Result of Service

The final product of this consultancy will be a report submitted to the UN Youth Office, as a compiled document of the conceptualization of the Youth in Politics Measurement Tool with a focus on the Middle East and Northern Africa Region, reflecting the insights and recommendations gathered through the workshops and consultations and results from the desk review and data analysis. An annex will compile more detailed information of the workshops and consultations.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

6 months with possibility of extension to 9 months.

Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Setting, Purpose, and Objective: A. Background In September 2022, Member States unanimously agreed to the establishment of the United Nations Youth Office (UN Youth Office) as a dedicated office for youth affairs in the United Nations Secretariat. This marks the start of a new era for youth. The UN Youth Office looks to build a solid foundation for the UN system to revitalize and scale up its engagement with and for youth. It is widely recognized that meaningful youth engagement is a critical catalyst in getting us back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Additionally, the Pact for the Future offers a unique opportunity to advance youth participation at international and national levels. The role of the new office is to carry out the legitimacy of young people’s views, contributions, and expertise, and ensure they are integrated across all pillars of the UN’s work in a systematic and meaningful way, upholding the core guiding principles to meaningful youth engagement. At the heart of the UN Youth Office’s mission is the criticality to work with and for young people, ensuring their meaningful participation in policymaking, decision-making and programming at all levels. The Office envisions a world and United Nations System where empowered youth drive peace, sustainable development and human rights for current and future generations. The UN Youth Office is committed to support meaningful youth participation in policymaking and decision-making processes, including in-person engagement at UN intergovernmental events. B. Objective and Scope of Work The objective of this consultancy is to advance meaningful youth participation in global policy and decision-making processes by developing evidence-based strategies, core principles, and capacity-building tools. The consultancy will focus on creating practical and actionable resources that empower youth, guide stakeholders, and establish sustainable frameworks for youth participation at all levels. Concretely, the consultant will develop a strategy paper outlining pathways to strengthen youth engagement, core principles with an implementation guide and monitoring tools, and a capacity-building programme co-created with young people. Through consultations, evidence reviews, and collaboration, the work will ensure inclusive, actionable, and impactful outputs tailored to diverse stakeholders. C. Duties and Responsibilities: This consultancy focuses on advancing meaningful youth participation in global policy and decision-making processes through three key outputs. First, the consultant will develop a comprehensive strategy paper based on a review of evidence and best practices, outlining pathways to strengthen youth engagement at the global level. Second, the consultancy will create core principles for meaningful youth participation, informed by consultations with young people and youth focus groups. These principles will include an implementation guide and monitoring tools, ensuring they are actionable and relevant for diverse stakeholders. Finally, the consultant will design a capacity-building programme to support stakeholders in fostering inclusive and impactful youth engagement. This programme will be co-created with young people and accompanied by practical guidance tailored to the needs of different actors. The work will employ a collaborative and participatory approach to ensure all outputs are inclusive, effective, and aligned with the needs of youth and other stakeholders. Expected Outputs: 1. Development of a strategy paper for strengthening meaningful youth engagement in global policy and decision-making processes, based on review of evidence. 2. Development of core principles for meaningful youth participation, including consultation with young people, youth focus group discussions, pilot test. The core principles will include an implementation guide and monitoring tools. 3. Development of a meaningful youth participation capacity building programme, to be co-created with young people to support different stakeholders, including a guidance.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international relations, law, diplomacy, peace and security, development, government, project management, Social Sciences or similar areas. A first-level university degree with a combination of two years professional experience and academic qualifications may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in youth engagement, policy development, or programme management is required. Proven expertise in developing strategies, principles, or frameworks for youth participation in decision-making processes is desirable. Demonstrated experience in facilitating consultations, focus group discussions, and co-creation processes with young people and diverse stakeholders is an asset. Strong understanding of intergovernmental processes and the UN system, including experience working on youth-related issues within these contexts is an added advantage. Excellent skills in research, capacity-building programme development, and the creation of implementation and monitoring tools is an asset. Experience in designing and implementing youth-focused initiatives with a focus on inclusivity and impact is desirable. Experience with multi-stakeholder coordination and working with the UN on youth issues is desirable. Experience working with youth-led civil society and/or on youth rights is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in written and spoken English is required and proficiency of another UN official language is an added advantage.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.