National UN Volunteer Youth Engagement Officer, Baghdad, UNICEF Iraq

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The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
UNICEF reaffirms its commitment to leaving no one behind and promoting gender equality in all its programmes. UNICEF’s work on gender equality is guided by the Gender Action Plan 2018-2022, which advances Youth Participation and engagement, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in key areas of UNICEF’s work.

11. Sustainable Development Goals: 8. Decent Work and Economy Growth
Supervision, induction, and duty of care of UN Volunteers

UN Volunteers should be provided equal duty of care as extended to all host entity personnel. Host entity support to the UN Volunteer includes, but is not limited to:

• Introductory briefings about the organisation and office-related context including security, emergency procedures, good cultural practice and orientation to the local environment.
• Support with arrival administration and official processes as required.
• Structured guidance, mentoring and coaching by a supervisor including a clear workplan and performance appraisal.
• Access to office space, equipment, IT support and any other systems and tools required to complete the objectives of the assignment including a host entity email address;
• Access to shared host entity corporate knowledge, training and learning;
• Ensure that UN Volunteers are provided all necessary security measures as per the United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS);
• Leave management.
• DSA for official travel, when applicable.
• All changes in the Description of Assignment occurring between recruitment and arrival or during the assignment need to be formalized with the United Nations Volunteer Programme.

12. Description of tasks:

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision NOC ADAP specialist at ICO, the National UN Volunteer Specialist will:

• Support the management, implementation, and coordination of all U-Report activities and campaigns; support the production of interactive content and polls, and coordinate poll content with UNICEF programs, Governmental, CSO, and UN agencies. Manage online and offline U-Report Iraq community activities.
• Coordinate the implementation of UNICEF’s Young People’s Advisory Group, including designing and implementing workplans; developing communication plans; liaising with programs and sections; supporting youth members in preparation for events/media; documenting learning and successes.
• Ensure adherence to principles of child/youth participation and safeguarding in the development/implementation of all campaigns, communication products and platforms.
• Prepare and contribute to reports, including progress reports and final reports, and liaise with the relevant teams, divisions, and partners for report content.
• Coordinate day-to-day delivery of key results, reviewing work plans to ensure progress and delivery while addressing obstacles and bottlenecks. Ensure effectiveness and transparent use of budget and resources.
• Contribute to building partners capacities in youth engagement, through coaching, training, and sharing of expertise.
• Assist in mapping, identification, and engagement of key partners for youth from CSOs and private sector and engage them in the implementation of the youth program activities.
• Participate in organizing program activities (gatherings, workshops, trainings, etc.) and support implementing partners when needed in youth-related activities.
• Support and drive the national scale up of U-Report and Learning Passport with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and KRI Ministry of Culture and Youth.
• Attend meetings with U-Report and Learning Passport Global Team and Regional T4D Business Analyst as necessary.
• Support the implementation of the U-Report and Learning Passport Iraq scale plan including facilitating capacity trainings and orientation sessions to achieve concrete results and initiatives.
• Support effective implementation and monitoring of the National Volunteering Programme and volunteering Platform, with special focus on adolescent and youth engagement, programme implementation, monitoring, documentation and research.
• Support UNICEF with the Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG) ensuring their meaningful participation across UNICEF programmes and sections.
• Frequent field and monitoring and programme visit to project sites and meeting with partners.
• Undertake other key responsibilities as required.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

13. Results/expected outputs:

• As an active UNICEF team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNICEF and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

14. Qualifications/requirements:

Required Education Level: Bachelor’s degree
Required Experience: 2-4 years of experience

a) Education

• A university degree in one of the following fields is required: communications, Marketing, Journalism, International Relations, International Development or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of 2-4 years’ experience in social development planning and management in adolescent development related areas is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Sound understanding of gender equality and gender issues in international development and in Iraq context.
• Experience implementing field programming and monitoring in low- and middle-income settings.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
• Experience developing case studies, documenting lessons learned, etc. desired;
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;
• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

b) Competencies and values :

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF’s ; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF’s procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented;
• Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNICEF’s in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority;
• Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues;
• Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.
• Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities;
• Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;
• Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary;
• Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNICEF’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

c) Language skills
Fluency in spoken and written Arabic is required;
Fluency in English is required

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