Child Protection Advocacy Consultant, Child Protection, 3 months, Peshawar, Pakistan (for Pakistani Nationals only, Remote with travel)

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.

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How can you make a difference? 

Pakistan, as a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening national and sub-national child protection systems to uphold the rights of all children. Following the recent review, the Government of Pakistan has received the Concluding Observations (2026) from the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which provide a comprehensive set of recommendations to address persistent child rights challenges, including violence against children, child labour, child marriage, birth registration, justice for children, and alternative care. These observations present an important opportunity to translate international commitments into actionable and context-specific policy and programmatic responses, supported by coordinated advocacy and increased public investment in child protection systems.

Child marriage remains a critical child protection concern in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The province continues to rely on the outdated Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, with no comprehensive legal framework aligned with international standards. This gap, coupled with entrenched social norms and weak enforcement, limits effective prevention and response, exposing adolescent girls to heightened risks including early pregnancy, school dropout, violence, and long-term socio-economic exclusion. Addressing this requires urgent legal reform, sustained policy advocacy, and integrated social and behaviour change interventions.

In the context of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, these gaps are not related to ownership, as the provincial government has demonstrated strong commitment to strengthening the child protection system through the implementation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act, 2010 and expansion of services.

Under The Overall Supervision Of UNICEF And In Close Coordination With KPCPWC And LGRD, The Consultant Will Undertake The Following Tasks

• Development of a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection Advocacy Framework
• Targeted Advocacy for Legal and Policy Reform
• Strengthening Local Government Ownership and Interoperable Systems
• Advocacy Engagement and Coordination
  
  

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Child Protection Advocacy Consultant.pdf

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

Minimum Requirements

• Education: Master’s in law, child rights/human rights, public policy, public administration, social sciences, development studies, social work, gender studies
• Work experience:
• Minimum 8–10 years of relevant professional experience in policy development, legislative reform, advocacy, or child protection work.
• Demonstrated experience in child marriage prevention/reform, child protection systems strengthening, or provincial-level advocacy in Pakistan (experience in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be a strong asset).
• Proven track record in conducting legal/policy gap analysis, developing advocacy frameworks/strategies, and facilitating high-level stakeholder consultations with government departments, commissions, and parliamentarians.
• Previous experience working with UNICEF, UN agencies, or international development partners is highly desirable.
• Language requirements: English and Urdu
• Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
• In-depth knowledge of child protection issues in Pakistan, particularly child marriage, child rights legislation, provincial child protection systems, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s legal and policy context.
• Strong expertise in policy and legislative advocacy, including conducting legal/policy gap analysis, developing advocacy strategies, policy briefs, talking points, and facilitating high-level stakeholder consultations.
• Excellent analytical, writing, communication, and facilitation skills, with the ability to work independently under tight deadlines and integrate gender, equity, and inclusion perspectives
• Desirables:
• Prior working experience with UNICEF or other UN agencies.
• Specific experience in child protection or child marriage-related work.
• Policy-level working experience in child protection programmes, including development of policy documents, strategies, and advocacy materials.
• Proven contribution to child marriage law reform or similar legislative advocacy processes.
• Experience in developing and validating provincial advocacy frameworks
  

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal using this template Financial proposal Advocacy Consultant.docx
  
  

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.