Child Protection Specialist, Belem, Brazil

General

Description of assignment title: Child ProtectionSpecialist

Assignment country: Brazil

Duty stations: Belem

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 08/01/2026

Duration: 12 months(with possibility ofextension)Long-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal: 16. Peace, justice andstrong institutions

Host entity: UNICEF

Modality: Onsite

Type: National

Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives:

• UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly toadvocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meettheir basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach theirfull potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights ofthe Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduringethical principles and international standards of behaviour towardschildren.
• The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been present inBrazil since 1950, supporting the most important changes inchildhood and adolescence in the country. UNICEF participated inmajor immunization and breastfeeding campaigns; the mobilizationthat resulted in the approval of Article 227 of the FederalConstitution and the drafting of the Child and Adolescent Statute;the movement for universal access to education; programmes tocombat child labour; among other great advances in guaranteeing therights of Brazilian girls and boys.
• In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process ofinclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However,a significant portion of the population remains excluded.Therefore, in its cooperation programme with the BrazilianGovernment for the period 2024-2028, UNICEF focuses its efforts onthe most vulnerable and excluded girls and boys, with a specialfocus on children and adolescents who are victims of extreme formsof violence. These children and adolescents in situations ofgreater vulnerability are spread throughout Brazil, but they aremore concentrated in the Amazon, in the Northeast and in largeurban centers.

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Language Resources

• Through the UNICEF Seal, UNICEF promotes commitments toguarantee the rights of children and adolescents in the Northeastand in the Amazon regions in Brazil. In large cities, UNICEF workswith a focus on reducing intra-municipal inequalities, through the#AgendaCidadeUNICEF.

Context:

• Since 1950, UNICEF has supported the most importanttransformation for children and adolescents in Brazil. UNICEFBrazil current Country Programme concentrates efforts towards boysand girls most excluded, vulnerable, and exposed to extreme formsof violence, mainly in the Amazon and Semiarid regions and theperipheral areas of large cities, through the Municipal SELO andAgenda Cidade. Through the child protection programmeinterventions, psychosocial support activities reached thousands ofchildren and specialized interventions and mobile teams allowed forthe identification and referral of hundreds of cases of violence,abuse and neglect to the Child protection statutory services.
• UNICEF Brazil continues to focus its attention on theimportance of the right to quality education and access to schoolto prevent and to protect children from extreme forms of violence.This assignment will contribute to Child Protection Section andstrengthen its capacity to respond adequately to the needs ofUNICEF Country Office in the Amazon region.
• The UN Volunteer Specialist will contribute to the developmentinitiatives that UNICEF is conducting within Child Protectionintegrated framework at the Amazon Territory (with focus inAmapá, Pará, Mato Grosso e Tocantins), aligned withSelo UNICEF strategy and #AgendaCidadeUNICEF in Belém. Thisassignment will contribute to SDG 16, Peace, Justice and StrongInstitution.
• To that purpose, the UN Volunteer will provide technical andoperational support to the planning, implementation, monitoring andevaluation of activities related to specific strategies orprogrammes, which include among others: Education that Protectsagainst violence and Child Protection technical support to SeloUNICEF at Amazon Territory, technical assistance to state andmunicipal governments on the implementation of Lei da EscutaProtegida (13.431/17), and prevention and response to sexualviolence. The UN Volunteer will provide technical support for theoverall implementation of #AgendaCidadeUNICEF Belem and adolescentsin the state states covered by the office and contribute to thesupport the government authorities and partners.

Task description:

