National consultant to support diagnostic of national school curriculum in Tajikistan on climate smart education, 22 w.ds, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, education,

Climate change presents significant and escalating threats to the well-being of children globally, jeopardizing the progress achieved in child survival and development. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Central Asia region is one of the most at-risk regions in the world to the impacts of climate change. Analysis shows that during recent decades Central Asia’s glaciers have been melting at a faster pace, leading to considerable shrinking and retreat of the glaciers’ heads.
Addressing climate change is crucial in this effort, especially in Tajikistan, where frequent climate-related disasters like floods, droughts, and landslides severely impact children’s lives. Tajikistan ranks high in vulnerability to climate risks, with significant economic and social consequences, including disrupted education and limited access to essential services for children. To mitigate these risks, UNICEF Tajikistan has integrated climate and environmental considerations into its programs, aligning with global and regional frameworks to protect vulnerable children and promote sustainable development.

Figure 1: Percentage of Children Exposed to Climate Hazards in Tajikistan. Source: Tajikistan CCRI-DRM subnational, 2024

Challenges faced by children, their teachers, and education systems in lower-income countries are compounded by climate change–induced shocks and a deteriorating natural environment. Education has a critical role to play in securing a sustainable future for all by addressing the root causes and key drivers of current climate and environmental crises and by helping the transition to greener societies. Yet as governments try to navigate education system reform amid an increasingly uncertain future, it has become urgent to articulate how they can better maximize the co-benefits of efforts to build climate resilience, advance environmental sustainability, and achieve quality education for all.

Figure 2: Environmental health burden by country in ECA region, children <5 years. Source: Edward Rufus, Environmental Health Regional Tech Consultant

Education is recognized as a crucial enabler of awareness and action on climate change. The formal school curriculum, covering all subjects and grade levels, empowers students as change agents who can engage critically with environmental issues. Teachers need support to apply effective pedagogies that inspire climate-sensitive behaviors in students. Schools should act as community hubs, promoting sustainable practices and involving local members in climate initiatives.
Facing the escalating threats of climate crisis UNICEF promotes learning that addresses the multifaceted and dynamic nature of climate and environmental change. A UNESCO study reveals that nearly half (47 percent) of 100 countries’ national curriculum frameworks reviewed made no reference to climate change. Historically, student exposure to issues of climate change and disaster risk reduction has tended to be located in science and geography curricula mainly at the secondary school level. It is now widely appreciated that scientific knowledge alone does not bring about necessary attitudinal and behavioral change and resultant readiness for collective action.
UNICEF’s core mission is to uphold the rights of every child globally, focusing on equity to ensure all children can thrive without discrimination, including addressing the urgent threat of climate change, particularly in vulnerable regions like Tajikistan. Climate-related disasters such as floods and droughts disrupt children’s access to education and essential services. Tajikistan faces significant risks due to its environmental vulnerability and low adaptive capacity, impacting children’s well-being and future opportunities.
To address these challenges, UNICEF Tajikistan has embarked on mainstreaming climate change education in the country’s national curricular framework and teacher development policy and capacity development. This is applicable to both formal and non-formal education, covering not only the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) but also the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CoES) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (CoEP). By incorporating these topics into education, UNICEF aims to empower children with the knowledge and skills needed to understand and build resilience to climate challenges effectively.
This strategic approach aligns with UNICEF’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan 2023-2030, emphasizing the importance of preparing children and communities for a sustainable future amidst climate uncertainty.

