Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) Officer

General

Description of assignment title: Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) Officer

Assignment country: Pakistan

Duty stations: Peshawar

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 11/16/2026

Duration: 12 months (with possibility of extension)

Sustainable Development Goal: 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

Host entity: UNICEF

Modality: Onsite

Type: National

Volunteer category: Expert UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among others things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves.

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives -- being in good health, immunised, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation, and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

Context

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. UNICEF supports governments in Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) by strengthening policies, systems, and services that empower adolescents and youth to realize their rights and potential. This includes promoting meaningful youth engagement, life skills, civic participation, and access to education, protection, and health services. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there is a particular need to enhance ADAP efforts at the provincial level due to a large youth population, socio-cultural barriers, and dis-parities in access to opportunities, especially for girls. Strengthening provincial capacities, partnerships with local institutions and universities, and community-based platforms is essential to ensure inclusive, scalable, and sustainable adolescent-focused programming.

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives -- being in good health, immunised, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation, and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

Task description

Under the supervision of the Chief of Field Office (CFO), the UNV ADAP Officer will support the design, implementation, and scaling of adolescent and youth engagement initiatives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Key duties include strengthening inclusive participation platforms, including Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), and mobilizing adolescents—especially girls and marginalized groups. The UNV will facilitate youth-led forums, school and community clubs, and digital engagement. They will engage universities to promote youth leadership and partnerships, support communication and social mobilization on child rights, contribute to capacity building, and ensure effective monitoring, documentation, and knowledge sharing to enhance evidence-based programming.

Summary of Key Functions:

The UNV will support the programme around a range of functions primarily, but not limited to, the areas of knowledge management and youth engagement. The UNV will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Support the planning, implementation, and scaling of Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) initiatives under the supervision of the Chief of Field Office (CFO).
• Strengthen inclusive platforms for meaningful engagement of adolescents, particularly girls, marginalized groups, and those in hard-to-reach areas.
• Facilitate the establishment and strengthening of youth-led forums, school- and community-based clubs, and digital engagement platforms.
• Support the rollout and expansion of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) in collaboration with local governments and partners.
• Engage universities and academic institutions to promote youth leadership, civic engagement, volunteerism, and student-led advocacy.
• Build and maintain partnerships with government counterparts, civil society, youth networks, and communities.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of communication and social mobilization strategies on child rights and related issues.
• Support capacity building of adolescents and stakeholders on leadership, participation, and advocacy skills.
• Assist in monitoring, documentation, and knowledge sharing of good practices and lessons learned.
• Contribute to evidence-based programming and reporting to enhance the quality and impact of ADAP interventions.
• Other support, as required, to programme areas including climate finance.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 7 years

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

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience: 1 year

Languages:

• English, Level: Fluent, Desirable
• Pashto, Level: Fair, Desirable

Required education level: Bachelor's degree in social sciences, development studies, education, public policy, or a related field; strong understanding of adolescent development and participation

Competencies and values:

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity

Skills and experience:

• At least 1–2 years of relevant experience (including volunteer or internship experience) in youth engagement, social mobilization, community development, or child rights programming.
• Demonstrated ability to work with adolescents and youth, including facilitating participatory platforms, youth-led initiatives, or community-based activities.
• Strong communication, coordination, and partnership-building skills, with experience engaging government, civil society, and academic institutions (including universities).
• Proven skills in reporting, documentation, and use of digital tools; ability to support monitoring, knowledge sharing, and innovative engagement approaches.

Area(s) of expertise: Training, capacity building, Youth

Driving license: -

Other information

Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

Living conditions and remarks

As this is a national UNV assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

UNV Field Unit will help you open a Pak rupee bank account with Standard Chartered Bank or any other local bank at your duty station.

Assignment remarks:

This is a national UNV assignment, and a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) of PKR 186495.86 is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. For Peshawar, danger and well-being differential of PKR 55948.76 is also paid. Life health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as final repatriation (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Reasonable accommodation

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments 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 appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers 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 contracts.

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