• Under the overall programmatic guidance of the Child ProtectionOfficer and direct supervision of Chief of Field Office inBelém, the UN Volunteer will undertake the followingtasks:
• Support the programmatic implementation of the Child Protectiondevelopment programme in Pará, Amapá, Tocantins andMato Grosso:
• · Assist the Child Protection Officer and the Chief ofFlied Office in Belém to liaise and engage with keystakeholders and partners in Pará, Mato Grosso, Amapáand Tocantins states, on child protection issues and concerns.
• · Extend technical support to Child Protection projectswith focus on indigenous, quilombola and riverside population.
• · Support evidence generation and needs assessmentsrelated to Child Protection.
• · Technical support in prepare required documentationfor the proposed projects, implementing the child protectionstrategy and operational assistance, and support partners in theexecution of projects, aligned to Child Protection Officer guidanceand directed supervision of Chief of Field Office inBelém.
• · Ensure the articulation process among governmentalbodies, non-governmental organizations (national and international)and UN agencies, working in the territory by supporting thecreation of intersectoral working groups and informationsharing.
• · Participate in UNICEF child protection technicalteams, providing technical and operational support to programplanning, program development and program implementation,
• · Assist in capacity building activities related tochild protection programme as outlined in Annual Working Plan;
• · Identify child protection needs and collaborate todesign and implement thematic projects.
• · Advocate for child protection priorities inappropriated forums;
• · Collaborate to the programmatic planning, monitoringand evaluation for EZ Belém
• · Other support, as needed, with planning workshops andother activities.
• · Any other related tasks as may be required or assignedby the supervisor
• Provide technical support for the overall implementation ofchild protection interventions within the framework of UNICEF SEALand Agenda Cidade UNICEF:
• · Support UNICEF coordination in mobilizing andarticulating the SGD to support municipalities participating in theUNICEF Seal and Agenda Cidade UNICEF in child protectioncomponent.
• · Technical support to the local child protectionsystem, strengthening public services and designing innovativeinterventions to reduce the impact of violence againstchildren.
• · Work to strengthen municipal and state councils tocreate intersectoral mechanisms to prevent and address violenceagainst children and adolescents in the priority municipalities andurban centers.
• · Development of partnerships with governmentcounterparts and local stakeholders to facilitate programimplementation and to achieve results on the reduction of violenceagainst children.
• · Provide technical support to implement law 13.431 inthe prioritized municipalities of the territory covered by EZBelém.
• · Plan, develop and evaluate training activities,workshops and institutional events related to child protectiongoals and results with implementing partners.
• The UN Volunteer could be requested to travel, to take part incollaborative work with other internal and external teams. Also,they will attend presential events, webinars and virtual meetingswith colleagues and/or partners. Activities such as organizingmeeting, conferences, workshops and training will be demanded.Production of reports, fundraising proposals, notes and audiovisualpieces for communications purposes, analysis, data gathering, andsystematization will be requested in Portuguese and/or in English.Social media interaction also will be requested.
• Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UNVolunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promotevoluntary action through engagement with communities in the courseof their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part oftheir working time to some of the following suggestedactivities:
• · Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of theconcept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and externalpublications and take active part in UNV activities (for instancein events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• · Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/orlocal forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• · Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports onUN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• · Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences andsubmit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, pressreleases, etc.;
• · Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrivedUN Volunteers;
• · Promote or advise local groups in the use of onlinevolunteering or encourage relevant local individuals andorganizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenevertechnically possible.
• Results/expected outputs:
• · Technical support for strengthened coordination amongUNICEF, government counterparts, and key stakeholders acrossPará, Amapá, Tocantins and Mato Grosso, ensuringeffective implementation, monitoring, and documentation of childprotection interventions, with enhanced evidence generation andcapacity building.
• · Quality material and knowledge products for internaland external audiences produced in a timely fashion, including fortrainings.
• · Adequate support provided to Child Protectionteam.
• · Improved delivery of child protection actions underthe UNICEF Seal and Agenda Cidade UNICEF, with strengthenedmunicipal systems, intersectoral mechanisms, and increasedalignment with legal frameworks such as Law 13.431 to prevent andaddress violence against children.
• · Enhanced child protection systems through technicalassistance, training, partnerships, and innovative interventions,with a focus on indigenous populations, riverside and quilombolapopulation, resulting in strengthened services, improved needsassessments, and expanded actions to reduce violence andvulnerabilities.
• · Child protection priorities reflected in appropriatedforums.
• · Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective issystematically applied, integrated and documented in all activitiesthroughout the assignment.
• · A final statement of achievements towards volunteerismfor peace and development during the assignment, such as reportingon the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated inand capacities developed.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 3 years

Nationality: Candidate must be a national, legal residentor hold refugee status in the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience:

• 3 years

Languages:

• Portuguese, Level: Fluent, Required
• English, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, International Relations,Law, Public Policy, Psychology, Social Work, Anthropology,Sociology or Political Science, or other relevant field.

Competencies and values:

• UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust,Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS). The UNICEF competenciesrequired and expected for this post are: Demonstrates SelfAwareness and Ethical Awareness; Works Collaboratively with others;Builds and Maintains Partnerships; Innovates and Embraces Change;Thinks and Acts Strategically; Drive to achieve impactful results;Manages ambiguity and complexity.

Skills and experience:

• · Background and familiarity with international humanrights, children's rights and emergency response;
• · Knowledge and familiarity of State and municipalgovernments and civil society organisations and the system ofrights guarantee (SGD);
• · Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, andproven ability to work with multistakeholder processes;
• · Desirable Experience with indigenous, riverside andquilombola population, monitoring of human rights and advocacy isan asset;
• · Computer and database literacy will be an asset.

Area(s) of expertise:

• Project management, programme development, strategy,Disability, other social inclusion aspects

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