Support assistant to Education Troika

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, hygiene/sanitation and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

This UNV assignment aims to contribute to UNICEF’s leadership role in the education sector.

UNICEF is co-leading the education Troika – a mechanism that coordinates the contribution of external partners to the education sector dialogue, and facilitates the dialogue with the Ministry of Education and Culture and civil society partners, with the aim to ensure efficient and effective implementation and monitoring of the Education Sector Plan to ensure equal access to quality education for all children.

The dialogue structure that drives the engagement and dialogue between the Ministry of Education and its external partners – both cooperating partners and civil society organizations, stems from the late nineties and emerged around the development of the sector’s first strategic plan (ESP 1998-2003/4) and has evolved over time.

The current structure of dialogue between the Ministry of Education and its external partners is organized through the Local Education Group (LEG) and is guided by Terms of Reference for Dialogue. The external partners are organized through the education Troika (for cooperating partners) and civil society organizations coordinated through MEPT (platform of CSOs active in education).

Taking on this leadership role implies the organization and minuting of regular meetings as part of the dialogue, and ensure flow of communication and information amongst the coordination partners, as well as with the Ministry and MEPT. At the same time, the Troika lead seeks to provide strategic leadership around aid effectiveness and support to the Ministry.

The Troika lead is responsible for aligning the coordinating partners around one advocacy and policy agenda and ensure high standards of predictability, accountability, and partnership in aid that is provided to the Ministry. It is about achieving strategic responses and better prioritization of available resources by clarifying the division of labor among the different partners.

The assignment is based in Maputo and the UNV will directly work under the supervision of the Education Chief, who is leading the strategic dialogue in the sector.

The UNV will be responsible for:
1. Support the organization of the standard and ad-hoc meetings under the Education Troika, including the LEG
a. Ensure the development and sharing of agenda of meetings
b. Ensure the logistics of the meetings
c. Ensure the development and distribution of the minutes of the meetings
2. Setting up and management of the joint platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration amongst Coor
a. Ensure mapping of partners working in the education sector (financial and otherwise)
b. Organize collaborative platforms for exchange and sharing of information
c. Identify and ensure sharing of relevant information to all partners
3. Support the Troika UNICEF lead in improving the effectiveness of existing dialogue through:
a. Identification of key priorities for dialogue in 2025/2026
b. Streamlining of working groups and taskforce
c. Further the engagement of CSOs and provincial level dialogue