UN University Volunteer in Programme Support

Details

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’s mandate, mission and unique attributes provide a strategic advantage in promoting and supporting transformational change to achieve sustainable coverage at scale. After more than 45 years in Lao PDR, UNICEF Lao PDR UNICEF is one of the longest-serving international organizations in the country plays an important role in supporting the government, advocating for reform and leading coordination to scale-up results.

Context

As integral part of the Country Programme 2022-2026, Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and UNICEF in Lao PDR have agreed on MoES-UNICEF Education Programme 2022-2026, which aims that by 2026, more children, including adolescents, especially the most disadvantaged, are better prepared for school and have improved learning outcomes and skills to achieve their full potential.
UNICEF support both upstream work (policies, curriculum, standards development, system strengthening and evidence generation) as well as the downstream work at sub-national and school/community level (capacity development, service delivery, demand creation), strengthening the linkage of the two.
For the implementation of the Education programme, UNICEF jointly works with the Government of Lao PDR, particularly the MoES, both at national and sub-national (provincial and district) level. In addition, UNICEF partners with the Lao Women’s Union (LWU), a mass organization, for the parenting education activities in selected communities. The direct beneficiaries include school-aged children, their teachers and school administrators, parents and care-givers in the pre-primary, primary and secondary schools as well as community-based ECE centers in target districts.
The UNV will be placed in the Education Section of UNICEF Lao PDR. The section works closely with other sections, such as Health, Nutrition, Child Protection, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Social Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME), Communication as well as Operation team.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of Chief of Education and in coordination with other relevant UNICEF staff, the UN University Volunteer will provide general assistance to the following key areas, but not be limited to:
• Support for Communication – Support communication and documentation of the progress and effects of Education Programme’s interventions, including those for donor reporting, fundraising and advocacy purposes.
• Support in M&E & Knowledge Management in Education – contribute to the Government/MoES and in-house capacity improvement in M&E, and knowledge generation and management. This includes (not limited to) general assistance to education research, studies and evaluations.
• Support for (Sub) Sector Coordination – Provide general assistance to the enhanced coordination and effectiveness of the Education Sector Working Group (ESWG) mechanism, including Basic Education Focal Group (Focal Group 1), Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and the UN Education Result Group, etc
• Other Tasks – Contribute to other Programme related tasks as appropriate, including (not limited to) inputs to annual reviews, MoES-UNICEF Rolling Work Plans, development of funding proposals, donor visits, annual reports, etc.