Adolescent and Partnership Development Assistant (UNICEF)

Mission and objectives

Eligibility criteria include:

Young people aged 20-32
Migrants, displaced persons, refugees, and asylum seekers

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling. UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package. Visit our website (https://www.unicef.org/) to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

At the core of UNICEF’s universal mandate is our commitment to protect and uphold the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for all children – without discrimination and without leaving any child behind. The rights enshrined in the CRC apply equally to all children in a country, including children who are non-nationals or stateless, refugee and international migrant children. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, social protection, and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged residents — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential, but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. A dedicated focus on children on the move is critical to meet the SDGs commitment to leave no one behind. UNICEF’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025) reflects children on the move across Goal Areas and as an important cross-cutting priority, supporting global commitments such as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and Global Compact on Refugees. The Strategic Plan commits UNICEF to a renewed focus on inclusion of children on the move into education, child protection and social protection systems to tackle root causes for forced displacement or unsafe migration, discrimination and exclusion.

The Youth on the Move UNV programme was designed by UNICEF in collaboration with UNV to provide refugee, displaced and migrant youth between the ages of 20-32, who face learning to earning barriers, with a paid 12-months volunteer opportunity.

Context

Viet Nam has been experiencing a period of demographic dividend, recording the highest proportion of young people in the country’s history. Data in 2023 shows that the number of adolescents aged 10-19 is more than 14 million, accounting for 14% of the total population (UNICEF Adolescent Data Portal). This demographic window of opportunity presents Viet Nam with a unique chance to plan for population transformation and make the new generation of adolescents and young people the driver of social and economic progress. Adolescence is a critical period that marks the transition between childhood and adulthood. UNICEF Viet Nam promotes the rights and well-being of adolescents which requires action that touches on multiple aspects of their lives, notably their health and nutrition, education, protection, and participation.

In the 2022-2026 programme cycle, adolescent development and participation (ADAP) is specified as a cross-cutting issue in various inputs. The cross-sectoral ADAP work of Viet Nam Country Office is coordinated through the office-wide ADAP working group (WG), chaired by the Chief of Social Policy & Governance, with members from all programmatic sections. The WG acts as a platform to exchange knowledge, share good practices, mobilize joint resources, and synergize different ADAP-related initiatives and activities. The UN Volunteer will support the implementation of different cross-sectoral ADAP initiatives and help strengthen the operations of the ADAP working group, thus contribute to the advancement of adolescent development and youth engagement, in alignment with UNICEF Programme Guidance for the Second Decade: Programming with and for Adolescents as a contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Adolescents and Youth Engagement Officer, Social Policy & Governance section, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Support the implementation of the revamp of UPSHIFT programme by assisting the liaison with AIESEC, Ho Chi Minh City Association for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives – HAWEE, and other relevant stakeholders to empower adolescent and young girls with social innovation skills and entrepreneurship mindsets, supporting them in their journey from learning to earning.
Contribute to the execution of relevant cross-sectoral adolescent development and participation (ADAP) initiatives, including the Youth-led Action Initiative to equip adolescents and young people with essential skills to implement their own advocacy projects.
Contribute to drive strategic partnerships with diverse partners, including the Youth Un-ion and different youth-led groups/organizations.
Provide administrative support and assist the operations of the cross-sectoral ADAP working group of UNICEF Viet Nam, including participating in ADAP working group meetings, taking meeting minutes, and following up with agreed action points.
Provide support as relevant to the preparation of donor proposals and donor reports for cross-sectoral ADAP work.
Support in the outreach, nurturing, and engagement with the private sector and networks of young innovators and entrepreneurs to assist UNICEF in creating awareness on child rights and enabling the local mobilization of resources.
Assist in other tasks as requested and as deemed necessary to achieve the cross-sectoral ADAP programme objectives.

Required experience

1 years of experience in community engagement or as a volunteer, especially in the area of adolescent participation and youth empowerment.

Other requirements:

Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations.
Self-motivation and ability to adapt professionally in a challenging environment and work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel
Proficient digital skills to deliver the assignment, including proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet.
Demonstrate UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS)
Applicants are requested to outline in their motivation statement their own displacement or migration experience and barriers they have faced to access learning and employment opportunities as this will be taken into account when assessing eligibility.

Eligibility criteria include: