Vacancies

Background Paper for the 2024 Annual Meeting for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action

TERMS OF REFERENCE: Background Paper for the 2024 Annual Meeting for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action on Protecting Children in Escalating Conflict and Crises: Armed Violence, Climate Shocks and Displacement. 

Background: 

The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (the Alliance) is a global network of operational agencies, academic institutions, policymakers, donors and practitioners. The Alliance facilitates inter-agency technical collaboration on child protection in all humanitarian contexts. It sets standards and produces technical guidance for use by the various stakeholders.

The Alliance envisions a world in which children are protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence in humanitarian settings. Its mission is to support the efforts of humanitarian actors to achieve high-quality and effective child protection interventions in both refugee and non-refugee humanitarian contexts.

One of the core functions of the Alliance is to convene humanitarian child protection actors working at local, national, regional and global levels to promote knowledge-sharing, and technical collaboration. As well as collective action on current issues facing children in humanitarian crises around the world. 

Each year the Alliance convenes the Annual Meeting for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, under a specific theme. The 2024 theme is: Protecting Children in Escalating Conflict and Crises: Armed Violence, Climate Shocks and Displacement.

The 2024 meeting will be held face-to-face for the first time since the COVID-19 Pandemic. The location will be Panama City, Panama. As such it is expected that the meeting will include a focus on the regional humanitarian contexts , while retaining its relevance as a global meeting.

Purpose of Assignment: 

The meeting agenda is significantly shaped by the submission of abstracts from the Alliance’s key stakeholders, members and interested parties. These are informed by the guidance the Alliance puts out on the meeting theme.

The issuance of a more detailed and researched Background Paper supports those submitting abstracts, to better tailor them to the meeting theme. As well as supporting participants’ reading and reflection, as they prepare to contribute their specific experience, knowledge and expertise in relation to the theme during the meeting. 

Past background papers have been structured in different ways depending on the theme that is in focus (see examples below).

It would be ideal if this year’s background paper could (in reference to the published Abstract Submission Guidance linked above):

  • Articulate the core focus of this year’s theme: Protecting children in escalating conflict and crises. 
  • Elaborate the intersections of this with increasing climate shocks and displacement, as well as the armed violence prevalent in the Latin America region. 
  • Refer to the additional linked priorities, identified through the theme survey that the Alliance issued to inform the theme, and Alliance strategy, as appropriate. 
  • Propose potential areas that can be explored through session abstracts. 

2019 - Humanitarian-Development Nexus and Child Protection: Sharing responsibility for children’s protection – addressing risks and vulnerabilities through cohesive partnerships

2020 - 2.2 Billion Children: How do we ensure their protection and wellbeing amidst an infectious disease outbreak

2023 - The Centrality of Children and their Protection in Humanitarian Action - A visual and written introduction
 

Contracting and Supervision

Reporting to: The Co-Coordinators of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action. 

Contracted by: Proteknôn Foundation.  

Application Process and Deadline:

Please submit your CV, relevant published work sample(s) and a short cover email outlining your availability, daily rate and why you are suited for the consultancy as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed / progressed as they come in due to the tight deadline. 

Scope of Work

The consultant will:  

  • Identify published documents and news articles for review, sharing them in an online folder with the Task Team. 
  • Draft an outline for the Background Paper, and share this with the Task Team for input.  
  • Research and write the first draft of the Background Paper. 
  • Issue the draft, with clear guidance and timeframe for providing feedback, to those identified by the Task Team. 
  • Revise the draft based on comments received, including feedback to those who have commented on a) major changes made in response to feedback and b) any comments that could not be resolved and why. 
  • Submit the final draft on deadline to enable prompt publication.

Task

Outputs

Deadline*

Budget

Identify documents for review and prepare draft outline

-Folder of key documents 

-Draft outline of Background Paper

24th January

0.5 days

Research and write first draft Background Paper and issue draft for feedback by 6th February

-Draft Background paper

-Guidance for feedback

30th January

4.5 days

Revise draft based on comments and issue final Background Paper for publication

Final draft Background Paper

8th February 4 pm CET

1 day

TOTAL

6 days

*Note: the timeframe for this work is tight due to: 1) recent confirmation of funds and 2) the need to prepare the paper to strengthen the content of abstract submissions, the closing date for which is 16th February.

Knowledge and Skills Required: 

  • Demonstrable and highly proficient writing skills, including tailoring written work to a specific purpose and audience. 
  • Capacity to synthesise information quickly. 
  • Proficiency in Spanish language to enable review of Spanish documents, or able to collaborate with someone who is. 
  • Fluency in English is required. 
  • At least 10 years of relevant experience, including desk research and report writing, to a high standard. 
  • Capacity to coordinate feedback received on written work, diplomatically respond to it in an organised way, and quickly act to resolve it. 
  • Knowledge of child protection in humanitarian action including key standards, guidelines and related tools. 
  • Knowledge of the climate crisis, displacement, recent humanitarian crises and the Latin America region. 

Desirable: 

  • Knowledge of French and / or Arabic is an asset. 
  • Knowledge of humanitarian architecture. 

How to Apply: 

Please submit your CV, relevant published work sample(s) and a short cover email outlining your availability, daily rate and why you are suited for the consultancy to info@alliancecpha.org as soon as possible.

Applications will be reviewed / progressed as they come in due to the tight deadline.

Organisation
The Alliance
Proteknôn Foundation
Type of work
Consultancy