Mission and objectives

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. Therefore, 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.

Context

UNICEF operates in 190 countries to save children’s lives, uphold their rights, and help them reach their potential from birth to adolescence. Since 1986, UNICEF has supported the Government of Papua New Guinea in enhancing child wellbeing across these areas - Child Protection, Education, Health, Nutrition, and Water and Sanitation Hygiene. The UNICEF country office in Papua New Guinea is rolling out its 6th Country Programme 2024 – 2028 with a focus on helping PNG achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by (a) reducing violence, abuse and exploitation of children and women; (b) strengthening basic, quality social services and building public trust and use of the services; and (c) strengthening resilience and reducing the risks of children and families to disasters and crises. UNICEF PNG is offering a part-time internship over a 3-month period from November 2024 to January 2025 to expose qualified students specialized in various professional fields to the day to day working environment of the United Nations. The objective of this national UN Volunteer assignment is to provide a motivated and innovative individual with professional experience in Research and Youth Engagement. The UNV will primarily assist the Communication and Health Section, delivering essential support to implement Adolescent and youth research and participation programmes and support Adolescent engagement across all UNICEF’s program.

Task Description

Under the overall guidance of the Advocacy & Communication Specialist and Health Section Chief, specific tasks of the UNV will include but not be limited to the following: Youth Engagement & Participation: - Support and promote meaningful youth engagement across UNICEF PNG programmes - Facilitate adolescent and youth participation in UNICEF PNG's programming design and implementation - Roll out and pilot the Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework - Lead development of the Participatory Action research methodology - Work with UNICEF sectoral programmes and their implementing partners to identify a team of youth researchers - Train the target youth in a variety of quantitative and qualitative data collection and research methods including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, surveying, and mapping. Innovative research practices such as video recording and photo documentation will also be presented as part of the training - Support young people to conduct participatory research. - Act as a guide and resource to the youth researchers during the development and implementation of their research plan – providing on-going coaching and support - Support the strengthening of adolescent-inclusive programming based on research findings - Coach the youth on how best to present their findings using data visualizations, case studies and other techniques to engage with their community in their research and encourage further discussion and action on their findings, including supporting young researchers in advocacy within their communities and in identified forums with policy makers (Parliamentary Committee, Ministerial forums). Communications & Content: - Develop youth-related content for UNICEF's social media channels and communications materials - Support storytelling and documentation of youth voices and experiences - Identify and support youth influencers in advocating with young people on key issues of relevance for young people Operational Support: - Provide logistical and administrative support for youth engagement events and activities - Support in-office tasks for the Communications section as needed Other Duties: - Undertake other responsibilities as required to support programme objectives on adolescent and youth programming.

Competencies and values

Communication - Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to effectively present thoughts, ideas and technical concepts in a clear, concise and readily understood manner. Managing resources – Self-sufficient and able to work with minimal supervision. Organize and manage time and information to achieve defined goals and results within deadlines. Team player – able to work independently and as part of a team.

Living conditions and remarks

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the most beautiful countries in the world with more than 840 languages. 85% of the population of PNG live in rural areas and the geography is beautiful and challenging, made up of seas, islands and mountains. Port Moresby is the capital and largest city and is very cosmopolitan. The city has areas of both high and low security. It’s advisable for residents and visitors to take precautions, especially at night, and in certain neighbourhoods known for higher crime rates. Port Moresby is well connected by air to the rest of the country and other international routes. The climate in Port Moresby is tropical with 2 distinct seasons, wet season from December-March and dry season from May-October The cost of living can be high especially housing and food. Medical facilities are available but may lack high tech resources that may be required. Banking is available with numerous mobile telecommunication networks and good internet connectivity. Port Moresby has good road network with minimal power shortages. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.”