Apply nowJob no: 591480
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Dhaka
Level: Consultancy
Location: Bangladesh
Categories: Emergency

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, inspiration

One in three children in Bangladesh, or a staggering 19 million, are threatened by devastating floods, cyclones, droughts, and other environmental disasters – five million of them under the age of five. Children in Bangladesh are particularly affected by the impacts of the climate crisis such as direct physical impacts causing injury or death, as well as psychological effects. Additional subsequent resource crises such as water crisis, forced migration health crisis, educational crisis, protection crisis and participation crises threaten their very lives.

Bangladesh faces one of the highest degrees of vulnerability to climate change impacts, with floods, cyclones, diseases (such as dengue) and droughts being the most prominent and common type of hazards. This high vulnerability is paired with relatively low readiness to deal with the impacts and is reflected in the ND-GAIN index where Bangladesh ranks 160 out of 181 countries. Average temperatures are projected to increase by 1.4 °C and 2.4 °C by 2050 and 2100 respectively, resulting in an almost permanent state of heat wave. Also, Bangladesh ’s average cyclonic activity (already one of the highest in the world with on average one severe cyclone every three years) is expected to rise with increasing sea-surface warming and sea level rise and significant impact on populations. For example, Cyclone Sidr November 2007 left more than 2.3 million households affected, and 3,500 people dead and more than 55,000 people sustaining physical injuries. Heavier and longer Monsoons also contributes to the increase in floods.

Cyclones and floods damage and destroy houses, essential infrastructure, local ecosystem, embankments, coastline, and people’s livelihoods, leading to heightened risks of injuries, deaths and illnesses. A total of 16.5 millions of Bangladesh’s children live near rivers or in coastal areas highly exposed to flooding. The climate impacts affect children, esp. girls, access to education and safety (safe sanitation facilities, inadequate emergency shelter, longer water collection routes, etc.). In nutrition, wasting and stunting rate increases after cyclones due to food insecurity where crops and vegetables are destroyed and cannot be produced due to water salinity in coastal locations. Diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid are prevalent among children after cyclones and floods, while children are increasingly exposed to sexual abuse in cyclone and flood shelters, especially when they lose parents in such disasters. Finally, cases are reported of children forced into child marriage due to poverty and poor socio-economic conditions because of climate change-induced disasters.

The lack of such critical services deprives children and girls from fully exploiting their full potential and life opportunities. While exposure to climate (intensity and frequency) gives a first indication on the impact on children, other risk intensifying factors (poverty, inequality, gender, disability, fragility, humanitarian stress, violence, conflict) define a child’s vulnerability to climate risks. Children are more vulnerable than adults when exposed to climate risks because of their limited coping capacities and means to respond to climatic changes which are further dependent on the availability of resources with their households. Poorer households are more likely to use negative coping mechanisms (e.g. depletion of assets, reduction of food consumption or purchase of lower nutritional value food, less use of medical services and commodities, allowing children to drop out of school to contribute to income generation). If not addressed, projections suggest that climate impact can rise extreme poverty in Bangladesh by another 15 per cent by the year 2030.

UNICEF has adopted the Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (SCAP) to integrate climate resilience across all sectors. Effective implementation requires dedicated technical, programmatic, and fundraising capacity to ensure UNICEF’s climate portfolio remains results-driven, well-funded, and strategically positioned within national and global climate frameworks such as the NDC 3.0, Bangladesh Climate Prosperity Plan 2022–2041, and National Adaptation Plan 2022–2050.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The consultant will contribute their international expertise to advance the implementation of UNICEF’s Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (SCAP) across the Bangladesh Country Office. Specifically, the assignment will focus on:

Strengthening climate programme coordination, delivery, and reporting across UNICEF sections and partners to ensure coherence and measurable results under the SCAP framework.
Expanding climate finance mobilization and resource partnerships for child-sensitive mitigation, adaptation, and social-sector resilience, including initiatives addressing loss and damage.
Enhancing policy engagement, advocacy, and evidence generation to position UNICEF as a key actor in national and international climate dialogue and to influence policies that protect children and young people from climate risks.

Scope of the Work

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Field Services, the consultant will be responsible for supporting the implementation of UNICEF Bangladesh’s Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (SCAP) and advancing integration of Climate, Environment, Energy and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED) priorities across programmes and partnerships.

Specifically, the consultant will:

Programme Management and Coordination
1. Provide technical and coordination support for the implementation and tracking of UNICEF Bangladesh’s SCAP and CEED initiatives, ensuring effective integration across sectors (WASH, Health, Education, Nutrition, Child Protection, Social Policy, and Communication & Advocacy). Support sections to integrate CEED priorities into sectoral plans, workplans, and results frameworks. This includes maintaining regular communication with section focal points and tracking progress against established indicators and targets.
2. Support the annual work-planning process, ensuring climate and resilience indicators are embedded across section results frameworks.
3. Manage progress tracking, monitoring dashboards, and documentation of SCAP activities, linking outputs to UNICEF’s Strategic Plan results.
4. Support the organization and facilitation of the UNICEF Climate Change Working Group, as well as Secretary of the Sustainability Committee, preparing agendas, minutes, and follow-up actions.
5. Provide technical quality assurance to project proposals, donor reports, and programme reviews, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s results-based management standards. 2. Technical and Policy Support on Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, DRR and Loss and Damage

