Responsible Data for Children (RD4C) Strategy Consultant, Child Protection Team, Programme Group, NYHQ, remote. Req#588481

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines fordeveloping countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Consultancy: Responsible Data for Children (RD4C) Strategy Consultancy

Duty Station: Programme Group, Child Protection Team

Duration: 15 Dec 2025 – 31 Jan 2026

Home/ Office Based: Remote

 

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

UNICEF is dedicated to realizing the rights and well-being of every child. Harnessing the power of data and data technologies offers unprecedented opportunities to better understand, serve, and protect children. Yet, these same technologies also introduce significant risks—making responsible data practices essential to safeguarding children’s rights in the digital and data age.

Launched in 2019, the Responsible Data for Children (RD4C) initiative was established by UNICEF to promote the responsible use of data in ways that advance children’s well-being while minimizing risks and potential harms associated with data collection, processing, and use. Grounded in seven principles, RD4C provides a framework for dialogue and action on how to embed responsible data governance practices centering child rights and needs across diverse contexts. Through practical tools and case studies, the initiative supports stakeholders in translating the RD4C principles into concrete, context-specific practices.

To date, the RD4C initiative has successfully supported UNICEF teams and partners to strengthen their responsible data governance practices. At the same time, the landscape of data generation and use has evolved rapidly, creating new opportunities to enhance outcomes for children, for example, through integration of information management systems and the responsible use of diverse data sources. Advances in artificial intelligence have further expanded these possibilities—while also introducing new risks and challenges. The rapid proliferation of digital solutions used in support of programmes, including by UNICEF and government partners, concentrates data and risk and raises concerns about data management for already vulnerable populations, including migrants, children with disabilities, and survivors of all types of violence.These developments underscore the importance of continued dialogue on how to ensure that children’s well-being and development are safeguarded in an increasingly digital and data-driven world. In this context, UNICEF to looking to strategically evolve the RD4C initiative.

This consultancy will be jointly managed, supervised and supported by the Child Protection Programme Team, PG and the Office of the Chief Data Officer, DAPM.

Scope of Work: 

The purpose of this consultancy is to assess the RD4C initiative and to identify opportunities to strategically evolve it to maximize its scale and impact.

The work takes place amid a growing global conversation on data and AI governance—spurred, in part, by the implementation of the UN Pact for the Future and its Global Digital Compact—and growing concerns about digital well-being. We must center the needs and rights of the child in this global conversation. At the same time, as digital transformation accelerates, national and regional partners seek support on the development of child needs and rights-centric approaches to data governance. Meanwhile, the ecosystem of organizations and initiatives to support responsible data governance in support of child needs and rights is evolving.

The consultancy also aims to refresh the unique scope and value proposition of the RD4C initiative in this context and to strengthen its partnerships and governance for greater, collective impact in support of children. Specifically, UNICEF seeks a consultant to carry out the following activities:

• To map organizations, efforts, coalitions, and initiatives that seek to advance child-centric responsible data or AI governance, children’s digital well-being, or are otherwise concerned with the protection of child rights in an increasingly digital and data-driven world;
• To map demand for responsible data for children, inclu