Stretch Assignment- Regional Advisor Partnership, Public, P-5, 3 months, WCARO Dakar, Senegal

The partnerships landscape in West and Central Africa has evolved significantly over the past five years and is expected to do so over the duration of the next ROMP cycle, 2026-2029. Whilst this region saw a slight increase in Other Resources (largely from traditional donors such as the US, Germany, Sweden, Japan, and the UK) between 2022-2023, the proportion of humanitarian funding has significantly decreased contributing to many underfunded emergencies. Recent elections resulting in a shift to more conservative governments and a stronger focus on defence and security spending has had a negative impact on funding flows to the region. This is complemented by the increase in donor conditionalities and/or withdrawal from politically sensitive sub-regions such as the Central Sahel. More recently, the crucial decisions by the US administration to scale back and/or cut development assistance and to rescind its Regular Resources contribution has led UNICEF to a deep analysis resulting in the Future Focus Initiative. This is leading UNICEF to fundamentally recalibrate its strategy towards influencing national governments to prioritize children's issues and social development through increased domestic financing. In addition, UNICEF is stepping up its engagement with emerging non-traditional partners such as China, Russia, Turkiye, and the Arab States.