PCP/Prevention Adviser 2 (800623)

Our Organisation

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and, at the same time, promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations.

Context

The Global Child Protection Adviser is the institutional focal point for child protection, including positioning on issues related to children and the ICRC’s multidisciplinary response. This post holder supervises the implementation of the ICRC’s approach to children, acts as “convenor” for institutional efforts to ensure effective operational programming, processes and the necessary forward-looking reflection on the subject. Internally, they are the technical expert for the thematic issue, and contribute to positioning the ICRC as a lead actor within the humanitarian sector on concerns for children.

Purpose

The Global Child Protection (CP) Adviser, together with the other members of the HQ-based CP team, works to reinforce the ICRC’s capacity to prevent harm and respond to the needs of children affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. This includes operations support, capacity building, external engagement and defining institutional policy on positioning the ICRC and the humanitarian concerns of children and their families.

The Global CP Adviser is responsible for developing the understanding of the protection/humanitarian concerns of children and their families, analysing trends and dynamics, and ensuring the quality, consistency, and continuity of the ICRC's operational and policy engagement globally. This requires coordination with a range of colleagues internally across Protection, Essential Services, Operations, Law and Policy, Communications as well as continuous engagement with the child protection sector, including the UN Children and Armed Conflict agenda, the intersection of where child protection meets the counter-terrorism space and the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.

Relationships

Maintains and builds close relationships with ICRC delegations and HQ departments (Protection and Essential Services, Operations, Legal, Policy, the Presidency, OP_DIR, Communications etc)

Maintains a network of external interlocutors with the Movement and in the child protection and related sectors (human rights etc).

General Duties

• Understands and adheres to the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
• Understands and adheres to the ICRC Code of Conduct
• Understands the roles of the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
• Respects and observes staff regulations and security rules at all times
• Represents the ICRC in a professional manner at all times
• Develops and maintains a pleasant and conducive working environment with colleagues and line managers
• Performs all duties with the highest level of confidentiality in the interest of the employees and the ICRC
• May be asked to perform tasks not covered in this job description and to provide support to other departments when necessary

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Accountabilities & Functional responsibilities

This role has a significant policy and positioning component, ensuring that child protection concerns remain a key focus of the ICRC’s global engagement. It involves setting standards and providing support for bilateral and multilateral engagements with the UN CAAC Agenda, the EU, the AU, and the child protection sector, as well as engaging with States and other actors on EWIPA and other areas related to children affected by conflict.

At an operational level, this position supports delegations working with vulnerable children in contexts of armed conflict and other situations of violence: children associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG), children who are unaccompanied or separated (UASC), children affected by counter-terror practices, children in detention, children who are displaced, including migrant children, and children who are victims of sexual violence.
 

Delegations are supported in a quality protection dialogue with states, parties to conflict and humanitarian actors on protection concerns for children. Child protection capacity building, expertise and sharing of contemporary practice enables colleagues to assess and respond to the specific needs of children, working directly with them and their families, and taking into consideration their specific vulnerabilities.

Main Tasks

Institutional focal point for child protection

• Maintain and build close internal relationships with colleagues in other departments/Divisions, such as Essential Services, Legal, Policy, Humanitarian Diplomacy, Communications as well as in the Regions, at OP_DIR and with the Office of the PRES, and with NYC, BRU and ADO to ensure a holistic and integrated approach on all questions related to children
• Is responsible for implementation of the ICRC’s operational strategy on children; and for the implementation of the existing Guidelines in ICRC Action in Favour of Children Affected by Armed Conflict
• Convene the ICRC’s multidisciplinary Working Group on Children on a regular basis
• Interact closely with the Protection of Family Links/Missing unit, the Detention unit, other Advisers based in the Civilian Protection unit, Legal, Policy and the Protection Operations Partners

Operational Support

• Provide support and maintains a regular interaction with relevant ICRC delegations, advises on specific questions and issues, and on complex protection cases, ensures a smooth coordination and a regular exchange of information and good practices between delegations. Contributes to a better understanding of the applicable legal frameworks and the child protection systems in place
• Support the ICRC’s operations (regions and delegations) to integrate the specific needs, vulnerabilities and resiliencies of boys and girls into ICRC strategies and activities and, when pertinent, to design and implement contextualized responses aimed at addressing specific protection concerns of children
• Carry out short missions to support delegations in their analysis of, and response to, the issues affecting children, including by coaching colleagues in preventing harm to and alleviating the suffering of children and their families;
• Develop guidance material for delegations in response to identified gaps, as well as PfR guidelines.
• Brief and debrief Protection colleagues (and “red line” colleagues where relevant) working in delegations with known child protection issues, and supports colleagues in positions with child protection responsibilities.
• Coach and support (blue line role) child protection positions in the field, be it at regional or at delegation level (as applicable)

