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 fulfill 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. India is emerging as a global hub for development cooperation and South-South learning, with the Government of India (GoI) actively positioning South South Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) as a critical pillar of Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. UNICEF India aims to strengthen its support to GoI by designing, curating and facilitating evidence-driven, scalable and child-centred SSTC exchanges that leverage India's innovations, governance model, digital public infrastructure and social protection platforms for shared learning across the Global South. UNICEF's enduring mandate is to promote child rights everywhere. We have been working with and in India for over 75 years, a partnership through which India has registered strong and sustained progress for children. India is moving toward its vision to be a developed national by 2047, embodying a greater role in the global south on back of its robust development models and digital public infrastructure successes. The Ministry of External Affairs leads the charge running Development Partnerships Administrative Units focused on Technology, Capacity Building and Skilling programs. The UN India Development Fund provides over 150 million USD for international development initiatives. NITI Aayog has been leading policy engagements as part of the various groupings where India is member - G20, BRICS, UN, and so on. Several of these have also established mechanisms to pair countries with focused policy needs where India can make a difference. Several think tanks also engage. In the country, the UNRC leads these efforts with the UN SDG Fund and supporting projects led by various UN agencies. India has rapidly consolidated its position as a global leader in SSTC, shifting from a traditional development partner to a system-level convener for the Global South. Through the Ministry of External Affairs and longstanding mechanisms such as ITEC and extensive Lines of Credit, India has expanded SSTC into a robust platform supporting over 600 development projects across 68 countries. In recent years, India has deepened multilateral cooperation through the India UN Development Partnership Fund, championing nationally driven, locally owned solutions for Small Island Developing States, LDCs and landlocked countries, and positioning SSTC as a Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

Context

The 2025 launch of the India - UN Global Capacity-Building Initiative further elevated India's role by pairing Indian digital, health, skills and statistical innovations with demand from partner nations, accelerating SDG progress through structured exchanges, pilot projects and institutional partnerships. This evolving architecture positions India as a trusted knowledge provider, technical collaborator, and diplomatic bridge for the Global South - a trajectory that aligns closely with India's own ambitions for Viksit Bharat 2047 and its expanding global development footprint. UNICEF India seeks to deepen it support to GoI s vision to expand their SSTC portfolio offering a unique opportunity to amplify results for children everywhere. To help carve out the emerging SSTC Agenda for UNICEF India, UNICEF office in Delhi is looking for a UNV specialist. The UNV Specialist will provide high-quality technical and programmatic support to the UNICEF India Country Office, Government ministries, and partner states to institutionalize and upscale SSC as a driver for better child outcomes aligned with UNICEF's global SSTC Strategy, SPSP agenda, and the GoI's development diplomacy priorities. Given UNICEF's global mandate, we facilitate cross learning among partner countries, sharing good practices on various themes of child development and wellbeing. Our deep technical expertise across the spectrum of child related sectors combined with our presence in over 190 countries and territories puts us in good stead to anchor South-South Cooperation efforts to promote global child outcomes. UNICEF works in the sectors of child health and nutrition, water and sanitation, education and protection. Identifying best practices and matching them with technical assistance needs to facilitate linkages in translating knowledge, expertise and support are key components of a future ready agenda for children. UNICEF is working to strengthen their partnership with GOI in this area, systematically engaging stakeholders in India and regionally/ globally, as well as building projects for knowledge and technology transfer from India to other developing countries with common challenges. A few priority thematic areas are identified, and a medium-term roadmap has been developed. A multifunctional team comprising of policy, partnerships and communications is anchoring the effort. For UNICEF, partnering in these exchanges strengthens India’s contribution to global child-centred policy dialogue, supports the Government’s ambition to scale its development diplomacy towards Viksit Bharat 2047/2048, and ensures that Indian best practices help accelerate progress for children well beyond India’s borders. This national UNV position is to support these efforts within the organization to develop, document and coordinate these efforts.

