UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, A Voice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbkJiMmvKqk

How can you make a difference?

SCOPE OF WORK:

Under the guidance of the Chief of Communication and Advocacy and the Communication Manager, the consultant will:

• Produce well-written and edited human interest stories for the UNICEF Afghanistan website and reports to inform audiences about UNICEF’s work in Afghanistan and fulfil donor visibility and acknowledgment requirements.
• Travel within Afghanistan, with the support of the Communication and Advocacy section, to collect information, conduct interviews, and perform related tasks for producing human interest stories and documenting UNICEF-supported activities, donor visits, and other events.
• Coordinate with UNICEF-hired photographers, as required, to capture relevant captions for photographs to complement stories and photo essays and contribute to storyboards and overlay text/transcription for videos.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES:

Stories are expected to be between 400–800 words in length.

• The subject matter will be identified in advance depending on donor reporting needs.
• The consultant is expected to be in Afghanistan for, on average, 10 working days (14 calendar days) reporting period, followed by an additional 3 remote working days (writing and finalization period). The consultant will have the flexibility to work remotely during the writing and finalization period, with the expectation of maintaining regular communication with the UNICEF team.
• For each cycle, 4 stories/text products are expected to be produced.
• Dates for travel will be agreed upon by the consultant and the section in advance.
• Consultants may be required to work on weekends, depending on the assignment’s requirements.

Within the scope of work, the consultant is responsible for:

• Use their own equipment, such as laptops, microphones, software, and other necessary accessories.
• Not share the content or any part thereof with any third party without written permission from UNICEF. All content will be the property of UNICEF.
• Be available for revisions and reviews of the written pieces as needed.
• Follow the UNICEF writing style guide.
• The performance of the consultant will be evaluated based on the quality of the stories, adherence to deadlines, and the ability to effectively convey UNICEF’s impact in Afghanistan.

Responsibilities of UNICEF:

• Provide all details pertaining to the activity and the requirements for each assignment.
• Provide logistics for the consultant’s travel within the country to project locations and support coordination with field staff and offices. The consultant will travel with UNICEF staff in UNICEF vehicles in accordance with UN staff security procedures in the country. The consultant will also be provided with accommodation on UNICEF/UN premises in Kabul and all field offices for a fee.
• Provide support for translation, including accompanying staff during field visits.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Applications must include:

• Cover letter.
• Resume.
• Samples of previous work.
• Financial offer in USD. (This should only be the day rate for working days. UNICEF will provide a daily sustenance allowance for calendar days spent in Afghanistan, including weekends, to cover out-of-pocket costs while in-country, including accommodation. Travel, international and local, will be reimbursed.)
• Applications submitted without financial and technical proposals will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced 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.

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

•  A minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Literature, Marketing, Journalism, Advertising, Creative/Technical Writing, Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related field. A diploma in a relevant field with experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in Media/Journalism, Public Relations, Communication, Behavior Change Communications or Advocacy is mandatory.
• Experience in writing for the government and/or UN organizations is desirable.
• Experience in copy editing is desirable.
• Experience and quality of work must demonstrably meet the high standards required by UNICEF.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks: 

Interested consultants are required to apply online, indicating availability and all-inclusive lump sum fee to undertake the terms of reference.

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