Mission and objectives

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. In all of its work, UNICEF takes a life-cycle based approach, recognizing the particular importance of early childhood development and adolescence. UNICEF programmes focus on the most disadvantaged children, including those living in fragile contexts, those with disabilities, those who are affected by rapid urbanization and those affected by environmental degradation. UNICEF was created with a distinct purpose in mind: to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future. We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children. We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished: no child should suffer or die from a preventable illness. We work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people because it is right to keep them from harm and enable them to protect others. We help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS to live their lives with dignity. We are UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Context

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 favouritism. 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 fulfil 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. Gender equality is essential to realizing the mandate of UNICEF to uphold the rights of all children. The UNICEF Gender Action Plan (GAP), 2022–2025, operationalizes the UNICEF Gender Policy, 2021–2030, by specifying how UNICEF will promote gender equality across its programmes and workplaces. It affirms that promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is the responsibility of everyone, regardless of organizational role. This UNV Gender Specialist for UNICEF Nepal country Office will report to the Deputy Representative – Programme, in close collaboration with the Field Offices and the sector and cross-sectoral areas. With the support of Senior Management, the UNV Gender Specialist will support to accelerate the gender mainstreaming and adolescent girls’ agenda by catalysing gender issues across sectors, strengthening the cross sectoral synergies and contributing to integrate the gender approach in programme outcomes and institutional results.

Task Description

• Provide technical guidance throughout all stages of programming to facilitate the management and delivery of results contributing to gender equality in alignment with the Gender Action Plan. • Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of high-quality gender and adolescent girls’ programming/projects across sectors including in humanitarian situation in alignment with the Gender Action Plan. • Support to implement action plans as per recommendation from Gender Programmatic Review and as per Gender Strategy and action plans developed recently. • Represent UNICEF and provide technical and coordination support on gender issues in UN LNOB/GESI (Leave No One Behind/ Gender Equality and Social Inclusion), ROSA gender meetings, share progress on gender-related initiatives, and follow up on action points. • Provide technical input and review on the gender components in program documents and in the design of funding proposals. • Support capacity building of staff on adolescent agenda and on gender integration, monitoring of indicators and reporting of gender results. • Ensure knowledge management and sharing of best practices and results on gender across country office. • Ensure utilization of the budget allocation and expenditure on gender. • Consolidate gender-related data for Core Standard Indicators (CSIs), COAR and prepare an annual gender thematic report. • Other tasks related to the assignment may be required by the supervisor.

Competencies and values

Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF 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 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; excellent spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports/case studies and other KM products; 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;

Living conditions and remarks

The post is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Most of the assignment will be done from Kathmandu with potentially missions across Nepal and select countries in South Asia. Nepal is nestled in South Asia between India and the Tibetan region of China. Its stunning views of the Himalayan range attract people from around the world, particularly to locally-called “Sagarmantha” or Mount Everest. Nepal can be divided into four distinct regions. From north to south they are: (a) the Himalayan range with an altitude of over 5,000 m including Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali), 8,848 m; (b) the hills at an altitude of 500 to 5,000 mt. with long terraced slopes leading to fertile valleys such as Kathmandu and Pokhara; (c) the Inner Terrai with its low river valleys; and (d) the fertile Outer Terai between 180 and 350m. The Himalayan range accounts for a third of the total land area whereas the Hills and the Terai occupy roughly 45 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively. Nepal moved from a monarchy to a parliamentary democracy in 1951. The country was strife with civil war in the 1990s and early 2000s and ultimately replaced the world’s last Hindu monarchy with a secular government in 2008. The 2018 new constitution shifted powers from the centralized parliament in Kathmandu to its seven provinces as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The Nepalese people, also referred Nepali, are a diverse mix of over 125 ethnic groups with almost as many languages between them. They are deeply spiritual, and the practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and other indigenous and folk religions have left their mark on their customs and festivals. Nepal has four distinct seasons that vary according to its region. Spring is warm with rain showers and temperatures around 22°C, lasting from March to May. Summer is the monsoon season and lasts from June to August/September, with temperatures in the low 30’s°C in the day and about 20°C at night. Rain is rare and scattered outside of this season. Autumn is the season that attracts most tourists interested in trekking. September to November is cool with clear skies with average daily temperatures of 25°C and cool nights as low as 10°C. The winter months of December to February get cold and may have sub-zero °C temperatures, although maximum temperatures can rise to 20°C. The climate in Kathmandu is agreeable and people eat outside most of the year. Nepal, including Kathmandu is generally safe, including for families and solo female travellers. Crime is low; however petty theft is a risk like anywhere. The Nepalese are known for being friendly and helpful towards foreign travellers. While it is generally fine to walk at night, be aware of your surroundings and exercise caution when doing so, especially in urban areas.