Mission and objectives

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress. UNICEF and China have a long history of collaboration. In 1947, China became the first country in Asia to welcome a partnership with UNICEF, and our first programme provided emergency relief services to children. Between 1948 and 1951, our work in China included child feeding, as well as training to build capacity for maternal and child health care, sanitation and first aid. This training programme later influenced China's “barefoot doctor” rural healthcare system. Our partnerships in China resumed in 1979. Since that time, we have contributed to many of China's most significant developments for children.

Context

UNICEF China works to promote policies and laws safeguarding children's rights. The Social Policy Section leads our efforts in child poverty, social protection, public financial management for children, and local governance. Working closely with the Chinese government and other partners, we generate evidence on multidimensional child deprivations, social protection system, basic public services for children, public financial management, and early childhood care services. The evidence helps inform legislation and policies that benefit all children, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from equitable and inclusive social protection and basic public services. For more information, please visit: https://www.unicef.cn/en/what-we-do/social-policy. The UNV assignment have opportunities to contribute to our programmes that aim at strengthening the social protection system in China.

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of the Social Policy Specialist working on social protection programmes, the UN Associate Volunteer will: · Support the implementation of AI‑empowered social assistance initiatives, including assisting in coordinating of studies and pilots, documenting progress and lessons learned, and supporting the preparation of technical documents (e.g., background materials, analytical briefs, newsletters); · Conduct desk research in the field of social protection, including social assistance, health insurance, maternity insurance, childcare subsidy, and related areas; · Support evidence generation and research management processes, including reviewing draft research reports, summarizing key findings, and contributing to the drafting of policy notes and other analytical reports in the area of social protection; · Develop communication and advocacy content, such as blog posts, videos, graphics, presentations, and policy notes, to promote child-sensitive social protection; · Support the organization of seminars, workshops, technical consultations, and missions with government counterparts, research institutions, and other key stakeholders; · Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: · Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take an active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day); · Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; · Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities; · Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; · Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; · Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Competencies and values

· UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://www.unicef.org/careers/get-prepared#Values · UNICEF competencies required for this position are: - Builds and maintains partnerships - Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness - Drives to achieve results for impact - Innovates and embraces change - Manages ambiguity and complexity - Thinks and acts strategically - Works collaboratively with others - Nurtures, leads and manages people · Familiarize with UNICEF's competency framework and its different levels.

Living conditions and remarks

The duty station of the national UN Volunteer is located in Beijing, China. The security level for the entire country (including Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR) is assessed as Security Level – SL1 (Minimal). UNDSS assesses the safety and security of major cities and towns in China including Beijing as calm and stable. Current security arrangements are adequate for UN personnel to reside and conduct business. There are no known direct threats to the UN in China. No significant security related events have occurred in China against the UN or international organizations in the past few years. Beijing is in the warm temperature zone and has a continental climate. Annual rainfall averages nearly 700 millimeters, most of which falls in July and August. The frost-free period is 185 days. The average temperatures of the hottest month, July is 27℃, and the average of the coldest month, January, is -4.6℃. The short seasons, spring (usually from February to April) and autumn (usually from August to October) are better seasons for visiting Beijing. Good times to visit Beijing are May, September, and October, when there are bright skies and fewer tourists crowding the city’s attractions. Winter is dry and cold with a little snow, summer is hot and rainy. Beijing in spring can be windy. In summer the temperature can reach as high as 30℃. Autumn is a beautiful season in Beijing, but it is recommended that you bring some warm clothes. In winter, you should have warm clothes available, including a long coat or a down jacket. There is usually some snowfall in winter, so it is a good idea to bring appropriate footwear. Chinese Yuan (CNY) is China’s official currency. All local shops will only accept CNY cash, and Wechat/Alipay electronic pay, but some will accept credit cards. Master and Visa card is widely accepted in China. China has excellent cell phone coverage. 4G&5G data connections and public WIFI networks can be found throughout the country. Mobile phone networks cover the whole country. Internet can be accessible everywhere, but some firewall/connection restrictions are in place to block the usage of some websites, search engines, social media, or other Apps. 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.” As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan.