South Sudan: National Consultant for Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC), Juba, South Sudan (For South Sudan Nationals Only)

Apr 25, 2024 | United Nations Children's Fund
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For more than 70 years, UNICEF has been working in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. As the world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation and HIV and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments.

Climate change, energy access and environmental degradation are equity issues, with children and young people often being the most vulnerable and affected. Addressing climate change, disaster risk, energy access and environmental degradation is therefore vital for building a more sustainable future for children. In addition, it is imperative that we integrate our actions on the SDGs and our humanitarian responses. Each of the five Outcomes Areas of the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025 – health, nutrition, education, child protection, WASH and social protection- is affected in some way by climate change, disaster and/or environmental degradation. Fortunately, each stream of UNICEF work also presents opportunities to act on climate, energy, environment and/or disaster risk reduction (DRR) in order to deliver more sustainable results. There are major implications of climate change, disaster, lack of energy access and environmental degradation for children. UNICEF has strong potential to strengthen the response to these issues.

South Sudan ranks among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, posing significant threats to the health, education, and protection of its young population. According to the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) published by UNICEF, South Sudan is having a CCRI score of 8.2 and ranked 7th out of 163 countries, classifying the children in South Sudan as at “extremely high” risk with their exposure to climate hazards and environmental shocks. The nation's children are particularly susceptible to heatwaves, vector-borne diseases, air pollution, water scarcity, riverine flooding, and pollution (soil and water). However, investments in social services, especially in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and child health and nutrition can substantially mitigate these.

Children’s exposure to disease vectors includes PF malaria (stable) (99 percent), aedes (99 percent), dengue (72 percent), and zika (24 percent) with an expected increase in disease outbreaks due to climate change – placing an additional burden on the already stressed South Sudan’s health sector. While 68 percent of children in South Sudan are exposed to heatwaves, 43 percent are exposed to water scarcity and 32 percent are exposed to ambient air pollution.

The recurrent climatic adversities, including severe flooding (affecting 7 out of the 10 states and 3 administrative area) and drought (3 states), exacerbated by conflicts over dwindling natural resources, have instigated a cycle of displacement, food insecurity, and health challenges that disproportionately affect children. To address this, there must be an understanding of the impact of these climatic exposures on children, upon which and advocacy strategy and action plan will be developed for implementation. A notable lack of comprehensive data and insights hinders the development of effective child-centric climate resilience and adaptation strategies.

With this background, UNICEF South Sudan is planning to conduct a Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC), examining the baseline situation of climate, energy environment and DRR-related issues affecting children and how they relate to UNICEF’s priorities. The report looks at stakeholders, government policies and relevant programmes in South Sudan. It will also provide recommendations on how UNICEF South Sudan could further incorporate and strengthen work on climate, environment, energy and DRR-related issues in its country programme.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the guidance of the international consultant, the incumbent will support the development of Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC) and provide direction and provide direction and support to UNICEF South Sudan to develop management responses to the recommendations to be incorporated into the country programme.

S/he will be responsible for collecting, compiling, analysing, and reviewing key resources (to be discussed with UNICEF during inception) and coordinating the information gathering and review processes. S/he will undertake key informant interviews with key stakeholders as well as consultations with children and adolescents on the topic, making sure voices are heard from male and female children and adolescents and young people with disabilities. The national consultant will analyse the information and provide recommendations for the country office.

The scope of work is, as follows:

  • Develop the CLAC for UNICEF South Sudan based on available information and data, and country context.
  • Hold consultations with key in-country stakeholders and partners for data collection, analysis, and validation. The in-country stakeholders should be those who actively work in the climate change, environment, and energy sectors.
  • Provide UNICEF South Sudan with recommendations and a set of actionable opportunities to integrate climate-, environment-, and energy-related development issues across UNICEF programmes and partnerships.
  • Based on identified actionable opportunities, develop a strategic document that sets out resource mobilization strategies to respond to the adaptation needs for South Sudanese Children (Climate Finance Strategy for Children).
  • The final outputs of this consultancy will be a print ready CLAC and Climate Finance Strategy.

Note that the recruited national consultant will be working with international consultant as a team.

1. Inception Report:

  • Adapted outline of the generic template for the CLAC reports developed, tailored to UNICEF South Sudan CO’s needs.
  • Review example reports from other country offices and the global guidance materials.
  • Propose any changes needed to accommodate the national context and CO priorities.
  • Develop adapted methodology and provide a detailed workplan agreed by UNICEF.
  • Provide list of proposed meeting partners and resource persons.
  • Provide adapted and annotated outline.

2. CLAC baseline assessment

2.1. Desk review

Provide overview of climate, environment, energy, disaster risk reduction and recovery (CEED) baseline:

  • Conduct a desk review of the CEED issues (including projected changes), stakeholders and policies in the country, including UNICEF and UN CEED programming (UNSDCF, CPD, AWP, joint programmes, etc.) and country specific documents e.g., NAP, NDC, DRR National Strategy, climate change policy frameworks, socio-economic policy frameworks, related national development plans, etc.
  • Provide a brief synthesis of the above, and general implications for the country’s sustainable development, with a focus on issues as they relate to UNICEF’s mandate.
  • Conduct stakeholder mapping to identify potential partners, such as governmental, multilateral, bilateral, CSOs, private sector entities, youth organizations, youth-led organizations, and academia, whose priorities and strategies directly address climate change issues impacting children and young people.
  • Review key policy documents related to climate, energy and environment and UNICEF’s corporate priorities with a view of assessing child-rights and CEED linkages.
  • Compile and evaluate list of recent and on-going and planned CEED activities.
  • Identify knowledge and information gaps.
  • Collect, incorporate, and triangulate comments from all stakeholders with reference materials from the desk review.
  • Analyse CEED interventions for relevance to UNICEF programming, including identifying direct threats to current program activities.
  • Analyse CEED related national and subnational data collection, analysis, and reporting mechanisms.

Stakeholder mapping:

  • Mapping and analysis of key climate change stakeholders, with a focus on potential partners (governmental, multilateral, bilateral, CSOs, private sector, youth organisations, youth-led organizations and academia) whose priorities and strategies directly address climate change issues impacting children and young people.

Summary presentation:

Based on the desk review, the consultant will prepare a PowerPoint presentation that will include an initial assessment of the climate change situation of South Sudan and how it relates to child survival and development. The PowerPoint presentation should show:

  • The impact of climate change issues on children and young people (including children and young people living with disability, and gendered dimensions of climate change and its different impacts on boys and girls, etc.).
  • Observed and projected changes in climate in the country and related impacts, including high exposure areas (this will likely be several maps for various climate change parameters — e.g., floods, droughts, heat or cold waves, water scarcity hotspots, etc.).
  • Other relevant environmental issues affecting boys and girls include environmental degradation, air pollution, chemical pollution, the aquatic environment, and the mining/extractive industry.
  • Vital gender considerations in relation to households’ roles and responsibilities in regard to water management, exposure to climate change hazards, safety dimensions (including increased gender-based violence [GBV]) and women’s and girls’ engagement in decision-making processes on climate change solutions (including girls’ leadership).
  • Status of the integration of climate education in school curriculum and barriers of access for boys and girls. (Can also include the integration of the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF)
  • The energy situation for children (e.g., at home, school, health clinics, public lighting, etc).
  • Initial thinking on comparative advantage of UNICEF on climate change issues in the country context

In addition, the presentation should include a draft list of stakeholders to be interviewed and associated list of draft interview questions.

Following completion of the PowerPoint presentation, the consultant will organize a half-day hybrid (in-person and virtual attendance) inception workshop for UNICEF staff (and key government counterparts if approved by UNICEF) to review proposed the results to date and next steps. The venue and the agenda will be approved by UNICEF.

2.2. Compile additional information related to CEED issues

Based on the inception presentation meeting, the consultant will follow up on any action points and conduct interviews and triangulate information from stakeholders with reference materials from the desk review.

This will include:

  • Follow-up review of additional documents
  • Conduct follow-up meetings with UNICEF programme sections:
  • Collect additional information and reports from different sections in UNICEF CO on work and linkages to climate change as well as potential future opportunities.
  • Conduct interviews of key stakeholders (list approved by UNICEF):
  • Collect additional information, reports, and programming perspectives from key government, development partners, private sector and civil society (including women’s led, women’s rights and girl-centered organizations.

