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For every child, Health
Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.
UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGand help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves.
In particular, UNICEF will work so that:
To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo
Job organizational context:
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEis in its third year of implementation of Polio Eradication Strategy 20222026: Delivering on a Promise which remains focused on the dual emergency of interrupting wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Pakistan and Afghanistan and stopping polio outbreaks. Pakistan is one of the two remaining polio endemic countries globally. There is cautious optimism about the progress made toward stopping polio in both countries, with cases at their lowest levels in history. Epidemiology confirms the impact of polio eradication efforts. The proportion of children missed during immunization campaigns is decreasing, and overall population immunity is improving.
Working under the leadership of the Government, and through the One Team under One Roof approach, UNICEF has been supporting the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAfor Polio Eradication by ensuring uninterrupted vaccine supply; increasing the number of children receiving polio vaccines in the most hard to reach districts through a communication Network (COMNewhich supports and prompts evidencebased communication strategy that builds trust and increases demand of the communities to vaccination to reduce refusals. UNICEF polio team is also working closely with Nutrition, Health, WASH and SBC sections to deliver integrated essential services to the polio high risk areas to address community demand and need beyond polio vaccination.reduce refusals.
The Pakistan Polio communication network, or COMNet, has been established in Pakistan. It provides the framework at provincial, district, union council and community levels through which communication efforts to eradicate polio will be channeled. The main task of the COMNet is to mobilize communities, particularly parents and childcare providers, to ensure all children in the areas of the deployed communication staff are vaccinated against polio in every vaccination round. COMNet communication staff is responsible particularly for identifying and working with highrisk groups and involving influencers and governmental and nongovernmental partners in polio advocacy activities, particularly those persons involved with highrisk groups, at their respective levels.
Purpose for the job:
The Social & Behavior Change Specialist (Temporary Appointmenreports to the Programme Specialist, KP Team Lead for general guidance and supervision, and under the technical guidance of the Social & Behavior Change Specialist, NOD, based in Islamabad and in close collaboration with the provincial EOC, provides technical and operational support for developing a systematic, planned and evidencebased strategy and process for S&BC as an integral part of the polio eradication programme development, planning and implementation. Through communication and engagement, as well as the empowerment and participation of stakeholders, communities, children, civil society partners, and government counterparts, s/he promotes measurable behavioral and social change/mobilization. This subsequently contributes to the achievement of sustainable and concrete results in eradicating polio virus and improving children’s rights, survival and wellbeing in the country.
How can you make a difference?
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
Generate and utilize research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes in both development and emergency contexts and to build the evidence base for SBC.
Design, plan and implement SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in both development and humanitarian contexts.
Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building.
Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in SBC for both development and humanitarian contexts through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Desirables:
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAunderpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates selfawareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
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, socioeconomic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zerotolerance 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 is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccinatiorequirements, including against SARSCoV2 (Covi. Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and trainin. UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.