The purpose of this consultancy is to develop the technical guidance and action plan to support the implementation of Pasifika Call to Action Point #10 on ECD and climate change at both regional- and country-levels.

This is expected to include concrete actions and practical guidance for both PRC4ECD and individual Pacific Island Governments to advance ECD and climate change adaptation and resilience, and a monitoring framework to ensure that the implementation of the Action Point 10 can be assessed over time. This should align with the overall implementation guide and monitoring framework of the original 9-point Pasifika Call to Action, developed and disseminated to countries at the 2019 Pacific ECD Forum in Nadi.

A key recommendation from the 2023 Pacific ECD Forum is that the technical guidance note be concrete and practical so it can have meaningful impact in the countries. It should be guided by the strategic leadership of PRC4ECD and the outcomes document of the ECD Forum, be informed by the Blue Pacific 2050 Strategy, the Pacific Culture Strategy, the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) and other relevant documents and draw on the engagement of key regional bodies such as PIFS, SPC and USP, as well as other regional/international organizations. It should be informed by and developed with the active engagement of Pacific Island governments, with participation within each engaged country across relevant government bodies, including those responsible for climate change and resilience, as well as those responsible for every other aspect of the Pasifika Call to Action to ensure a cross-cutting approach that embeds action for climate resilience across all sectors and aspects of young children’s lives.

Under the auspices of PRC4ECD, it is expected that a taskforce will be formed to provide closer guidance to the work, with representatives of at least three Pacific Islands governments (including responsibles for climate change, resilience and other aspect of the Pasifika Call to Action), in addition to key regional bodies such as PIFS, SPC and USP, and other regional/international organizations, with the composition to be endorsed by PRC4ECD. The consultant is expected to be guided by the taskforce, with technical oversight from UNICEF and associated partners such as PIFS.

In addition to the development of the regional plan and guidance, dedicated support to approximately three Pacific Island countries (expected to be RMI, Fiji, Samoa) is expected, not only to support similar relevant plans and guidance for those countries, but also to ensure that the resulting technical guidance and action plan is relevant and feasible for use at country-level, and reflective of the diversity across the Pacific. Engagement with these countries is expected to be well-informed, starting with a review of ECD and climate policies and plans, and relevant sectoral policies and plans that may inform ECD actions for climate change and resilience. In-country consultations are expected, and should include a review of any existing actions related to ECD linking to climate change and resilience, as well as key gaps and opportunities for action. It is expected that for the 3 countries where the consultant will have an in-depth engagement, they will also be available to provide technical assistance to the Governments to further develop priority actions and monitoring approaches for the implementation. integrate and implement, monitor and report key priority actions from the respective country plans. The detailed scope of work for each country will be defined in collaboration with that country in the inception phase.

The process to develop the technical guidance and action plan should be highly participatory and consultative, and well-grounded in Pacific methodologies and frameworks. The consultant is expected to provide technical support and facilitation based on the latest evidence and experience on ECD and Climate Change, framing and positioning relevant actions and guidance in line with frameworks, priorities and commitments as set by PRC4ECD and other regional structures, as well as those for each of the relevant countries. The consultant is expected to design and facilitate consultations with all 15 countries with leadership from the taskforce, to ensure the regional guidance and plan are well-informed by evidence and voices from all countries.

The activities and deliverables are listed below, but the work may require parallel engagement on regional- and country-level guidance and plans to build in an iterative process that will ensure country-level guidance is in line with the regional framework, while also contributing to the development of the same.

The consultant will work remotely ensuring availability to work at times suitable to the Pacific Islands region when required. All costs related to the work will be included in the financial proposal and subsequent contract. Daily monitoring and supervision will be provided by the ECD Specialist in collaboration, with the Climate and Environmental Specialist, though in-country day-to-day supervision would be by the relevant UNICEF staff in-country.

Please refer to the ToR ( TOR- ECD and Climate Change.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines.

Requirements:

Education:

• A Masters degree in human and sustainable development, human rights, psychology, sociology, economics, international law, climate change and other social science fields is required. A PhD in one of the previous fields is an asset.Experience and Skills :
• A minimum of 15 years of professional experience in social development planning and management including early childhood development and climate change and/or other related areas at the international level.
• Experience designing and implementing participatory processes engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, including government.
• Work experience in climate, environment and disaster resilience building is required.
• Work experience serving in a developing country is required.
• Work experience in the Pacific Islands region is an asset.
• Experience working in UNICEF or a UN system agency is an asset.
• Proven ability to work independently under difficult conditions.

LANGUAGE

• Fluency in written and spoken English.