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For every child, the right to Protection

The purpose of this assignment is to provide short-term technical support to UNICEF and national partners in preparing North Macedonia’s participation in the Second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, to be held on 18–19 November 2026 in Manila. The consultant will support the national preparatory process by reviewing progress against the previous pledges given by the country, consolidating available evidence, facilitating technical discussion during the national preparatory workshop, and developing practical outputs that will inform a feasible, measurable and nationally owned enhanced pledge aligned with the country’s policy and strategic priorities.

How can you make a difference?

The consultant will work under UNICEF’s guidance and in coordination with relevant national institutions, WHO and other partners to support the preparatory process before, during and after the national workshop. The overall objective is to ensure that North Macedonia’s contribution to the Second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children is evidence-informed, nationally owned and aligned with strategic priorities. Specifically, the assignment aims to support the review of progress against previous pledges, identify priority gaps and opportunities, facilitate a structured national dialogue on feasible new pledges, and prepare practical outputs that will inform the country’s enhanced pledge and follow-up roadmap. The scope of work will include:

reviewing the implementation status of the pledges made at the previous Global Ministerial Conference and identifying key achievements, implementation gaps and lessons learned;
compiling relevant national evidence, and available administrative and survey data on violence against children to inform priority-setting;
developing feasible pledge options that are measurable, time-bound and aligned with national child protection, health, education, justice and social welfare priorities;
preparing inputs for presentations, speeches, workshop materials and other related products to support informed discussion and decision-making;
providing technical support during the national preparatory workshop, including facilitation, synthesis of discussion points, documentation of agreed priorities, as well as key insights from the workshop and a concrete example of national progress.;
developing follow-up products needed for finalization of the national package for Manila, including draft pledge language, a concise roadmap for implementation, materials for the ministerial delegation; and
capture feedback from the national delegation and support follow-up actions after the Global Ministerial Conference.

The expected results are aimed to strengthen national understanding of progress, gaps and opportunities in relation to previous pledges and national commitments; support evidence-informed priority-setting; enable structured national dialogue and informed Conference participation; document agreed priorities, responsibilities and next steps; and provide a practical basis for implementation, follow-up and representation of North Macedonia at the Manila Conference and the Global platform.

The assignment will draw on, among others, the Disrupting Harm study, European Child Guarantee analysis, CRC recommendations, EU reports, the National Action Plan on Children’s Rights, the National Action Plan on MHPSS for children and adolescents, the Education Strategy 2026-2032, KAP studies and available administrative and survey data on violence against children.

The detailed work assignments, deliverables and timeline can be accessed at the following link: EVAC detailed ToR.pdf

In order to submit your financial proposal, please use this form FINANCIAL PROPOSAL.docx

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:
University degree in Social sciences, child protection, public policy, public health, psychology, education, human rights, international development or another relevant field.

Work Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in child protection, violence prevention, social welfare, justice for children, public policy, public health, education or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated knowledge of national child protection, education and health systems, including policies, strategies, by-laws, guidance and coordination mechanisms relevant to ending violence against children.

Skills:
- Strong analytical skills and proven experience in reviewing policy documents, action plans, data, research findings and recommendations.
- Experience in preparing high-quality written outputs for senior government and international audiences, including briefing notes, fact sheets, presentations, speeches, policy recommendations and concise technical overviews.
- Experience in facilitating or providing technical support to multi-stakeholder consultations, workshops or policy dialogue processes involving government institutions, civil society, academia, UN agencies and other partners.

Language Requirements:

Excellent writing, and communication skills in English and Macedonian.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin 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 self-awareness 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 promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidatesare encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for consultancy engagement with UNICEF are expected to submit a letter signed by the Government official to confirm that their primary job description does not coincide ith the work assignments of this consultancy.

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 training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.

National consultant to support the National Preparatory Consultations for the EVAC Second Global Ministerial Conference