UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, an advocate.

UNICEF Country Office (CO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is committed to advancing children’s rights through comprehensive initiatives aimed at addressing the multifaceted challenges facing children in the region. One of the cornerstone efforts in this regard has been the Action Plan for Children of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015-2018. This Action Plan, endorsed by the BiH Council of Ministers and developed in collaboration with various ministries, targeted crucial areas such as civil rights, violence prevention, family welfare, healthcare, education, and special protection measures.

Building on these efforts, UNICEF BiH is supporting the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees and the BiH Council for Children to develop a new Action Plan for Children to reinforce and expand the gains made in previous years. This new plan aims to address the critical areas identified in the UNICEF Situation Analysis of Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ensuring better resource alignment, inclusivity, data-driven interventions, multi-sectoral collaboration, capacity building, and robust monitoring and evaluation systems. The development of this Action Plan is crucial for the continued advancement of children’s rights and well-being in BiH.

UNICEF BiH CO is seeking a dedicated Individual Consultant to lead the development of this Action Plan for Children. The consultant will work closely with government entities, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach to the plan’s development.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Under the supervision of Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the Individual Consultant will develop a draft Action Plan for Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The consultant will engage in a thorough process involving desk review, research, stakeholder consultation, and strategic planning. The assignment will be executed in three phases: inception phase, draft report phase, and final draft phase. This work aims to advance UNICEF’s mission of promoting and protecting children’s rights, driving positive change for children in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the Individual Consultant will:

1. Conduct Inception Phase:

• Conduct a focused review of relevant documents, including the previous Action Plan for Children (2015-2018), priorities on children’s rights, and existing strategies on all administrative levels.
• Prepare a concise report outlining the proposed methodology, work plan, and timeline for the Action Plan (2025-2029) development.

2. Develop a Draft Action Plan for Children:

• Analyze key existing quantitative and qualitative data sources, identifying critical issues and gaps to inform the Action Plan.
• Facilitate consultations, including interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders such as government bodies, CSOs, and youth representatives. UNICEF will provide support in reaching relevant stakeholders.
• Develop a detailed draft Action Plan that includes clear objectives, strategic priorities, actionable strategies, and measurable indicators.

3. Finalize the New Action Plan:

• Incorporate feedback from UNICEF, government partners, CSOs, and other stakeholders to fine-tune the Action Plan.
• Ensure that the final Action Plan aligns with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s priorities and international standards, with particular attention to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Prepare a clear presentation of the finalized Action Plan for the BiH Council for Children, highlighting key objectives and strategies.

Deliverables:

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• University degree Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, or another related social science discipline.
• 5-7 years of experience in child advocacy, policy analysis, and/or developing action plans within the realm of children’s rights and welfare, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Demonstrated proficiency in leading the development of comprehensive gender responsive and inclusive action plans, including research, analysis, drafting, and implementation strategies.
• Proven ability to facilitate consultations with government entities, NGOs, children, and other stakeholders.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, essential for producing high-quality action plans and delivering impactful presentations.
• Previous experience in relevant areas of UNICEF programming, such as child protection, education, health, and social services, is highly desirable.

Additional Skills & Functional Competencies

• Proficient in fostering a collaborative work environment conducive to creativity and productivity.
• Experience in translating research findings and stakeholder inputs into actionable policy recommendations and strategic interventions to address children’s rights issues effectively.

Language Proficiency

• Fluency in English and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language required

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.