VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Organization: UNICEF
International Consultant (Child Protection) – UNICEF Regional Office, Kathmandu, Nepal
Job no: 516999
Position type: Consultancy
Location: Nepal
Division/Equivalent: Kathmandu(ROSA)
School/Unit: Regional Services Div (SAR), Kathmandu
Department/Office: Reg Serv – Prog Section, Kathmandu
Categories: Child Protection
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.
Rationale:
Civil Registration is defined by the UN as the continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording and production of vital statistics on the occurrence and characteristics of vital events in accordance with national laws, rules, regulations and policies from time to time in force, including births, deaths, foetal deaths, marriages, divorces, adoptions, legitimations and recognitions.
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems are building blocks for establishing good governance and securing human rights in a country. For individuals, civil registration provides essential legal documentation for identity and civil status at various stages of life on which depends a wide variety of services of individual and family rights. For governments, the ability to provide efficient delivery of public services depends on comprehensive CR and VS systems. A strong vital statistics system provides valuable data on population trends and demographic and social indicators, which are necessary to monitor national development, including progress towards development efforts and the SDGs.
Despite many years of existence, civil registration systems have not been functioning efficiently in Pakistan. As a result, many Pakistanis are born and die without leaving trace of their existence and/or their characteristics on any legal or statistical record that is known as the ‘scandal of invisibility’ (The Lancet 2007). Most people die of causes that are not known, making it almost impossible to monitor and manage morbidity and mortality, which is important for the design of public health policies. The consequences of lack of properly functioning CR and VS systems further extend to the lack of adequate data for monitoring of development goals and targets such as those of the Sustainable Development Goals, lack of adequate population data for disaggregated planning, inability to establish secure systems of identity of persons, lack of reliable vital records to validate electoral rolls in countries and ultimately to poor systems of governance.
Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms, through its newly established Technical Support Unit for CRVS Promotion is striving for strengthening of both the CR and VS systems and agencies. This effort is being supported by UNICEF. Specifically, the shared vision is that, by 2025, all people in Pakistan will benefit from universal registration of vital events and responsive vital statistics systems that facilitate the realization of their rights and support good governance, health and development.
The realization of the shared vision depends on coordinated and concerted efforts to develop and enhance the capacities of stakeholders in seven action areas, which are:
• Political commitment;
• Public engagement, participation and generation of demand;
• Coordination among key agencies;
• Policies, legislation and implementation of regulations;
• Infrastructure and resources, both human and physical;
• Operational and administrative procedures, practices and innovations;
• Production, dissemination and use of vital statistics
A high level of technical expertise is required for this assignment, with the capacity to draw on the experiences of a wide range of experiences from other countries, to ensure that the result makes best use of existing knowledge.
Purpose:
This in-depth assessment of the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems in Punjab province is to provide an analysis of the current situation of both CR and VS in the province, with a focus on registration procedures and processes, information (record) management, storage, transmission, consolidation, preparation of statistical reports and its use by various departments through their supervisory offices and field formations. In addition, the assessment will make recommendations based on present finding for future physical, human and financial resources needed for an optimal functioning of CRVS functioning in the province. This work is to contribute to Provincial as well as National Strategic Plan for strengthening of CRVS in Pakistan and for longer term investment.
Key Assignments/Tasks:
The Consultant will undertake the following tasks during the Consultancy period:
a. Desk review of relevant documents on CR best practices in general and link between CR and VS systems in Punjab in particular; materials to be provided by the stakeholders as well as obtained via web scanning.
b. Develop Inception Report for processing/ approval by the TSU-CRVS and Punjab P&D CRVS Focal Office.
c. Propose data collection tools/formats for use in meetings and field.
d. Field visit to selected districts (via appropriate sampling) to carry out a comprehensive in depth assessment of CRVS systems as per standard protocols.
The major task will include, among others:
1. Undertaking field visit in Punjab province covering various administrative levels – identifying bottlenecks in CRVS functioning, status of data availability, quality, flow, data use, etc.;
2. Institutional assessment of existing institutions and their field services regarding physical and human resources.
3. Conducting in-depth interviews/focus group discussions with all involved stakeholders (local government, key development stakeholders, influential, existing program beneficiaries etc.)
4. Facilitating a round table with all stakeholders, to assess expectations and potentials. Including kick start and tools developments consultations.
5. Once the initial assessment findings are available, participate and present the initial findings at the dissemination workshop. The workshop to be organized jointly by TSU-CRVS and Punjab CRVS Focal office for key counterparts and representatives of the relevant government agencies. The objective of the dissemination workshop is to present assessment report, its key findings and recommendations for actions and reach agreement among key stakeholders on elements and respective responsibilities of an action plan to ensure overall system improvement. In follow-up to the workshop, finalize the draft recommendations, implementation action plan for endorsement of respective competent authorities.
Key Deliverables:
1. Conduct the desk-review of existing literature (research, policy documents, plans, Census data tabulations etc.) on the context of research subject.
2. Deliver a brief Inception report detailing the proposed approach to the task in hand, analysis /methodological approaches, work plan and timeframe for the final product delivery. The inception report shall include division of labor among the team member(s) (national consultant/s). The inception report to be reviewed and accepted by TSU-CRVS/Punjab steering committee.
3. Travel to Punjab and meetings with relevant stakeholders, institutions and provincial expert (s), on-site review of issues and clarify roles and responsibilities among the team members. Arrangements for field work include development of methodology for the study, organize desired information collection from strategic, provincial/ supervisory, district and sub-districts levels, data transmission analysis and generation of outputs. Development of zero draft of study report.
4. Share and subsequently revise the draft report through interactions with CRVS national/provincial stakeholders, reviewers, organizations involved in the assessment, etc. Finalize the draft Action Plan based on the outcomes of the workshop and submit the completed, edited and cleanly formatted document in English, in Word.doc format before the End of Assignment.
Working Conditions:
This assignment is both a desk review and will require time with partners in Islamabad and Punjab. The consultant(s) must have access to a phone and internet through the entire period of the consultancy. UNICEF will provide the consultant with some of the documentation as well as provide some support to further source the information. However the responsibility for information gathering is primarily the role of the consultant.
UNICEF will provide working space for the consultant when in Islamabad for the assignment. The office will also facilitate travel within Punjab and within Islamabad as well as support in setting up the required meetings and provide introductions to key counterparts.
Minimum Requirements:
A. Education:
Master’s or advanced university degree in social sciences, statistics or related field, or significant experience in the civil registration arena
B. Work Experience:
• Minimum 15 years of professional experience working with civil registration systems and identity management systems;
• Experience in researching and writing technical papers and reports of publishable quality on civil registration, accepted by academics, donors and governments;
• Minimum 10 years increasingly responsible experience and knowledge of assessment tools including designing of tools, implementation and analysis. Including in-depth knowledge of the international CRVS assessment tools, protocols, guidance tools etc.
• Expertise in CRVS systems’ assessments and sustainable systems development;
• Minimum of 15 years’ experience working with governments and government planning processes.
C. Competencies:
• Demonstrated capacity for strategic thinking,
• Excellent analysis and report writing skills for policy use;
• Proven ability to work in a team;
• Experience in developing and delivering country-specific and regional trainings / workshops.
D. Language Proficiency:
• Ability to communicate (reading, writing, speaking) in English.
Duration:
01 November 2018 to 22 May 2019 (tentative).
Note: Please quote your consolidated fee inclusive of travel for this assignment while submitting the application. Application without the estimated quote will not be entertained.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
Last date to apply: Oct 22 2018
