Home-based: Education and Climate Change Regional

**Job no**: 569696

**Contract type**: Consultant

**Duty Station**: Geneva

**Level**: Consultancy

**Location**: Switzerland

**Categories**: Education

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 future._**

**Purpose of Activity/Assignment**

To support UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) in providing technical assistance and guidance to countries for prioritizing climate change in education programming.

**Background**

UNICEF has adopted a global Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan that marks a transformation of how we embed sustainability and climate change in our programing and advocacy work. A key objective of the plan is to empower every child through their life course with the developmental opportunities, education and skills to be a champion for the environment. In line with the global action plan, Education for Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience has become a priority area for UNICEF Europe and Central Asia (ECA). Education systems need to be able to prevent and mitigate the risks of climate related disasters to protect the right of every child to education.

In 2022, the ECARO Education Section prepared a Programme Brief on Harnessing the Transformative Potential of Education for Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience Building in ECA, which articulates the approach of UNICEF in ECA Region in supporting education systems, education stakeholders and children and adolescents in ECA to develop the policies, structures and skills to mitigate and adapt to climate change and become more resilient to the environmental challenges and natural hazards ahead. The UNICEF ECARO’s approach is based around four programmatic pillars that support: a. green skills for green transition; b. climate resilient education systems; c. greener and safer facilities and d. youth-led climate action.

**Scope of Work**

UNICEF ECARO is now seeking a consultant for the period of 7 months, to provide technical assistance to RO and COs for integrating the programming pillars into their CPDs and supporting governments in the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into the education system.

The consultant will be working under the supervision of the Regional Education Adviser and in close collaboration with the Regional Senior Programme Specialist to support ECAR Country Offices to develop scalable approaches to mainstreaming climate change into education systems based on the regional framework. The consultant will also support knowledge generation and information exchange, as well as resource mobilisation efforts for climate change and education programming at regional and country level. As education will feature on the COP29 Agenda, the consultant will also support required preparations for the event.

Key Activities/Tasks
- Provide technical assistance and oversight to country offices to deepen programmes on climate change and education, with emphasis on green skills teaching and learning, curriculum revisions, material development and teacher training.
- Mapping of existing work on education and climate change in ECA program countries.
- Develop guidance on: a, climate change integration in curricula reform, b, development of education materials for different age groups, and c, training of teachers.
- Support UNICEF COs in identifying and prioritizing actions, analysing data, reports and implementation strategies. Identify and document enabling factors, good practices, challenges/bottlenecks, and lessons learnt from the implementation activities and ensure exchange of experience between countries in the region.
- Map potential donors for climate change and education, and mobilize investments in multi country programmes including drafting a regional resource mobilization strategy in consultation with relevant offices (PPD, PFP).
- Support countries to forecast the resources needed and develop tailored strategies for reaching priority populations and underserved communities.
- Upgrade Regional Programme Brief into a guidance to COs for programming with emphasis on green skills development.
- Identify and consolidate materials and resources for teaching and learning for use by COs in their progamming on green skills.
- Provide regular updates on progress and challenges being faced as required at regional level and HQ.
- Participate in all meetings at regional and global level and with country offices pertaining to climate change and education.
- Prepare and write documents, briefings, analyses, presentations, etc. on climate change and education programming progress in the region.
- Support UNICEF RO and CO in developing advocacy materials for C