Child rights & Human Rights Due Diligence Consultant, GPD, Child Rights Unit, 5 months, UNICEF Brussels (Remote) # 594344

Organizational Context

UNICEF operates in over 190 countries and territories, dedicated to saving children's lives, defending their rights, and helping them fulfill their potential from early childhood through adolescence. We are committed, passionate, and proud of our work, viewing the promotion of every child's rights not just as a job, but as a calling.

Job Purpose

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a series of advocacy briefs focused on addressing child labor and related child rights issues through responsible business conduct. These briefs will be grounded in identified gaps and needs within current approaches. Additionally, the consultant will identify and execute strategic opportunities to effectively position and disseminate these briefs to key stakeholder groups. These stakeholders include governments, private sector actors, industry platforms, and multi-stakeholder initiatives operating across high-risk sectors. This work supports UNICEF's broader objective of advancing holistic, child rights-based approaches that integrate robust human rights due diligence with systems-strengthening measures to tackle the root causes of child labor, aligning with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for producing a series of advocacy briefs that clearly articulate actionable messages on how business practices, purchasing decisions, investments in social services (including social protection, child protection, and education), and engagement in community-level systems can effectively reduce the drivers of child labor. These briefs will also highlight how these actions can prevent adverse impacts across supply chains while reinforcing alignment with states' obligations to realize children's rights and companies' responsibilities for human rights due diligence under the UNGPs. Furthermore, the consultant will develop a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan. This plan will outline tailored engagement approaches for relevant governments, companies, industry actors, investors, and other key stakeholders. The plan will guide the dissemination of the advocacy briefs and facilitate strategic discussions. Considerations for measuring and reporting on the results of these efforts should be integrated throughout the development of both the briefs and the engagement plan. The consultant will also identify and deliver strategic opportunities for positioning and disseminating these materials to maximize their impact among target audiences.

Work Experience

Minimum 7-10 years of professional experience in child rights, child labor, business and human rights, or responsible business conduct. Demonstrated experience in developing advocacy briefs, policy papers, or analytical reports for international organizations or the private sector is required. Proven understanding of human rights due diligence frameworks is essential.

Skills

Excellent analytical and research skills, Ability to synthesize complex topics into accessible advocacy messages, Familiarity with systems-strengthening approaches, Ability to work independently, Meeting deadlines, Integrating feedback, Developing advocacy briefs, Policy analysis, Human rights due diligence frameworks, Root cause analysis of child labor, Stakeholder engagement planning, Report writing

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