Focus Group Discussions (ideally with gender parity) and consultations held with young people's and adolescents on climate change and identify opportunities on engagement with youth organizations and youth voices.

3. CLAC report with recommendations

3.1. Conduct interviews & meetings with key stakeholders in the area of CEED and child rights

  • Conduct interviews with UNICEF sections, external partners, and stakeholders on CEED issues affecting children.
  • Provide an overview of the child-CEED nexus, including analysis of implications for UNICEF sectors (i.e., Health, WASH, Child Protection, Nutrition, Education)
  • Identify partnership and funding opportunities to support UNICEF program recommendations.
  • With reference to climate finance mechanisms, bilateral funding and/ or Government budgets, identify funding opportunities to support CEED-child nexus activities.
  • Identify appropriate CEED-child rights linkages and evaluate relevance for potential UNICEF programming options and identify new CEED-Child nexus issues/ themes for CO consideration.
  • Prepare and present a summary presentation of findings for CO and relevant Government and development partners.

3.2. Identify priority entry points for UNICEF engagement and programming of CEED

  • In close collaboration with UNICEF country office staff, identify and evaluate potential entry points for UNICEF engagement with CEED.
  • With CO sections and Management, develop and define priority areas for UNICEF engagement.
  • Propose options for prioritization of issues and entry points and facilitate the decision-making process.
  • In collaboration with the PME section, provide support for the integration of CEED into the country programme document (CPD) for South Sudan, covering the period from 2023 to 2025, while also offering recommendations for its continued integration beyond 2025.

3.3. Analysis

The consultant will analyse the impact of climate change issues on children with a focus on children living in areas exposed to climate change threats. The consultant will then develop strategic recommendations for UNICEF.

3.4. CLAC REPORT

Draft CLAC report:

  • CLAC report drafted in line with global CLAC guidance.
  • Climate finance strategy for UNICEF (incluidng potential business cases tailored or that can be tailed to specific donors).

Validation and dissemination workshop:

  • Validate the report with stakeholders in a one-day workshop, ensuring the participation of youth groups that provided inputs to the consultant.
  • Views and perspectives of both internal and external stakeholders collected during the workshop and comments addressed.
  • The invitees, venue and the agenda to be approved by UNICEF.

Final CLAC report:

Based on the views and perspectives of both internal and external stakeholders, incorporate changes to a final version of the internal CLAC report. The revised, formatted and referenced final report will include and executive summary (not longer than 4 pages) with key findings and recommendations. The consultant shall ensure the CLAC is as concise as possible and aim to not exceed 50 pages with the final CLAC report.

Based on the final approved CLAC, the consultant will prepare the following additional documents:

  • Summary PowerPoint presentation (max. 20 slides)
  • Message matrix on climate inclusive communication
  • A set of communication materials based on the CLAC (e.g. press release, info-note, social media assets, email outreach, internal briefing etc.)
  • A 4-page policy brief presenting the main findings from the report with infographics and engaging language, incl. separately key data set in response to climate financing needs. See Policy Brief Climate Landscape Analysis For Children In Viet Nam (UNICEF, 2021).

An external-facing, shorter CLAC report that removes internal recommendations and reflections. This report will be used to clearly articulate the situation for children with respect to the climate crisis and highlight UNICEF’s key areas of response. The audience of this report is government and development partners and should be a sub-set of the full CLAC report.

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

  • Advanced university degree in environmental science, environmental health management, natural resource management, social and economic development, or related areas.
  • At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in research and expertise in WASH, child rights and climate/environment-related issues
  • Fluency in spoken and written English is a required.
  •  Excellent writing skills required.
  • Excellent research and analytical skills required.
  • Demonstrated expertise in child rights or any of UNICEF’s main areas of work (health, WASH, nutrition, child protection, social policy, education, gender, HIV/AIDS) is considered an asset.
  • Previous work experience with UNICEF is an asset, in particular in climate-resilient services provision, CEE policies and/or UNICEF climate landscape for children’s assessments.
  • Previous work experience in the Africa region is an asset.
  • Experience working in South Sudan is essential.