Task Description

Within the delegated authority and under the direct supervision of Chief, Social Policy and Social Protection in UNICEF India, and under general guidance of Deputy Representative, Programs, the UNV for SSTC for Children will: • Provide technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout programming cycle on child focused SSTC at UNICEF. • Facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress, knowledge management, reporting, and dissemination. • Coordinate and document meetings with key partners meetings, knowledge forums, technical sessions, review meetings etc. • Working with the program team, drawing up a work plan, monitoring and reporting against progress. • Support finalization of various draft programming documents including concept notes, explanatory notes, etc. • Develop and maintain a repository of key stakeholders on the initiative, support the team in liaison with partners, donors and stakeholders. • Maintain reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned. • Support periodic programme reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and plan future actions. • Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for program team, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress. • Research, benchmark and report on best and cutting-edge practices within UNICEF on SSTC • Coordinate and collaborate with other partnering UNICEF country offices in guiding project development. • Support strategizing and planning of key SSTC advocacy initiatives around priority thematic areas. • Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned, good practices for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders. • Support documentation of innovative approaches and good practices for implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results. • Develop and maintain a dedicated, user-friendly internal and external ECM (sharepoint) site on SSTC as a key repository to facilitate sharing of lessons, best practice case studies and related articles and stories. • Generate and share stories and case of impact of key initiatives. • Any other related tasks, as may be assigned by the supervisor. Results/expected outputs With guidance from and as an active team member of the SSTC team at UNICEF, the UNV will deliver the following results. 1. Strengthened coordination and operational support for SSTC partnerships: Timely and well-organized coordination for SSTC activities by ensuring all partner meetings are efficiently scheduled, documented, and followed up, resulting in improved workflow and stakeholder engagement. 2. High-quality program documents produced to enable SSTC initiatives: Prepared concept notes, pitch notes, briefing materials, and PowerPoint decks that meet UNICEF quality standards and directly support the design, approval, and promotion of SSTC engagements. 3. Enhanced knowledge management system for SSTC: Contributes to the development of knowledge products (case studies, briefs, summaries) and ensures the SSTC SharePoint repository is systematically updated, well-structured, and accessible, improving institutional memory and learning across teams. 4. SSTC team work planning aligned with results and performance monitoring in place: an RBM-aligned work plan for the SSTC team developed and maintained, with periodic progress reviews, and ensured timely tracking and follow-up of agreed actions to support effective team delivery. 5. Demonstrated contribution to volunteerism and development impact: a final results statement summarizing achievements, lessons learned, and contributions to volunteerism, peacebuilding, and development, highlighting the added value of the UNV assignment to UNICEF and partners.

Competencies and values

Professionalism, Integrity, Teamwork and respect for diversity, Commitment to continuous learning, Planning and organizing, Communication, Flexibility, Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance, and commitment towards UNICEF's mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Living conditions and remarks

The assignment will be based in New Delhi. New Delhi is the capital city of India, experiences a diverse climate and has distinct living conditions influenced by its weather, infrastructure, and culture. A melting pot of cultures, languages, and cuisines, reflecting the diverse nature of India. Overall, living in Delhi offers a mix of modern urban life with deep-rooted traditions and challenges typical of a large, bustling metropolis. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. This position is based in New Delhi. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. National UN Volunteers are expected to be culturally sensitive and adjust to the prevailing culture and traditions. The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to the UN Volunteer is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents - except for UN Community Volunteers), as well as final repatriation (if applicable). You can check full entitlements at https://app.unv.org/calculator . • Monthly Voluntary Living Allowance (VLA): INR 70,158.41 • Entry lump sum (one-time payment) • Relocation costs at beginning and end of assignment if duty station is outside of commuting distance (as determined by UNV) • Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment) • Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health, life and malicious acts • Annual leave: 2.5 days per month • Learning: Access to UNV's learning and career development resources For more information on entitlements please read the Conditions of Service (https://explore.unv.org/cos).