF’s Mission

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, HOPE

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Communications and Advocacy for Healthy Environments for Healthy Children

Section/Division/Duty Station: CEED – PG – NYHQ

Duration: 1 November 2024 – 15 January 2026

Home/Office Based: REMOTE

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection, and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Background

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the development and dissemination of communications products for the Healthy Environments for Healthy Children programme, including the global collaborative.

The last three decades have witnessed huge progress in the reduction of poverty-related environmental risks to children’s health. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, the global community made a promise to all children: to safeguard the gains made on child survival and to ensure that every child has the chance to thrive and fulfil their potential. However, climate change and environmental degradation are seriously jeopardizing these precious gains and our promise to the world’s children.

Children’s environmental health has been a longstanding priority across the world and among many global organizations. However, it has lacked global coordination across issues, borders, sectors, and partners to drive a lasting impact for children that is holistic. Comprehensive solutions are needed everywhere, especially in low-and-middle-income countries.

UNICEF launched its global programme on Healthy Environments for Healthy Children in 2021. The programme has three areas of work: 1) Pollution and child health, 2) Climate change and child health, and 3) Climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities. To improve the salience of children’s environmental health, UNICEF has been building a Global Collaborative. The collaborative will advocate for change, broker knowledge, and catalyze action by engaging governments, industry, and civil society. The Global Collaborative will promote similar multi-stakeholder and multisectoral collaborations at the country level. It will also draw attention to a range of ‘spotlight risks’ on children’s environmental health, including those related to climate change, pollution, and built environments.

A key priority will be to launch the first accelerator on the Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative – “Partnership for a Lead-Free Future”. In addition, a total of about 10 additional spotlight risks are foreseen over a fifteen-month period across the categories of climate change, pollution, and built environments. The primary creative content will be sourced from UNICEF’s HEHC programme and UN partners and supplementary content crowdsourced from CEH collaborators.

Scope of Work

This consultancy will support the communications and advocacy for Healthy Environments for Healthy Children (HEHC), including the Global Collaborative over a 15-month period. The Senior Adviser, Environment, and the Global Lead for Healthy Environments for Healthy Children based in the CEED in NYHQ’s Programme Group will be the contract manager supervising the consultant.

The consultant will collaborate with the HEHC team and colleagues working on Environmental Health in Programme Group, Division of Communications, Public Partnerships Division, Private Fundraising and Partnerships, UNICEF USA, and relevant UNICEF Regional and Country Offices. Additionally, the consultant will be working closely with partners involved in the proposed Healthy Environments for Healthy Children Global Collaborative.

Under the supervision of the global lead and based on the review/inputs of stakeholders, the consultant will (i) support the development and operationalization of the content strategy for the HEHC global collaborative website, (ii) support the development and operationalization of the ‘Partnership for a lead-free future’, (iii) support the development of communications products related to the HEHC programme, and (iv) support the operationalization of advocacy and partnership strategy for the HEHC programme.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables

• Support the development and operationalization of the content strategy for the HEHC global collaborative website: This includes a) drafting web pages, newsletters, and announcements, b) maintaining a calendar of events and record of outcomes, c) maintaining a resource library, d) liaising with the web development service provider on hosting of content – 40 web-page development and maintenance, Updated resource library of approximately 200 products with abstracts and metadata, Up to 30 event calendar updates, Up to 10 newsletters – By 31 January 2026
• Support the development and operationalization of the ‘Partnership for a lead-free future’: This includes a) drafting new web pages, b) maintaining a calendar of events and record of outcomes, c) maintaining a resource library, d) liaising with the web development service provider on hosting of content – 30 web-page development and maintenance, Updated resource library of approximately 100 products with abstracts and metadata, Up to 20 event calendar updates – By 31 January 2026
• Support the development of communications products related to the HEHC programme: This includes a) developing case studies and human-interest stories based on information from country offices, b) drafting key messages on programme content, c) drafting social media content, d) drafting initial storyboards of videos, e) preparing presentations and summaries, and f) liaising with vendors on documents, videos, and other products – At least 10 case studies or human-interest stories, Key messages on up to 6 HEHC spotlight risks, Videos and social media assets on 6 HEHC issues – By 31 January 2026.
• Support the operationalization of advocacy and partnership strategy for the HEHC programme: This includes a) development of toolkits for young people engagement on Environmental Health, b) developing communication products in support of the advocacy strategy, c) development of partnership communication products, d) drafting of investment cases and proposals for partner engagement, e) development of pitch decks and concept notes – 10 bespoke communication products tailored to specific partners and for youth engagement, 10 partner communications/ investment cases / pitch decks / concept notes – By 31 January 2026

Qualifications

• Education: At least a master’s degree.
• Disciplines: Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations
• Experience: Eight years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media. Expertise in management, communication strategy, and networking. Technical competence in producing content for various media formats – print, audio, video, web, etc. Desirable: previous experience of working with UNICEF/UN; experience in developing/working with multi-stakeholder platforms; experience in Health or climate/environment
• Competencies/Knowledge: Knowledge of theories and practices in communication research planning and strategy. UN policies and strategy to address international humanitarian issues and the responses. Proficient knowledge of Microsoft applications namely: SharePoint and MS Office products. Excellent writing skills and ability to communicate complex analysis in simple language. Fluency in English (both written and oral communication) is mandatory. Ability to demonstrate organized multi-cultural working environment and a team player

Requirements

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/reflect:
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability.
  • Any emergent/unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
  • At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
  • Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment

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