Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) Implementation Evaluation Consultant, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for 6 months, travel related

Organizational Context

UNICEF operates in over 190 countries, dedicated to saving children's lives, defending their rights, and helping them fulfill their potential. We are committed to promoting the rights of every child, offering diverse opportunities for professional and personal development in a passionate and inclusive culture.

Job Purpose

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) is a global UNICEF-led program supporting local governments to prioritize children's rights in governance, planning, budgeting, service delivery, and community engagement. It aims to foster safer, more inclusive, and supportive urban environments for children's well-being. Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has been a participant since 2020, achieving recognition as a Child Friendly City in 2023 and launching its second action plan. This consultancy is crucial for conducting a mid-term evaluation of MBPJ's ongoing implementation of its second action plan, assessing progress, identifying challenges, and providing recommendations to enhance future efforts until 2030.

Responsibilities

The consultant will conduct a mid-term evaluation of the Petaling Jaya City Council's (MBPJ) implementation of its second Child Friendly City Action Plan (2024-2030). This involves assessing progress made, identifying key achievements and challenges encountered during the implementation period. The consultant will utilize mixed-methods evaluation approaches, including comprehensive document review, in-depth stakeholder consultations with local authorities, civil society organizations, and children, and rigorous analysis of administrative, monitoring, and program data. A critical aspect of the role will be ensuring safe, ethical, inclusive, and meaningful engagement with children throughout the evaluation process, adhering to child safeguarding, informed consent, confidentiality, equity, and participation principles. The consultant will also need to apply knowledge of the Malaysian local government context, preferably with experience working with city councils or government institutions in Malaysia. The final output will be a detailed evaluation report with actionable recommendations to strengthen ongoing implementation and inform future strategies for institutionalizing child-friendly governance, planning, and service delivery within MBPJ.

Work Experience

The role requires demonstrated experience in evaluating child rights, local governance, urban development, or public sector reform programs. Experience working with or evaluating local governments and a strong understanding of child rights or urban development are essential. Familiarity with UNICEF's CFCI is an asset. Proficiency in mixed-methods evaluation and safe, ethical engagement with children is also necessary.

Skills

Evaluation, Child Rights, Local Governance, Urban Development, Public Policy Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Mixed-Methods Research, Child Safeguarding, Report Writing, Facilitation, Presentation Skills, UNICEF CFCI Framework

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