Consultancy for the Monitoring and Reporting of Education Violations to the Israel/OPT Working Group on Grave Violations Against Children

Duration: 4 months (84 days) to begin in January 2012

Location: Save the Children UK OPT office in Jerusalem

Reporting to: Advocacy and Policy Manager, Save the Children UK

Save the Children UK, a founding member of the Israel/OPT Working Group on Grave Violations Against Children (Working Group), has provided significant leadership to the MRM since 2007, and has led the development of the monitoring and reporting of education violations (attacks against schools and denial of access to education) since 2010. The Working Group submits voluntary bimonthly reports to the Office of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, for inclusion in the Global Horizontal Note to the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, in line with the UN Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism established through Security Council Resolution 1612 (UN MRM – 1612) to provide greater protections for children in armed conflict situations. The work done locally has led to a greater understanding of education violations and their impacts on children and the education system and has informed the development of response strategies including advocacy. The work carried out in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) and Israel has been shared as good practice in global fora and is contributing to the global discussion on the setting of norms and standards for monitoring, reporting and responding to attacks on education. 

In an effort to ensure adequate coverage during staff transitions and the One Save the Children merge process currently underway in the OPT, Save the Children UK is recruiting a four-month consultancy starting in 2012 to manage the main components of this work as outlined below. 

Research, data collection and verification:

Ongoing compilation and review of data sources (including reports of Palestinian and Israeli civil society, international NGOs, UN agencies, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, media clips, etc.) and identification of violations of the right to education as a result of the armed conflict in both the OPT and Israel.

Triangulation of incident reports for verification. Follow up with partners (OCHA, UNICEF, human rights organizations and protective presence groups) to request more information as needed and to facilitate verification of incidents when discrepancies arise. 

Preparation of a monthly data sheet on verified incidents of violations (attacks on schools and denial of humanitarian access to education) for submission to UNICEF. 

Inform/alert Working Group chair, relevant Cluster Coordinators and OCHA of serious incidents or trends of concern to activate response mechanisms in place. 

Expand the network for monitoring and reporting of violations/capacity-strengthening of partners:

Maintain and strengthen working relationships with existing partners (Ministry of Education and Higher Education, protective presence groups, OCHA, etc.)

Support orientation briefings and trainings on the UN MRM – 1612 for current and potential new partners to build their knowledge of the mechanism and engage them in monitoring, reporting and response to violations. 

Ongoing capacity-strengthening of partners including a review of reporting formats and templates, in-depth trainings as needed or requested and making appropriate linkages among partners and between partners and the various coordination fora in the country. 

Building on an initial mapping, propose a comprehensive, systematic and credible reporting system including Israeli actors (government, military /police, civil society and NGOs). 

Act as the Working Group focal point for Israeli civil society (not limited to education violations) to encourage greater participation in the work of the Working Group in relation to data and information-sharing, and legal and advocacy responses. 

Provide information and analysis of education data in preparation of official submissions and reports of the Working Group (bi-monthly Global Horizontal Note, Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, submissions to UN Treaty Bodies, etc.).

Prepare bi-monthly analysis of data including recommendations for action to share with Education Cluster, Child Protection Working Group and other Clusters and sub-Clusters as relevant. 

Input to the development of response and advocacy strategies based on an analysis of the data.

• Two Global Horizontal Notes (January/ February, March/ April).

• Monthly analysis of education data provided for Child Protection Working Group, and Protection and Education Cluster meetings (4 reports).

• Monthly contact with every education data provider to the Working Group.

• At least one in-person meeting with education data collection partners to ensure consistency of reporting.

• Monthly analysis reports used as a mechanism to link monitoring entities, to ensure consistency and accuracy.

• At least 2 meetings held with key Israeli NGOs and government actors on monitoring and data collection inside Israel.

• One final report at the end of April 2012 detailing the work done, challenges and recommendations.

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree a plus.

• Minimum of five years work experience with at least two years experience related to children’s rights and/or child protection initiatives. 

• Previous field-based experience with local or international non-governmental organizations an asset, especially in an armed conflict setting. 

• Demonstrated knowledge of the context in the OPT and Israel including the impacts of armed conflict on children.

• Knowledge of the UN Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism established through Security Council Resolution 1612 (UN MRM – 1612); previous experience with the UN MRM – 1612 a plus.

• Knowledge of international humanitarian and human rights law, humanitarian principles and the UN system.

• Strong research and analytical skills; attention to detail.

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.

• Excellent computer skills.

• English language fluency; Arabic and/or Hebrew language skills a plus. 

Interested parties are requested to submit a CV and cover letter outlining their interest and qualifications for this position to jmooreheadscuk.org.ps by 1 January 2012. Post needs to be filled ASAP; anticipated start in early January 2012.

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