Background:

Ensuring access to climate resilient water and sanitation services in households, schools and healthcare facilities is a key component of UNICEF’s work. However, much work is needed to support the WASH sector to increase the demand for, and availability of, community resilient services. Preliminary assessment of secondary information shows that Bangladesh faces one of the highest degrees of vulnerability to climate change impacts, with floods, cyclones, diseases (such as dengue) and droughts, salinity intrusion, water scarcity being the most prominent and common type of hazards. This high vulnerability is paired with relatively low readiness to deal with the impacts and is reflected in the ND-GAIN index where Bangladesh ranks 160 out of 181 countries. Average temperatures are projected to increase by 1.4 °C and 2.4 °C by 2050 and 2100 respectively, resulting in an almost permanent state of heat wave. Furthermore, Bangladesh ’s average cyclonic activity (already one of the highest in the world with on average one severe cyclone every three years) is expected to rise with increasing sea-surface warming and sea level rise and significant impact on populations. As the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has pointed out, taking children’s rights and their views into account would lead to more ambitious and effective policies on environmental protection. Effective responses to climate change and environmental degradation for and with children and young people are thus an essential component of UNICEF’s words and actions and a cross-cutting priority in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025. The Consultant will support the UNICEF WASH programme to access and analyse climate science and to understand the implications for the design of climate resilient WASH services.

Work Assignment Overview:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• A masters/An advanced university degree in the fields of climate change/environment/ or a field relevant to climate, environment, and WASH.
• Fluency in English (oral and written) is required.
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in climate science, climate financing, development of pipeline project WASH proposals and/or related areas linked to key basic climate change adaptation and mitigation with focus on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
• Experience in working in climate financing institutions like Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund (AF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Climate Investment Fund (CIF) etc, UN and other bi-lateral donor agencies in providing technical leadership and facilitating collaboration among relevant agencies on Climate Change, Environment or related any technical areas.

Administrative Details:

Assignment duration: 12 months

Work Modality: Work from UNICEF House, Dhaka

Payment:  Payment will be made upon successful completion of each deliverable with certification from supervisor