Senior Consultant (Crisis sensitive educational planning, Caribbean SIDS)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Programme Coordination

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 31 - Mar - 2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

One billion children – nearly half of the world’s children – live in ‘extremely high risk’ countries on account of climate and environmental shock and stress. Nearly 40 million children a year have their education interrupted by climate-induced disasters and subsequent disease outbreaks following extreme weather events. Climate change is also linked to multiple indirect effects on children’s education, increasing risks of malnutrition, disruption of livelihoods, increased child marriage and child labor, which keep children out of school. Teachers are often not prepared to teach about climate change and environmental subjects, and schools are often not well-equipped to prepare students to become empowered to both find and apply solutions and mobilize their communities for climate action. The foundations of a just transition to green livelihoods and lifestyles depend on the ability of education systems to provide relevant, quality, equitable learning opportunities to all children. GPE partner countries as a whole are particularly vulnerable to climate change; out of the top 60 countries ranked by UNICEF as having the highest children’s climate risk in the world, 55 are GPE partners. In a survey of all GPE Partner countries in February 2023, 88.5% of survey respondents (23/26) indicated their demand for this type of support. The Climate Smart Education Initiative aims to enhance countries’ capacities to mainstream climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability into education sector plans, budgets and strategies as well as to enhance education ministry capacity for cross-sectoral coordination on climate and environment-related policy and programming.

CSESI inception and implementation process at country level

The implementation process for the Climate Smart Education Systems Initiative follows a cycle with the following steps: (1) Inception phase : identification of country need and demand,) identification of country priorities and validation by the LEG ; (2) Development of costed technical workplan; (3) Endorsement by the Ministry of Education; (4) Implementation of capacity support; (5) Monitoring, adaptation and learning; (6) Close out and evaluation.

Purpose of the Assignment

The assignment for this consultancy is to support the implementation of the Climate Smart Education Initiative on behalf of IIEP in five Caribbean SIDS: Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana.

DUTIES AND EXPECTED OUTPUT

The consultant will be tasked to lead the implementation of the CSESI in the Caribbean SIDS on behalf of UNESCO IIEP. This includes the implementation of three activities:

1: Supporting Ministries of Education to develop climate-sensitive education data systems to inform educational planning

2: Enhancing Ministries of Education capacities to conduct education sector risk analyses on the expected impacts of climate change on education services and students’ learning

3: Identifying and supporting climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability measures

More specifically, this would include the following tasks:

• Coordination of the preliminary assessment of data needs, gaps and existing tools, including through liaising with the ministries in each country to collect data tools and drafting the consolidated analytical report.
• Development of materials for three regional workshops bringing together the Caribbean SIDS on: a) data mapping and tools enhancement, b) using data to analyze risks, c) developing climate change adaptation strategies.
• Co-facilitation of the above-mentioned regional workshops with IIEP and national consultants.
• Coordinate and assure quality of in-country technical support provided after each workshop including through supporting the recruitment of local consultants and coordinating their work
• Work in close collaboration with IIEP staff to contribute to the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities for the programme.

  INDICATIVE TIMETABLE AND DELIVERABLES

  1. Submission of consolidated report assessing data needs, gaps and existing tools, Month 1
  2. Submission of concept note and draft materials for regional workshop (a), Month 2
  3. Submission of report for regional workshop (a), Month 4
  4. Submission of consolidated action plans for improving mobilization and use of data across 5 Caribbean SIDS countries, Month 5
  5. Submission of concept note and draft materials for regional workshop (b), Month 6
  6. Submission of report for regional workshop (b), Month 8
  7. Submission of consolidated climate risk analyses across 5 Caribbean SIDS countries, Month 9
  8. Submission of concept note and draft materials for regional workshop (c), Month 10
  9. Submission of report for regional workshop (c), and submission of consolidated climate adaptation plans across 5 Caribbean SIDS countries, Month 11

     COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C)Communication (C)Innovation (C)Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)Planning and organizing (C)Results focus (C)Teamwork (C)Professionalism (C)

     - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

     REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

     Academic qualifications

     • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in the field of education, international development, social sciences or economics.

       Work experience

       • At least ten years of experience in the field of education planning technical cooperation projects, in particular in the area of crisis-sensitive planning, of which preferably seven years acquired in the Caribbean.

         Competencies

         • Excellent knowledge of the issues surrounding education in the context of developing and/or emerging countries, in particular of those related to educational planning and management in the Caribbean.
         • Confirmed understanding of contemporary developments in the global education arena and of effective strategies for improving educational planning and management, in particular in crisis-affected contexts.
         • Ability to design, manage and implement development programmes/projects with considerable autonomy, related to climate change and education.
         • Proven competencies to advise Member States on questions related to the role of education in preventing crisis and mitigating its effects.
         • Ability to design, implement and lead training programmes and capacity development workshops.
         • Ability to work with and lead multicultural teams.
         • Ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
         • Excellent ability to build and sustain effective partnerships inside and outside of the Organization.
         • Excellent communication skills (oral and written).
         • Excellent IT skills, including knowledge of MS software (Word, Excel etc.)

           Long Description

           Language requirement

           • Excellent knowledge of English.

             DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS