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.

Context

In recent years, UNICEF’s work to support the unique needs of young people has gained momentum, as the challenges facing them have come more sharply into view. UNICEF is committed to deliver for all children and adolescents through its overall impact goal of ‘realizing the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged. Building on the current work with, and for, adolescents, in line with the United Nations Youth Strategy, UNICEF is developing a new global partnership, Generation Unlimited (GenU), which is dedicated to expanding opportunity for young people from ages 10 to 24 years. Maximising the potential of the United Nations system, Governments, Civil Society Organizations and the private sector, and of young people themselves, GenU is focused on finding new ways to ensure that every young person is in school, undergoing formal or informal learning or training, or is employed by 2030. The focus will be on reaching those in the greatest danger of being left behind: including girls, the poor, young people with disabilities or on the move, or affected by conflict and natural disasters. The India version of GenU has been named YuWaah! It signifies catalytic partnerships to unleash the potential of adolescents and young people. YuWaah has been designed to allow co-creation of solutions that are relevant and scalable for ensuring that young people in India have opportunity and choices for learning; have avenues and spaces for functional and vocational training, and can choose between employment and entrepreneurship which are accessible locally. Economics Opportunities and youth volunteering are important workstreams of YuWaah that play a pivotal role in enabling volunteering, jobs, innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in the age group of 10 to 29 years. By engaging with multiple stakeholders including government, private sector and civil society, these workstreams ensure co-creation of youth focused programs and their scalability and sustenance to impact millions of young people, by connecting them with opportunities. The team’s strategic and innovative thinking enhances the impact and effectiveness of YuWaah’s interventions, driving progress towards our collective goals. The UN Volunteer will be placed with UNICEF in Delhi. The UNV will support GenU/Yuwaah- Communiation and marketing efforts on social media, website, PR, videos and other marketing channels. The UNV would also have a coordination responsibility for partner communication and conceptualizing new multi-channel campaigns, especially through content creation focussed on youth.

Task Description

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of GenU, Youth Development Partnerships and direct supervision of Programme Specialist, Economic Opportunities (Jobs & Entrepreneurship) of the YuWaah Secretariat and secondary reporting to Chief Operating Officer, YuWaah the Economic Opportunities Officer will undertake the following tasks: a) Assist work related to building hyper local job connects, youth volunteering, youth innovation and entrepreneurship” • Provide support on planning, implementation and monitoring of youth volunteering and employment activities • Support in identification and finalisation of the innovative, scalable solutions related to youth volunteering, innovations and entrepreneurship • Support in strategy, design and development of youth innovation entrepreneurship platform • Create amplification and outreach plans for YuWaah and partner initiatives on youth volunteering, jobs and entrepreneurship • Design a system for managing recommendations, suggestions and challenges from the field and partners. • Liaise with GenU/Yuwaah partners to identify and mobilize technical expertise • Support the preparation of scalable proposals from solution partners • Create and maintain an active network of Delhi & state office colleagues and partners through regular interactions (calls and meetings) • Support in regular project tracking as per the signed agreements to generate evidence on partner contributions • Develop a matrix to aggregate field results as contributing to GenU/Yuwaah goals b) Knowledge Management • Contribute to development and dissemination of newsletters, documentation of meetings • Develop/collect case studies and human interest stories from partners • Prepare status updates on assigned activities • Contribute to regional and global bulletins as requested c) Report and Proposal Writing • Support in preparing programme and project status reports • Contribute to the planning and review of the GenU/Yuwaah annual work plans and other strategic and programme documents • Assist in drafting briefing notes, talking points, funding proposals, presentations and donor reports • 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. Results/expected outputs: • As an active team member, provide efficient, timely, responsive and high-quality support rendered to UNICEF and its partners including young people in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: • Innovative and scalable solutions available for investments and scale up under the assigned workstreams • Improved monitoring systems and advocacy for GenU/Yuwaah workstreams: Robust data base on relevant indicators around youth volunteering, jobs, youth innovations and entrepreneurship, recommendations and challenges in implementing programmes available • Data, case studies and human interest stories available to promote evidence-based best practices • Evidence available to influence policy to strengthen area of hyper local job connects, youth volunteering, youth innovations and entrepreneurship • Enhanced participation of UNICEF State offices, UN agencies, private sector, CSOs, solution partner organizations and young people regularly in GenU/Yuwaah initiatives on area of hyper local job connects, youth volunteering, youth innovations and entrepreneurship for young people • Best practices in area of hyper local job connects, youth volunteering, youth innovations and entrepreneurship integrated into annual work plans, reports, fundraising proposals, monitoring and evaluation • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

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; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; 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, to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations as necessary; • 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

New Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region is a large and bustling metropolis of some 14 million people undergoing rapid changes. The capital city is an administrative, cultural and commercial center with modern amenities and well connected by air. It is a safe place with large expatriate community drawn from embassies, UN agencies, MNCs and foreign businesses. It has short moderate winter and long hot summer. 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 applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. You can check full entitlements at https://app.unv.org/calculator . For information specific to your assignment, please see below: • Monthly Voluntary Living Allowance (VLA): INR 64,961.50 • Entry lump sum (one-time payment): USD 400 (equivalent in INR) • Relocation costs: $200 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): INR 5,413.46 for each month served, paid on completion of contract • 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).