International Consultancy to conduct assessment of normative framework and comprehensive, risk-informed school safety assessments in target educational facilities for children with disabilities

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According to the latest estimates of the World Health Organization over 15 per cent of the world’s population is affected by some form of disability. People with disabilities are often forgotten during disaster management activities and especially during emergency response, despite being amongst the most vulnerable in a community. Women and children with disabilities are often at greater risk of violence and abuse, and are particularly vulnerable in an emergency context. Disability inclusion in disaster management is both a process and an outcome. It focuses on identifying and removing barriers so that people with disabilities can participate in and benefit from disaster management activities on an equal basis with others. People with disabilities are often particularly vulnerable during an emergency. Emergencies may reduce the capacity of caregivers to support people with disabilities. People with disabilities may have greater difficulty accessing basic needs during a disaster, including food, water, shelter, sanitation and healthcare services. Disaster situations can lead to injuries that create temporary and permanent impairments. People who have new impairments may need extra help to adapt to their situation. Therefore, disaster management activities should promote a ‘twin track’ approach, which ensures that people with disabilities: 1) Have equal access to all ‘mainstream’ disaster management operations; and 2) Access ‘specialist’ services as available to meet specific needs, such as assistive devices (wheelchairs, crutches, spectacles etc.), medical consultations, and essential medications. Ensuring that disaster management is inclusive of people with disabilities is fundamental to maintaining their dignity. When emergency shelters, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and other basic services are inaccessible, people with disabilities may be forced to engage in unsafe or culturally inappropriate practices, compromising their dignity and psychosocial well-being.

How can you make a difference?  Therefore, UNICEF’s interventions at national level in emergency preparedness and response, climate change adaptation and disability inclusive DRR will aim to:   1. Assess the educational and health disability-inclusive normative framework of Turkmenistan and provide recommendations to strengthen the school safety and resilience provisions to ensure inclusive and safe learning facilities for children with disabilities.   2. Conduct comprehensive, risk-informed school safety assessments in target educational facilities for children with disabilities (7 Rehabilitation Centers and 4 pilot inclusive schools and kindergartens) to strengthen their enabling environment and mechanisms for safety and resilience. Scope of Work: The international consultant will proceed with the desk-review analysis of the educational and health normative framework of Turkmenistan. The interventions are aimed to provide support to the Government of Turkmenistan in improvement of the existing legal and methodological framework to ensure inclusive and safe learning facilities for children with disabilities.  The comprehensive, risk-informed school safety assessments in target educational facilities for children with disabilities will be conducted to identify gaps, weaknesses and needs in school safety and resilience to ensure inclusive and safe learning facilities for children with disabilities.  The scope of work will be focused but not limited at:   1. Desk review analysis of the national educational and health disability-inclusive normative framework of Turkmenistan to identify gaps, weaknesses in provision the safe and resilient educational environment for children with disabilities; 2. Development and align with the national context the Methodology to proceed with comprehensive, risk-informed school safety assessments in target educational facilities for children with disabilities; 3. Facilitation of one-day capacity development session for education sector professionals including the administrative and teaching personnel of target educational facilities; 4. Conduction of comprehensive, risk-informed school safety assessments in target educational facilities for children with disabilities and in particular in 7 Rehabilitation Centers and 4 pilot inclusive schools and kindergartens; 5. Establishment of baseline for inclusive and safe learning facilities for children with disabilities integrating the outcomes and findings of the conducted assessment.  6. Development of a Roadmap with the milestones to improve the enabling inclusive and safe learning environment for children with disabilities in educational facilities; 7. Development of recommendations to support the Government of Turkmenistan in strengthening the enabling environment and mechanisms for safety and resilience of target educational facilities for children with disabilities

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UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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:  

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. 

You can find the detailed information in the attached ToR  2025-03-06 TOR Inclusive DRR-International Consultant-draft_vd_an.pdf