KUALA LUMPUR — UNICEF Malaysia has clarified that its advertised Chief of Child Protection position is an internationally recruited role and does not represent discrimination against Malaysian professionals.
A UNICEF Malaysia spokesperson said the vacancy was advertised in line with the United Nations agency’s staffing structure, where international professional positions are open to candidates worldwide and require mobility across countries and duty stations.
“I think we need to understand, right. Any kind of position that the UN hires is not a judgement of the publication or capabilities of Malaysian professionals.”
“I think we need to make that clear. No, it’s not a restriction for UNICEF Malaysia specifically,” she told Scoop.
She said UNICEF Malaysia continues to have a strong representation of locally recruited employees, with 87% of its workforce comprising national staff, including Malaysians in senior positions.
The spokesperson added that Malaysians are also eligible to apply for UNICEF’s international professional positions when such roles are advertised globally.
“Our national office position is specifically intended for nationals of the country concerned,” she said.
According to her, national positions prioritise candidates with strong understanding of local contexts, institutions and partnerships, while international professional roles are designed to bring in expertise and experience from across different countries.
She said maintaining both categories of staff allows UNICEF to combine global perspectives with local knowledge in delivering its programmes.
“This combination is quite important and crucial because it enables the country office to draw both international with the national contribution in terms of their experience, their skills and the talent that’s brought to actually deepen the national expertise on the subject,” she explained.
The spokesperson stressed that the Chief of Child Protection vacancy was “globally recruited”, meaning candidates from any nationality could apply and the position was not reserved for applicants from any particular country.
She also highlighted that UNICEF’s current Director of Child Protection and Migration, Sheema SenGupta, is Malaysian, demonstrating that Malaysians are capable of taking on senior international roles within the organisation.
“To see it in a larger context, the combination of both international and national position, it helps to enable the country officers to draw both from international experiences and also help to hear it from the national expertise as well.”
“So it brings a good balance,” she said.
The clarification follows criticism from Yayasan Chow Kit (YCK) founder Datuk Dr Hartini Zainudin over UNICEF Malaysia’s recruitment advertisement for the Chief of Child Protection position, which she questioned for being open only to non-Malaysian applicants despite being based in Malaysia.
YCK, a Kuala Lumpur-based non-profit organisation, provides support services, safe spaces and protection programmes for vulnerable children and young people in the Chow Kit area.
The organisation operates drop-in centres and a safe home, while offering education support, psychosocial assistance, healthcare referrals and child protection services.
The UNICEF Malaysia spokesperson said the agency was aware of Dr Hartini’s concerns and had engaged directly with her, while acknowledging her contributions to child protection advocacy.
“We deeply regret that the post was misconstrued. But we were in good terms with Datuk Hartini and we’re having respectful exchanges,” she said.
However, she reiterated that the vacancy should be understood within UNICEF’s global recruitment framework and should not be interpreted as a reflection of Malaysian professionals lacking the skills or qualifications required for the role. – September 4, 2026