Background
Location: home-based with envisaged travel/missions within the EECA regionUNDP is the UN's global development network advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. In its drive to promote sustainable human development, UNDP is currently implementing hundreds of projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, mainly through its country offices and the Bratislava Regional Center (BRC). Technically, this work is supported by the following Practices: Democratic Governance; Poverty Reduction; Energy & Environment; HIV, Health and Development (HHD); Crisis Prevention & Recovery; Knowledge, Innovation & Capacity Development; Partnerships; and Gender.
Social, economic and environmental determinants (SEED) of health and health inequities have been recognized as important factors that need to be addressed to achieve sustainable human development (1/2/3/4) . SEEDs of health and health inequities have an impact on the burden of communicable and non-communicable (NCD) diseases, play a critical role in the efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are playing an increasingly dominant role in the post-2015 global development and health debate as the main pillars for sustainable human development.
Following the call for global action of the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health (5) and with reference to the UNDP Strategy Note for HIV, Health and Development (6) underlining the critical role of SEEDs of health for UNDP’s work on inclusive growth, social justice and environmental protection, UNDP’s BRC through its HHD Practice is currently developing a concept and implementation strategy to address SEEDs of health and health inequities more systematically for the future programming at UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia (RBEC). During the first phase, we aim to identify SEEDs of health and health inequities in all our current projects on regional and country level, to develop criteria for their prioritization in the context of RBEC’s programme portfolio, to review existing approaches of health impact assessments in the context of SEEDs of health and inequities and their potential for application to our programme, to identify capacity development needs of UNDP’s regional and country level project and senior management staff, and to develop a project proposal for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a UNDP cross-practice approach to address systematically SEEDs of health and health inequities during development and implementation of all RBEC projects and to measure its impact on health indicators.
The HHD Practice at the BRC is looking for an experienced consultant with a proven track-record in applied research and policy advice in the area of SEEDs of health and health inequities from a human development perspective to address all steps of the first phase as outlined above. The regional HHD Practice is aiming to build on its collaboration with the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development; previous work experience with WHO will therefore be an advantage for the consultant. We anticipate a level of effort of about 100 working days.
1 - WHO. Closing the gap in a generation. Commission on Social Determinants of Health Report, 2008
2 - Wilkinson, R.; Pickett, K. The spirit level. New York 2009
3 - 56th World Health Assembly. Outcome of the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health. WHA65.8, Geneva May 2012
4 - Marmot, M. et al. WHO Europe review of social determinants of health and the health divide. Lancet 2012; 380:1011-1029
5 - WHO. Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health. World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, Rio de Janeiro, October 2011
6 - UNDP. Strategy Note HIV, Health and Development 2012 – 2013. New York, 2012
Duties and Responsibilities
- Reports to the Regional HHD Practice Leader at UNDP’s Bratislava Regional Center (Supervisor). Collaborates through the regional HHD Practice leader with all other regional Practice Leaders (see list of Practices in the ‘Background’ section) and technical leads in selected UNDP country offices in Europe and Central Asia (Task 1);
- Develops the detailed methodological design, report and proposal templates, and work plan for all steps of the first phase (outlined in the ‘Background’ section and under the next bullet point) (Task 2);
- Identifies SEEDs of health and health inequities in at least 80 current regional and country projects of RBEC covering all Practices, plus in at least 5 regional projects submitted for approval in the UNDP internal proposal review process, and recommends the prioritization of SEEDs of health in the context of RBEC’s programme portfolio analysis. At least 12 UNDP country offices will be included: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Steps will include for example: i. Receive a list of all RBEC regional and country projects across all Practices, develop and agree with UNDP on the project selection criteria and receive all relevant project documents for the selected regional and country level projects of the study; ii. Develop a comprehensive list of SEEDS of health and propose a methodological framework for their identification in the selected projects with particular emphasis on inequities; iii. Using ii), analyze all selected projects whether, which and in which way they address SEEDS of health and health inequities, implicitly or explicitly; whether and in which way any impact of the project on health is formulated in the project document or monitored as part of the project log-frame. This work will require a desk review and key informant interviews; iv. Develop criteria for the prioritization of identified SEEDs of health and health equities and propose a priority ranking that fits most to the focus and volume of the current RBEC portfolio, of RBECs project pipeline, of RBECs new regional document and of UNDP’s new strategic plan 2014-2017. (Task 3)
