Education+ is a new high-level initiative convened by five women leaders of UN agencies – UNAIDS, UN Women, UNICEF, UNESCO, and UNFPA – that is bringing together an exceptional network of African and global leaders from civil society, business, unions, faith groups, and media. The initiative, for African adolescent girls’ education and empowerment, will advance a rights-based, holistic, multisectoral approach: completion of quality secondary education; universal access to comprehensive sexuality education; fulfillment of sexual and reproductive health and rights; freedom from gender-based and sexual violence; and school-to-work transitions, economic security, and empowerment. UNAIDS is an organization that is dependent on the budgetary and extra-budgetary contributions it receives for the implementation of its activities. Bidders are therefore requested to propose the best and most cost-effective solution to meet UNAIDS requirements, while ensuring a high level of service. For more information about UNAIDS please consult our website www.unaids.org
Education+ is a new high-level initiative convened by five women leaders of UN agencies – UNAIDS, UN Women, UNICEF, UNESCO and UNFPA – that is bringing together an exceptional network of African and global leaders from civil society, business, unions, faith groups, and media. The initiative, for African adolescent girls’ education and empowerment, will advance a rights-based, holistic, multisectoral approach, dubbed “Education Plus”: completion of quality secondary education; universal access to comprehensive sexuality education; fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights; freedom from genderbased and sexual violence; and school-to-work transitions, economic security and empowerment. It will be launched in 2021 at the African Union and at the Generation Equality Forum. It will leverage the political access and assets of the initiative’s powerful coalition of influential UN leaders and strategically positioned partners, who will serve as advocacy champions with the highest-levels of government. It will showcase the multiple returns of increasing investments in multi-sectoral and holistic interventions at scale; target key policy and legislative reforms; and help shore up political leadership and support. It will support mobilization by civil society coalitions, including by community women’s and youth organizations, as well as supporting adolescent girls and young women in co-creating, implementing and monitoring the initiative. Achieving the goals of the initiative will require bold domestic leadership – to make the national investments and changes required and to challenge discrimination and patriarchy – and also bold international solidarity – to ensure that governments are not held back by fiscal constraints imposed by debt, by conditionalities or by shortages of essential aid support. We need to reignite commitment to adolescent girls’ education and empowerment, shifting the mindsets of decisionmakers, from heads of state to ministers of finance, donors and other development cooperation partners, and the UN System itself. The network will focus its initial energies and leverage on advancing breakthroughs in a dozen sub-Saharan countries, to be announced later in 2020, which have the potential to become early beacons. Results in these beacon countries will help to shift norms and expectations across the continent, through the power of example.
Scope of Work:
Objectives In close collaboration with the UNAIDS Department of Communications and Global Advocacy and the Department of Gender Equality, Human Rights and Community Engagement, the consultant will take a lead role in developing and implementing effective communications strategies to achieve advocacy goals related to the “Education+ initiative”. Responsibilities The consultancy will be for initially for one year and will require different activities over the course of the implementation of the Education+ initiative. The consultant will:
1. Serve as the focal point for on communications for the initiative. Manage communications coordination, outreach and engagement with multiple partners, and integrate feedback in ways which ensure buy-in and amplify reach and impact. Liaise with allies, with other UN agencies, and with other UNAIDS units as needed.
2. Lead directly on international communications. Guide regional and country teams on goals and approaches for their national communications.
3. Set out how communications will help enable the breakthroughs in political leadership, policy and practice that will fulfil the initiative’s advocacy goals, including identifying support needed.
4. Hone key messages for media and advocacy. Support high-profile champions in making the case, including drafting speeches and op-eds by a range of leaders.
5. Develop news stories in support of the advocacy goals of the initiative. Create press releases and materials, and help coordinate press conferences.
6. Lead communications for the 2021 high profile launch events at the AU and at the Generation Equality Forum.
7. Shape multi-media products in support of the advocacy goals of the initiative. Shape a strong brand for the initiative including developing a title and icon, and strong materials.
8. Ensure that the initiative has a strong presence in African media and that it has the media profile needed with policy-makers and influential.
9. Ensure that the communications of the initiative engage young people and support young people who will be protagonists in the initiative, and that the communications of the initiative support and reinforce civil society movements’ own advocacy. 10. Perform other communications-related duties, as required. Timeline The consultancy starts on 1 January 2021 / or upon finalization for one year in duration.
Due Date:
November 13
Address:
https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/116795
Porter Novelli and APCO Worldwide are agencies to consider.