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Background:

UNICEF Bangladesh has adopted inclusive approach in the new country programme (2022 – 2026) to support the overall wellbeing of children and adolescents through integrated programme interventions.

There is an emerging convergence of national and sub-national political will and determination at the highest levels to keep children free from the constraints of harmful practices and negative social norms. In this regard, UNICEF has been supporting Government of Bangladesh (GoB) through different Ministries and Departments to coordinate the Social & Behavioural Change (SBC) interventions for a range of audiences through evidence generation, capacity development, community engagement and multimedia campaign. As an integral part of these approaches, capacity development and engagement of religious leaders at the community level considered as an effective programmatic intervention to raise awareness and facilitate the ending of harmful childcare related norms and practices.

Building from past, smaller-scale and adhoc engagements over several years, in 2017 Islamic Foundation (IF), the Muslim Religious Wings under the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA), Government of Bangladesh, and UNICEF launched a strategic long-term partnership for systematic, at-scale and sustained engagement of Islamic leaders across the country.

IF has a well-established administrative structure at the national and sub-national levels working directly with National level Islamic Scholars and authoritative institutions 300,000 regular Zumma and Waktia mosque Committees, local level religious leaders and Imams nation-wide. Combined with UNICEF’s national and sub-national field-presence, the collaboration aims to deepen engagement with communities across all 64 districts of the country with focus on hard-to-reach families, communities, and the media-dark areas.

This partnership with Islamic Foundation Bangladesh(IF) and UNICEF is in the seventh year.

The nationwide scale-up of the programme has been achieved through the existing programme structure. Now, it is high time to yield tangible results from this partnership. In the year of 2024, the partnership has expanded its operation with other faith-based groups, Hindu, Christian and Buddhist welfare trust to promote positive changes for children. Meanwhile, a global partnership between UNICEF and Religions for Peace (RfP) has initiated a joint learning process with local faith communities. Mind-Heart Dialogue is one of the evidence-based reflective and experiential learning process, exploring faith convictions, live experiences, and knowledge to influence positive social and behavior change.

Bangladesh has become one of the priority countries to introduce this through partnership with faith based agencies.

Under the signed workplan between UNICEF and IFB, a set of activities have already been implemented successfully. Over the years, with this nationwide partnership, IFB and UNICEF have undertaken joint activities that includes launch of baseline and midline research among imams; creation of an SBC-training package for religious leaders ; ToT of Imams and mosque-based female teachers; and cascade to 15,000 Imams and 20,000 mosque-based teachers across 16 districts who are mobilizing communities on 23 key household-practices.

Khutba guidelines have been developed aligned to Qura’n and Hadiths for inclusion in the weekly Jummah prayer and an entertainment-education package for mosque-based pre-primary education is being implemented in 12,000 mosques reaching 360,000 children under 6-years.

According to UNICEF current country programme priority, Islamic Foundation contributed and supported the HPV vaccination campaign in Dhaka division in the year of 2023 and helped to motivate madrasa students for up taking HIV vaccination. Around 10,000 religious’ leaders, Imams female teachers were engaged in this process.

With this success, GoB has decided to roll out HPV vaccine in rest of the seven divisions from September 2024. In that case, role of IF would be more to mobilize huge number of female madrasa students for HPV. In addition to these, MR follow up campaign will be started in early 2025 along with other campaigns related with VAC, GBV, MNC&AH, Vitamin A etc. It is also necessary and critical to put an extra effort to initiate, nurture and strengthen activities in host and Rohinga communities in Cox’s Bazar through IF Cox’s Bazar Office and to link it with programme focal persons of UNICEF.

Therefore, regular and day to day technical support needs to be continued to IF and other faith-based agency to ensure timely implementation of all the planned SBC activities and liaise with Ministry of Religious Affairs to position SBC at institutional level for achieving results for the children.

Considering current capacity of the SBC team in Dhaka and gradual expansion of partnership with IF, the existing consultancy support need to be continued for next six months to provide technical guidance and day to day support to the officials of Islamic Foundation /MoRA and other faith based agencies.

Job organizational context: This is a consultant position.

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Specialist assigned to the Health Programme and guidance of the Chief of SBC Section.

Purpose for the job: The consultant will support Ministry of Religious Affairs, Islamic Foundation of Bangladesh, Faith based agency of Hindu Christian and Buddho religion to steer the strategic process for advocacy, programme implementation, capacity building and knowledge management as defined in the SBC Strategy.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The key purposes of this assignment are the following:

1. Provided technical support to IFB to enhance the capacity of the IFB team on SBC as per joint work plan in collaboration with UNICEF Dhaka office, CxB SBC team and UNICEF field offices.
2. Provided technical and operational support to IFB for the implementation of community engagement interventions and reporting as per joint work plan in collaboration with UNICEF Dhaka office, CxB SBC team and other field offices.
3. Provided technical support to the SBC Section to liaise with IFB/MoRA to expand the programme with other faith-based organizations and operational support to plan activities
4. Provide technical support to expedite the implementation of Global Initiative ‘Mind and Heart Dialogue’
5. Provided technical support for the revision/development of SBC materials and documents.
6. Provided technical support to IF and SBC Cox’s Bazar team for strategic involvement of Imams/religious leaders in host and Rohingya communities to promote key lifesaving behaviors through community engagement and social mobilization.

Please download TOR for details of tasks and deliverables.

Brief ToR for SBC Consultant.pdf

Education: Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Advanced University degree in Social or Behavioural Science/ Public Health/ Communication
• At least 5 years progressively responsible work experience on community engagement, strategic communication planning and implementation for behavioural and social change interventions and research
• Technical knowledge and experience of working experience with religious leaders in social development will be an added advantage.
• Track record of working with UN, Government organisations, religious ministry and in urban will be an added advantage.
• Experience and skills in capacity building, facilitation, and negotiation
• Good skills in both oral and written in English and Bangla with strong interpersonal and presentation skills

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children.

The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage).

Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract.

Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.