Mission and objectives

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, 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 favoritism. 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.

Context

Non-Family Duty Station

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of Child Protection officer, Child Protection Section, the national UN Volunteer will carry out the following tasks: Child Protection Case Management Tasks: Establish clear standards, regular monitoring, and oversight mechanisms. Define minimum standards, equip the workforce, and systematically capture and analyze data on service quality. Establish mechanisms for child participation and community engagement. Develop and implement M&E frameworks, tools, and operational guidelines to systematically track case management quality, performance, and outcomes. Enhance the capacity of child protection case management personnel through structured training, coaching, and mentoring. Establish or reinforce effective coordination and referral mechanisms for improved inter-sectoral and inter-departmental collaboration. Gender Based Violence Tasks: Mainstream GBV risk mitigation in UNICEF-led clusters, ensure safe access to ser-vices for women and girls, and contribute to HNOs and HRPs with a GBV focus. Engage with UNICEF’s Child Protection team, other sectors, and UN agencies to co-ordinate and monitor GBV risk mitigation, prevention, and response, and support national coordinators and standards implementation. Monitor GBV intervention effectiveness, report on progress and challenges, and ensure alignment with UNICEF’s operational guides and global standards. Expected Results: GBV risk mitigation measures are systematically integrated into project design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Capacity of UNICEF staff and partners is strengthened to deliver quality GBV prevention and response services. GBV risk mitigation is mainstreamed across all UNICEF-led clusters and sectors, including WASH, Education, Health, Nutrition, and Child Protection. Consistent application of case management standards and procedures. Operationalized SOPs with improved adherence and quality. Enhanced capacity of personnel through ongoing training and support. Improved coordination and timely access to services for children and families.

Competencies and values

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Building Trust ☒ Client Orientation ☒ Commitment and Motivation ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Communication ☒ Creativity ☒ Empowering Others ☒ Ethics and Values ☒ Integrity ☒ Judgement and Decision-making ☒ Knowledge Sharing ☒ Leadership ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Professionalism ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Self-Management ☒ Technological Awareness ☒ Working in Teams

Living conditions and remarks

Myanmar is second largest country in terms of land area after Indonesia in the South East Asia Region. It has population of over 54 million living across seven States and Seven Regions plus Union Territory, where all central government departments are located. On 1 February 2021, following the Myanmar Military took over a state of emergency was declared. Following the takeover, the security situation in the country worsened, leading to a “Level 2” emergency designation and in keeping with the relevant protocols triggering the activation of cluster system to respond to the worsening humanitarian situation. Increased security measures due to the deteriorating security situation, has led to many-fold increase in internally displaced persons (IDP) to more than 1,703,900 from 328,000 before February 2021. The country has since experienced a protracted humanitarian situation characterised by sub-optimal access to health services, increasing malnutrition due to deteriorating food security situation and worsening protection risks including risks to mine and other explosive remnants of war injuries. Apart from this, education services access has deteriorated, and the COVID-19 pandemic induced restrictions led to an almost continuous nationwide school closure from March 2020. The closures left over 12 million school aged children in Myanmar with limited access to materials for their learning and overall well-being, including education, mental health and psycho-social support and Covid-19 prevention materials. Following the military takeover in February 2021 the humanitarian crisis further worsened, and other dynamics such as an increasingly difficult economic situation continue, high inflation leading to reduced purchasing power of the local currency and access to markets. Generally, this disproportionately affected children and other vulnerable persons’ access to health, nutritious foods, protection, and education services. In this context, the humanitarian wide support needs to be strengthened and this includes information management functions to monitor the situation, evaluate response progress as per the humanitarian response plans targets and activities, promote advocacy and evidence-based program response.