- Provide recommendations how the prioritized SEEDs of health and health equities can be more systematically addressed in current and future RBEC projects, and how the implementation of these recommendations can be monitored, on the basis of the current resource envelope (Task 4);
- Using a simple questionnaire and key informant interview, identify knowledge and awareness of RBEC’s project staff and senior management about the relevance of SEEDs of health and health equities for their portfolios; solicit their suggestions for systematic improvements and recommend steps for their capacity development (Task 5);
- Review existing methodologies for health impact assessment, analyze their potential application to the RBEC’s development project portfolio and provide recommendations to their standard application for current projects and for proposal approval processes taking into account UNDP’s mandate for health and development (see task 7) (Task 6);
- Develop a detailed 3 years cross-practice proposal - ready for submission for funding - for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the explicit inclusion of addressing SEEDs of health and health inequities in the sustainable human development context of all RBECs new projects and (where possible) selected current long-term projects taking into account UNDP’s mandate for health and development including its role as UNAIDS co-sponsor and its multi-sectoral, rights-based approach to health as supporter to and collaborator of WHO (Task 7);
- Conduct a literature review and data search to identify best examples of the integration of SEEDs of health and health equities in the context of development programmes, and provide a summary with particular view on the relevance for the RBEC’s programming (Task 8);
- The Consultant is expected to be home-based and liaise with the Regional Center on a regular basis by phone and in virtual space (Task 9).
Deliverables:
- Initial detailed methodological design, report templates and work plan addressing tasks 1-9 as outlined under responsibilities above (deliverable a);
- Comprehensive report addressing tasks 2-6 and 8 as outlined under responsibilities above (deliverable b);
- Complete proposal for funding as described in task 7 as outlined under responsibilities above (deliverable c);
- One power point presentation for each b) and c), summarizing key methodologies, findings and for c) the key components of the proposal (deliverable d);
- Policy briefs for b) and c) (deliverable e);
- Joint publication with UNDP regional HHD team in peer reviewed journal on key findings and recommendations (deliverable f).
Payment schedule will be agreed with the selected consultant before contract issuance.
Competencies
Corporate competencies:- Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptabilit;
- Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
- Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
- Commitment to the principles set forth in the UN High Level Declarations on HIV and AIDS;
- An excellent understanding of SEEDs of health, health inequities, their impact on sustainable human development, and the measurement of the impact;
- Excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently, strict adherence to completing assigned tasks in a timely manner;
- Quality-oriented professional, constructive approach to obstacles and delays in planned performance;
- Excellent communication skills, oral and written.
Required Skills and Experience
Academic Qualifications/Education:- Minimum masters’ degree in a health and/or human development related field, PhD in a health and/or human development related field is an asset.
- At least 10 years of relevant regional experience in the field of health and development with a particular focus on SEEDs of health and health inequities. Knowledge of health impact assessments in a multisectoral context a plus;
- Excellent research, analytical and drafting skills;
- Successful track-record in applied research, of translating results into concepts for policy advice and development programming;
- Good knowledge about UN agencies, their vision and mandates in the context of health and development;
- Publications: Multiple publications related to health and development with a particular focus on SEEDs of health and health inequities, in English.
- Fluency and ability to communicate and perform complex research in English. Knowledge of other regional languages is a plus.
Evaluation of Applicants
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and a financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
- Responsive/compliant/acceptable;
- Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;
- Having submitted an acceptable writing sample.
Technical Criteria -70% of total evaluation - max. 50 points
- Education and Additional qualifications (courses, diplomas) - max. 10 points;
- Publications - max. 10 points;
- Relevant work experience in SEEDs of health and health inequities in the multi-sectoral context of sustainable human development - max. 20 points;
- Communication skills and languages - max. 5 points;
- Writing sample - max. 5 points.
Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation - max 21.5 points
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:
- Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
- Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ) please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
- Writing sample in English, not edited by others to be sent to hru.sk@undp.org;
- Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount in USD for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs) except costs related to missions. Costs related to missions will be covered separately as per the UNDP rules and regulations. Payment schedule will be agreed with the selected consultant before contract issuance;
- Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.
Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs.
Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
FC: 30000