How can you make changes:

There is a growing realization that all subjects have a contribution to make in developing critical understanding of the root causes, effects and solutions to the global climate crisis, and therefore integration needs to be reinforced across the curriculum in an interdisciplinary manner. In addition, there is an urgent need to prepare youth for green transition, therefore, skills for a green transition also need to be incorporated in the curriculum. In addressing the needs to develop integrated climate change mitigation and adaptation and disaster risk reduction curriculum, UNICEF intends to define the key factors for Tajikistan to consider in reorienting/adjusting the curricula and identify gaps and opportunities for effective implementation, especially in terms of teacher capacity, pedagogy, assessment, and learning environment.
In doing so, the national individual consultant will undertake support in diagnostic of existing national school curricula towards climate smart education, including the below strategic interventions. This assignment will be implemented jointly with an international consultant:

Provide technical support in pair with an international consultant to conduct a review and gap analysis of existing education policies, guidelines, and tools related to climate change, ecology and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in education and develop evidence-based recommendations to enhance curriculum content, pedagogical approaches, and teacher capacity in delivering climate change education.
Evaluate the extent and effectiveness of climate change education within the national school curriculum, including both formal and non-formal education. This work also includes work done by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) or any other partners.
• Identify gaps and areas for improvement in integrating climate change across different subjects and educational levels.
• Propose evidence-based recommendations to enhance curriculum content, pedagogical approaches, and teacher capacity in delivering climate change education.
• Provide strategies for developing or adapting educational materials that reflect global best practices and local contexts.
• Taking into consideration the comparative advantages of UNICEF (both at national and global level), Draft a concept paper for climate education for UNICEF Tajikistan.

DESCRIPTION/SCOPE of the ASSIGNMENT:
The national consultant will  work collaboratively with key state and non-state stakeholders to support the diagnostic of the national curriculum to identify key factors and develop recommendations Tajikistan to consider in reorienting/adjusting the curricula and identify gaps and opportunities for effective implementation of climate smart education.

The national consultant will begin by supporting the international consultant to collect the necessary documents for evaluating the current extent and effectiveness of climate change education across different subjects and educational levels. This should include both formal and non-formal education. This work also includes work done by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) or any other partners. This evaluation will identify gaps and areas for improvement in curriculum content, pedagogical approaches, and teacher capacity. The national consultant is also expected to facilitate logistics (e.g. setting up appointments with key state and non-state partners, organizing workshops), do translation/interpretation, when requested by the international consultant.
Based on the findings, the national consultant will support the international consultant to develop evidence-based recommendations to enhance curriculum content and pedagogical approaches in delivering climate change education. These recommendations will include strategies for developing or adapting educational materials that incorporate global best practices while remaining sensitive to local contexts. The consultant will provide necessary support to the international consultant mainly in providing local context, ensuring that the recommendations are aligned to the national priorities/strategies in climate education.
Overall, this scope of work aims to find an entry point for UNICEF to equip educators with the necessary tools and strategies to effectively integrate comprehensive climate change education into the national curriculum, fostering informed understanding and proactive engagement among students and stakeholders alike.

Work Assignment:

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

• Education: University degree in the fields of economics, sciences of education or related fields, with focus on the fields of climate change adaptation and mitigation, environment, and socio-economic development.
• Working experience: At least 5 years of relevant professional experience working in developmental sector focused on developing countries in areas related to development cooperation in climate change adaptation and mitigation, environment, and socio-economic development.
• Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of education system/climate education. Expertise in climate education/climate adaptation and mitigation and proven capacity to work as an expert in education policy development and provide constructive review of the needs and challenges in climate education.
• Skills: Strong coordination skills, analytical and conceptual thinking. Ability to work with large teams and guide policy discussions. Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills with stakeholders. Ability to work under pressure and commitment to work to tight timeframe.
• Language: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Tajik and/or Russian.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Cover letter/application/CV.

2. Financial proposal in TJS-all inclusive, indicting fee per day and cost of the travel (Annex 3 below to be completed):   Annex 3 Financial proposal.docx

3. Contacts (email address/tel:#) of three referees (recent direct supervisors)

4. At least 2 papers / concept notes previously developed by the candidate or when candidate provided

substantial inputs to the documents

5. Applications without financial proposal will not be considered.

Applications must be received in the system by 18 October 2024 on UNICEF website.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

 UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.