Health Senior Expert

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been present in Brazil since 1950, supporting the most important changes in childhood and adolescence in the country. UNICEF participated in major immunization and breastfeeding campaigns; the mobilization that resulted in the approval of Article 227 of the Federal Constitution and the drafting of the Child and Adolescent Statute; the movement for universal access to education; programmes to combat child labour; among other great advances in guaranteeing the rights of Brazilian girls and boys. In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. Therefore, in its cooperation programme with the Brazilian Government for the period 2024-2028, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most vulnerable and excluded girls and boys, with a special focus on children and adolescents who are victims of extreme forms of violence. These children and adolescents in situations of greater vulnerability are spread throughout Brazil, but they are more concentrated in the Amazon, in the Northeast and in large urban centers. Through the UNICEF Seal, UNICEF promotes commitments to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents in the Northeast and in the Amazon regions in Brazil. In large cities, UNICEF works with a focus on reducing intra-municipal inequalities, through the #AgendaCidadeUNICEF.

UNICEF’s Belém Zonal Office supports health initiatives across Pará, Amapá, Tocantins, and Mato Grosso. A flagship program is the Child-Friendly Unit for Early Childhood (UAPI), launched in 2019 to improve services for children aged 0–6 in selected capitals. UAPI promotes integrated action across health, early education, and social assistance, fostering inclusive environments for children and families. It uses intersectoral collaboration and results-based management to enhance service quality, with structured guidelines and measurable indicators. In Belém and other capitals, UAPI has already shown positive outcomes. For the 2025–2028 cycle, it aims to expand to nine capitals, introducing methodological innovations and strengthening training, monitoring, and evaluation. UAPI focuses on two core health outcomes: comprehensive care for pregnant and postpartum women, and continuous monitoring of early childhood development. These are tracked through 17 indicators aligned with Brazil’s Ministry of Health, helping municipalities deliver high-quality, data-driven primary care.
The UNICEF Seal initiative encourages municipalities in Brazil’s Semi-Arid and Legal Amazon regions to advance children’s and adolescents’ rights. Based on a human rights and results-based approach, it emphasizes equity, integrated policies, leadership, data use, and civic engagement. Participating municipalities commit to intersectoral actions tailored to local needs, contributing to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The Seal supports them with training, technical assistance, and tools aligned with ten of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its methodology is built around strategic guidelines, systemic results, and measurable indicators.

For Indigenous populations, primary health care is managed by the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health (SESAI), under Brazil’s Ministry of Health. SESAI oversees the National Policy for Indigenous Health Care and the Indigenous Health Care Subsystem (SasiSUS) within the Unified Health System (SUS). Despite efforts, many Indigenous communities still face poor health and sanitation, leading to high rates of infectious diseases and malnutrition, especially among children under five. In response, UNICEF has partnered with SESAI to implement targeted actions in Indigenous territories, particularly in the Amazon and semi-arid regions. This collaboration focuses on improving sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, and health services. It also aims to strengthen health worker training, address nutritional vulnerabilities, produce culturally appropriate health materials, and promote Indigenous well-being and food security.

The UN Volunteer will spport the UNICEF Belém Office in the implementation of the Child-Friendly Unit Initiative (UAPI) in the municipality of Belém (PA), capacity strengthening of municipalities participating in the UNICEF Seal initiative in the states of Pará, Amapá, Tocantins and Mato Grosso; and in activities to combat infant mortality in Indigenous in Indigenous territories in partnership with SESAI and priority Indigenous Health Districts (DSEIs).

Under the supervision of the Chief Field Office Belem, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks and responsibilities:
• Provide technical support to government counterparts and partners in the development and implementation of health strategies and action plans.
• Carry out capacity strengthening of health services providers at municipal level on immunization, nutritional surveillance and practices, and maternal health and early childhood development.
• Support data collection, analysis, and reporting to inform evidence-based programming.
• Coordinate with other UNICEF sectors (e.g., nutrition, WASH, education) to ensure integrated approaches to child health.
• Monitor program performance and supporting capacity-building initiatives for local health systems.
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts and donor reporting.