Short Term National Consultancy for the Child and Adolescent Participation Programmes, Gaziantep/Türkiye, 3.71 months, Office based with travel

Organizational Context

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

Job Purpose

The consultant will work with municipalities to strengthen existing participation mechanisms and support their integration into regular municipal procedures, ensuring that sustainable and meaningful child and adolescent participation is mainstreamed as an ongoing part of municipal work. This role is crucial for empowering children and adolescents by providing them with platforms to voice their opinions and contribute to decisions that affect their lives. The consultant will play a key role in fostering a culture of participation within local governance structures, thereby enhancing the responsiveness of municipalities to the needs and rights of young people.

Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for assessing current child and adolescent participation mechanisms within selected municipalities, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. They will develop and implement strategies to strengthen these mechanisms, ensuring their integration into regular municipal procedures and policies. This includes designing and delivering training programs for municipal staff and local stakeholders on child and adolescent participation principles and practices. The consultant will also facilitate workshops and dialogues involving children and adolescents to gather their input and ensure their meaningful participation. Furthermore, they will be tasked with developing guidance documents, frameworks, and operational procedures to support municipalities in institutionalizing child and adolescent participation. Monitoring and evaluation of the implemented participation initiatives will be a key responsibility, along with reporting on progress and outcomes to UNICEF and relevant municipal authorities. The consultant will also contribute to knowledge sharing and best practices dissemination related to child and adolescent participation within the local context.

Work Experience

Minimum of 5 years of experience in child and adolescent participation, including direct experience working with municipalities and/or government institutions.

Skills

Proven experience working with children and adolescents, Strong expertise in child and adolescent participation, Experience in developing frameworks, guidance documents, or operational procedures for governmental partners, Experience working with municipalities or local authorities in Türkiye, Strong understanding of municipalities and/or government institutions, Strong facilitation and training skills, Experience delivering trainings to institutional staff and children, Familiarity with child and adolescent participation mechanisms, Understanding of municipality governance mechanisms, Understanding of budgeting processes, Understanding of administrative structures, Knowledge of the local context in the Southeast region of Türkiye

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