Provide technical and policy guidance to UNICEF Country Office in Bangladesh on all areas of work linked to the impact and response to climate change, including climate mitigation, adaptation, climate finance, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and loss and damage. Support programme sections and senior management to ensure these dimensions are systematically integrated across planning, implementation, and monitoring processes under the SCAP and CEED frameworks.
Contribute technical expertise and coordination support to the sections engagement with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and relevant line ministries (Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Disaster Management, etc.) to ensure that national climate policies, plans, and frameworks are child- and youth-sensitive and that UNICEF’s priorities are effectively integrated into government decision-making and implementation processes.
Provide continuous technical assistance and coordination support for the design, implementation, and monitoring of government-led and UNICEF-supported climate projects, ensuring alignment with NDC 3.0, the National Adaptation Plan 2022-2050, and the Bangladesh Climate Prosperity Plan 2022-2041.
Provide analytical and advisory support to integrate climate-risk considerations into sectoral planning, monitoring, and budgeting processes, helping the government and UNICEF sections link climate action with social-sector resilience, DRR, and humanitarian preparedness.
Provide technical and coordination support to strengthen collaboration with government counterparts, development partners, youth organizations, and civil society organizations, facilitating dialogue, information exchange and joint planning to advance child-centred climate action and resource mobilization. 3.Climate Financing, Fundraising, and Proposal Development

Support identification and design of climate finance and resource mobilization opportunities, including Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, Adaptation Fund, bilateral donors, and corporate or philanthropic partnerships.
Support the development and operationalization of sustainable-finance mechanisms, such as green bonds, taxonomies, certification schemes, and blended-finance models, to scale investments in child-sensitive climate solutions.
Draft and coordinate concept notes, project proposals, and investment cases showcasing UNICEF’s comparative advantage in child-centred climate mitigation and adaptation.
Work in close collaboration with the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization team to prepare donor engagement briefs, pitch decks, and pipeline trackers.
Strengthen internal capacity on climate finance proposal development, ensuring UNICEF sections can independently design sectoral climate projects.

4. Policy, Evidence, and Advocacy

Provide high-level policy support and strategic inputs to government and inter-agency processes on the NDC 3.0, National Adaptation Plan, Just Transition, and related national and global climate frameworks, ensuring the integration of child-sensitive and youth-inclusive priorities.
Draft policy notes, analytical papers, speeches, and talking points for UNICEF senior management to inform national and international dialogues, inter-ministerial meetings, and climate-related forums.
Lead and contribute to the development of policy briefs, advocacy materials, and donor communication products that demonstrate UNICEF’s evidence-based, child-centred climate action and showcase impact in national, regional, and global policy arenas.
Translate research and data, including findings from the Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC), U-Report, and Child Climate Risk Index (CCRI-DRM) into accessible and compelling advocacy and fundraising tools for government decision-makers, donors, and development partners.
Support UNICEF’s participation in national and international events, conferences, and coordination platforms, including those led by government, UN agencies, development partners, and youth organizations, to advocate for child-sensitive climate policies, strengthen partnerships, and enhance UNICEF’s visibility as a leader in climate resilience and just transition. 5. Capacity Building and Youth Engagement

Support the design and facilitation of capacity-building activities for UNICEF staff, government counterparts, and youth organizations on climate programming, climate finance, and policy advocacy.
Strengthen youth participation in national and sub-national policy processes, including NDC 3.0 monitoring and MRV systems.
Support development and institutionalization of a National Youth Climate Forum to amplify youth voices and inter-generational equity in climate decision-making.
In collaboration with the Communication and Advocacy Unit, facilitate awareness and engagement initiatives, such as youth-led recycling campaigns, climate-education sessions, climate focused workshops and advocacy events.

The consultant will work collaboratively with UNICEF’s Programme Sections (WASH, Health, Education, Nutrition, Child Protection, Social Policy), the Communication & Advocacy team, the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Team, and the Regional CEED Team to ensure coherence, efficiency, and sustained impact across climate and resilience programming.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Consultant_TOR_INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT – Programme Specialist – Climate Change.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Advanced university degree in Climate Change and Development, Law, International Affairs, or related field.
Work Experience: At least five years of progressively responsible international experience in programme management, policy development, inter-agency coordination, communications, and resource mobilization within the context of climate change, climate finance and sustainable development.
Proven track record of engaging, advising and influencing governments on climate related policies, climate mitigation, adaptation and just-transition agendas.
Excellent analytical, drafting, and strategic-communication skills; with the ability to translate technical evidence into high-impact advocacy, donor, and policy products, and presenting to senior government officials, development banks, and international forums.
Proven experience linking child rights and climate policy in UNICEF or another UN agency.
Experience working with young people as agents of change is an asset.
Language Requirements: Fluency in English; knowledge of another UN language an asset.

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 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.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information. Do not pay to submit your application. If there is a charge, then it is not a genuine UNICEF position.

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.

Advertised: 05 Mar 2026 Bangladesh Standard Time
Deadline: 20 Mar 2026 Bangladesh Standard Time

Apply Now