Mission and objectives

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a “first call for children” and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children – victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and those with disabilities. UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children. In coordination with United Nations partners and humanitarian agencies, UNICEF makes its unique facilities for rapid response available to its partners to relieve the suffering of children and those who provide their care. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. UNICEF aims, through its country programmes, to promote the equal rights of women and girls and to support their full participation in the political, social and economic development of their communities. UNICEF works with all its partners towards the attainment of the sustainable human development goals adopted by the world community and the realization of the vision of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

Context

Health and Nutrition section of UNICEF Sri Lanka country office has activities under 6 key intervention areas as below. · Improving the quality of care and use of community and facility based antenatal, intra natal and postnatal services to effectively prevent maternal anaemia and Low Birth Weight (LBW). · Improving the quality of nutrition-specific interventions and nurturing care practices in early childhood to prevent all forms of malnutrition among children. · Strengthening the quality of care and use of community and facility based routine services for early detection and treatment of children with wasting. · Ensure that children and women have continued access to essential health and nutrition services during emergencies. · Strengthening multisectoral nutrition advocacy, communication, and coordination for enhanced commitment to translate policy into action. · Scaling up nutrition-sensitive interventions in social protection and on the food system to facilitate access to healthy diets. The main government partners are the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, Ministry of Education etc. All other UN Agencies, many Civil Society Organizations and Non-Government Organizations also work as very close partners with the health and nutrition section. The UNV will be expected to support the Health and Nutrition section with the planning, reporting, monitoring, documentation and information management of the health and nutrition programme under the guidance of the relevant Programme Officers. The assignment will be based mainly in Colombo, mission travel for monitoring, and documentation of the programme implementation at district level might be expected minimally at least once or twice a quarter.

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of the Health and Nutrition Officer and as part of the Health and Nutrition Section, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: 1. Support the Health and Nutrition section in planning, reporting, monitoring, documen-tation and information management of the health and nutrition programme. The Health and Nutrition programme work in the following areas: · Preschool health promotion setting development. · Caring for the caregiver package implementation · Maternal care guide development · Infant and Young Child feeding Promotion. · Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation · Immunization programme · Adolescent and school health promotion · Digital Health and data reporting systems · Multisector Action Plan for Nutrition implementation · Local production of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food 2. Collaborate with various government and non-government partners and UNICEF pro-gramme sections for knowledge management. 3. Provide support – as required – to the Health and Nutrition section in the planning, monitoring and implementation of the ongoing health and nutrition programmes. · Support the Health and Nutrition section in planning, reporting, monitoring, documen-tation, assessment, and information management. o Support elaboration of reports, including donor reports and annual reports. o Support elaboration of project proposals for donors. o Support in the planning process of the section, including elaboration WPs with IPs, and in the monitoring of progress. o Support in the monitoring of programmes, including programmatic visits. o Support development of programme document with IPs. o Information management of data related to the health and nutrition sector. · Knowledge Management and Documentation of programme outcomes based on the Health and Nutrition section’s requirements and meeting UNICEF’s quality standards. o Comprehensive plan developed and implemented for dissemination of the documented products if required. o Documented products available in different formats for different audiences (briefs/presentations etc.) to facilitate knowledge sharing and targeted advocacy. o Information and data collected on product dissemination, reach and use. o Content management system in place for storing and retrieving knowledge as-sets.

Competencies and values

Accountability Adaptability and Flexibility Building Trust Commitment and Motivation Commitment to Continuous Learning Communication Creativity Ethics and Values Integrity Knowledge Sharing Planning and Organizing Professionalism Respect for Diversity Self-Management Technological Awareness Vision Working in Teams

Living conditions and remarks

Sri Lanka is an island nation located off the south coast of India. An estimated population of around 21 million people is sheltered in this multi-ethnic, multi- cultural and multi- religious country. Colombo is situated in the Western Province of Sri Lanka and is the commercial capital of the country. The city is located on the west coast of the island, adjacent to the administrative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Bandaranaike International Airport is located 35km from Colombo and is served by the main international airlines. Sri Lanka is a tropical country with moderate temperature and high humidity all throughout the year. Average temperature in Colombo ranges between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius. The island experiences two main monsoon seasons, where heavy rainfalls occur, from May to August and October to January. Rice and curry comprise the main dishes. Sri Lankan cuisine tends to be quite spicy. There are hotels and other types of accommodation options available in Colombo. Supermarkets, banking and medical facilities are present within the city. Telephone and Internet service is widely available. Phone plans and data are inexpensive; however, it should not be expected that the internet services work consistently or at a high speed. At present Sri Lanka is undergoing high inflation and an economic crisis. The public unrest and protests are common. The prices of common commodities fluctuate on a daily basis and shortages can also be experienced. Main health advisories are related COVID 19 and Dengue, which is also highly prevalent in Sri Lanka, especially after the rainy seasons. Mosquito repellent is available in all local drug stores. Sri Lanka is a unique country and UN is providing unique humanitarian operations in Sri Lanka. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more resilience and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in challenging conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort, are essential. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious acts insurance plan.