Policy, advocacy and positioning

• Based on ICRC-observed challenges and issues in the field, produces policy documents, advocacy points, and public key messages that contribute to larger policy discussions related to child protection, including counter-terrorism and CVE (countering violent extremism) discourses.
• Ensure the quality of concepts in relation to children and contribute to the pertinence of strategies and reviews and provides inputs into internal or external documents as relevant.
• Attends policy related events on children, including closed door confidential events with States, public side events to the UN, etc., and supports the organisation of such events where relevant.
• Represents the ICRC in multilateral/bilateral fora (including as a panelist) and other external events on topics related to child protection in armed conflict or other situations of violence
• Produces child protection messages to be passed by colleagues at the HQ level or in specific delegations (in particular diplomatic ones)
• Provides speaking points or reviews draft interventions on children for high-level events (UNGA, UNSC, Human Rights Council, African Union, ASEAN, international conferences, UNICEF and UNHCR High-level dialogue days, etc.) and elaborates speaking notes for ICRC President, the Director General or the Director of Operations in view of high-level meetings in relation to children
• Respond to media queries in relation to ICRC’s work on children/education and specific vulnerabilities of children in armed conflict and OSV.
• Represent the ICRC at meetings with diplomatic missions and/or donors interested in and/or supporting the ICRC in the protection of children.

Inter-agency Coordination

• Represent the ICRC in selected inter-agency fora and meetings related to child protection, such as the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and its taskforces (including the Inter-Agency Working Group on Unaccompanied and Separated Children, the CPMS WG and the CAAFAG TF), the Strategic Advisory Group for the Child Protection Area of Responsibility, and the Paris Principles Steering Group
• Maintain regular contacts with the UN (with a particular focus on UNICEF, UNHCR), humanitarian and human rights organizations on the protection of children and explores avenues for further collaboration, including through data sharing.
• Contribute to inter-agency operational coordination, development of new resources and tools related to child protection and participate in the conceptualization of such positioning, resources and meetings where relevant.
• Position the ICRC with other organisations working on children (on UASC, PFL, child recruitment and children, children in detention and children affected by counterterror measures in particular)
• Networking: maintain and further develop the network of interlocutors (NGOs, UN, academics) involved in child protection

Movement Coordination

• In close collaboration with the IFRC child protection focal person, ensure a coherent and coordinated response to children’s needs, particularly in sudden onset emergencies
• Contribute to the production of Movement material or joint initiatives in relation to children where relevant
• Input into Movement efforts on child protection, war in cities and education (e.g. resolutions and side-events for the Council of Delegates

Internal Capacity building

• Develops global training modules in relation to protection of children and working with children
• Supports protection trainers to develop and deliver contextualized sessions on children
• Provides content and guidance for training by other teams (protection, essential services etc) on the protection of children and mainstreaming child protection approaches across essential services, communications etc.

People Management

• Supervises a Child Protection Advisor
• Supervises a Child Protection Associate

Additional Duties

• Follows up on work-related messages and correspondence with the relevant contacts and departments
• Is aware of the unit’s objectives and has a good knowledge of the Movement and other contacts relevant to the position
• Collects and shares information so as to improve the ICRC’s understanding of the environment and humanitarian trends and responses
• Represents the ICRC in an appropriate way during activities, in meetings and when on mission, and avoids any activity that may reflect negatively on the ICRC’s image
• Takes responsibility for their own professional learning and development

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Certifications / Education required

• University degree or equivalent
• Certified studies on Child Protection will be an added advantage
• Excellent command of English and good knowledge of French and a third ICRC language (Arabic, Spanish or Russian)
• Computer proficiency

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Professional Experience required

• 12-15 years’ professional experience
• Solid ICRC experience in the field of Child Protection
• Very good understanding of the thematic of Child Protection
• Good understanding of ICRC multidisciplinary approach
• Previous experience of policy work

Additional information

• Type of role: Headquarters
• Working rate: 100%
• Starting date: January 2025
• Location: Geneva, Switzerland
• Job level: C2
• Length of assignment: 4 years (Fixed-Term Contract)
• Type of position: Required Rotation
• Application deadline: 06/10/2024

Our Values

At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this