UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories. UNICEF’s activities include providing immunizations and disease prevention, administering treatment for children and mothers with HIV, enhancing childhood and maternal nutrition, improving sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters.

With the launch of UNICEF’s sustainability and climate change action plan (SCAP), UNICEF has further firmed up its commitment to protecting children from the effects of climate change, empowering young people in climate action and reducing its own emissions.

The impact of climate change is already visible in Kenya. The changes in rainfall patterns are causing floods, droughts, and desertification. Climate-related economic shocks push communities towards negative coping mechanisms. The UNV will translate the global action plan to the Kenyan context and further mainstream climate change into UNICEF Kenya’s programming and operations. The UNV will work closely with members of the climate change

task force to identify climate interventions for the different programs by applying a climate risk lens to new and existing projects. This entails capacity building sessions with relevant UNICEF staff and government staff in climate and disaster risk reduction; technical support to include climate risks into the government and county preparedness plans; study and enhance UNICEFs current climate readiness; identify and create climate evidence; and access climate finance. The UNV will also support volunteering and youth-in-climate-action networks in Kenya to accelerate climate action in the country. Detailed tasks are described below.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of WASH, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

· Advocate for cross-sectoral mainstreaming of climate change in UNICEF Kenya based on UNICEFs Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan. Working internally with multiple sections from the Climate Change Task Force (WASH, Nutrition, Health, Edu-cation, Social Protection, Child Protection, Social Behavioural Change and Innovation) to define and oversee the implementation of innovative climate change interventions.

· Build capacity of relevant UNICEF and Government staff on DRR and climate change.

· Provide technical support to include climate risks into the government and county government preparedness plans.

· Study, identify gaps, and enhance UNICEF Kenya’s preparedness for increased climate risks, re-occurring hazards and greater emergencies.

· Lead on generation, identification, and dissemination of (new) relevant evidence and data for climate security, child sensitive disaster risk reduction and climate change.

· Identify and pursue pathways to climate finance for UNICEF KCO.

· Oversee the development of appropriate communication materials to enhance public understanding of climate change and resilience to climate associated risks at the community level.

The UNV will further support in the following areas:

· Support in establishing and growing a UNICEF volunteer network and creating materials to foster guided climate action by volunteers and young people, including locally led adaptation and risk communication (DRR).

· Support mainstreaming of Environmental and Social Safeguards throughout UNICEF programs and operations.

· Oversee the implementation of climate related projects and programmes.

· Support the development of cross-sectoral climate project proposals.

· Over the development of advocacy and social media messaging and visuals around important climate events and days and to UNICEF’s work and mandate.

· Work with national and county governments (Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Health, National Public Health Institute) to support climate coordination, DRR and dissemination of child sensitive climate information, evidence and activities and implementation of Kenya’s National Climate Change Action Plan III (pending release).

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

· Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);

· Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;

· Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;

· Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

· Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

· Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

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