UNDP Jobs - 72015- International Consultant: Technical Support to Ens

International Consultant: Technical Support to Ensuring a Multi-sectoral Approach to Addressing Non-communicable Disease (NCDs) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA)

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

11-May-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated May 2017 - 28 February 2018

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Approximately 180 working days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP 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 (COs) and the Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH). Technically, this work is supported by the following teams: Sustainable Development; Governance and Peace Building; Energy, Climate Change and Disaster Resilience; HIV, Health and Development; Knowledge and Innovation; and Gender, which work under the following outcome areas of the Regional Programme Document: Inclusive and sustainable growth and development; democratic governance; reduced risk of conflict and natural disasters, including from climate change; and prioritization of poverty, inequality and exclusion in the development debates and actions at all levels.

The WHO European region is experiencing the highest burden of NCDs (cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes), accounting for 77 percent of the burden of disease and almost 86 percent of premature mortality (1). The UNDP IRH is partnering with WHO Europe to support responses to NCDs and address the social, economic and environmental determinants (SEEDs) of health and health inequities. Multi-sectoral responses outside the health sector can help to contribute to addressing the NCDs risk factors of poor diet, harmful use of alcohol, tobacco use and physical inactivity.

Collaborating with WHO, UNDP’s support to countries focuses on the areas of:

Linking NCDs to development instruments to address prevention and impact mitigation;
Assisting with planning of National Strategies for NCDs;
Supporting a whole-of-government and multi-sectoral approach to addressing NCDs; and
Advancing tobacco prevention and control through supporting national strategy development and national coordination mechanisms, legislative, regulatory and policy reviews, and prevention of corruption as appropriate;

SEEDs of health and health inequities have been recognized as important factors that need to be addressed to achieve sustainable human development (2/3/4/5). SEEDs of health and health inequities have an impact on the burden of NCDs, play a critical role in the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The HHD Regional Team at the Istanbul Regional Hub is looking for a Junior International Consultant with a proven track-record on addressing NCDs, as a leading threat to human health and development, from a multi-sectoral perspective. Efforts will build on UNDP’s ongoing collaboration with WHO Europe within the framework of the Regional Issue-Based Coalition on Health (chaired by WHO) and the WHO Europe Office for Investment for Health and Development.

A strong focus will be to link up with ongoing regional work on the SEEDs of health and health inequality (6) and the findings and recommendations of the “Health Inequalities” chapter of the Regional Human Development Report (RHDR) on Inequalities. The consultancy will also build on the outcomes of the Regional Inequalities Dialogue held in Istanbul, Turkey in February 2016 and potentially feed into the planned Regional Inequalities Dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction in Istanbul, Turkey planned for February 2017.
The consultant will also contribute to the implementation of the FCTC 2030 project, which aims to scale up implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in LMICs in all regions, and UNDP-led NCD prevention and control activities in EECA and other regions.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reports to the Regional HIV, Health and Development (HHD) Programme Specialist (primary) and Global Programme Specialist (secondary). Duties and responsibilities will be split between work and activities in the Eastern Europe and CIS and support to countries in other regions. The consultant will collaborates through the Regional HHD Programme Specialist with the technical leads and HHD Focal Points in UNDP’s COs throughout the region. All activities and tasks will be coordinated in strong collaboration with WHO Europe, the WHO FCTC Secretariat and other partners.

Provide inputs to the technical support to countries and UNDP COs on addressing NCDs (including main risk factors such as harmful use of alcohol, smoking, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), issues around mental health and the link to disabilities) through a multi-sectoral, whole of government approach;
Contributes to efforts of providing overall guidance on further developing and operationalizing UNDP’s service offerings in the area of NCDs and health inequalities and translating these into country level programming (including integration into National Development Strategies and nationalization of the Sustainable Development Goals);
Contributes to the finalization of NCD investment cases for addressing NCDs in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan and supports countries with operationalization of findings/recommendations; with the potential to roll out the methodology in other countries of EECA (Georgia and Turkey);
Contribution to UNDP Country and Regional level fundraising for flagship NCDs programmes;
Contribution to global UNDP Knowledge Products on health and development, with an emphasis on the development dimensions of tobacco control and non-communicable diseases.

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1 - Developed detailed work-plan for the consultancy – 1 month after signing contract;
Deliverable 2 - Contributed to technical support provided to at least 3 countries/UNDP COs with addressing NCDs through a multi-sectoral and whole of government approach (including Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Turkey) – 1 – 8 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 3 - Contributed to NCD and the WHO FCTC Investment Case missions/initiatives in at least 4 countries in EECA and/or other regions, including Institutional Context Analysis (ICA) exercises – 1- 9 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 4 - Supported organization/follow-up to 2 webinars (covering participants from at least 4 countries/UNDP COs) on issues related to lessons learnt from the development of NCD investment cases on NCDs in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan and identification of opportunities for the roll-out of methodology in other countries of EECA; and an introductory webinar for UNDP focal points in countries participating in the FCTC 2030 project. - 1 – 4 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 5 - Contributed to at least 3 national efforts to integrate NCDs, SEEDs of health and health Inequalities, HIV, Health and environment thematic areas into key national development strategies and documents (also in the context of the operationalization of the Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs and integrating NCDs in CCA-UNDAFs) – 1 – 2 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 6 – Contributed to develop a detailed description of the methodology (process and modeling) for the FCTC Investment Case– 2 – 3 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 7 - Supported roll out of FCTC Investment Case methodology in 4 FCTC 2030 partner countries – 1 - 8 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 8 – Contributed to development of knowledge products (up to 3 infographics/communications materials of approximately 1-3 pages each) – 1 - 7 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 9 - Supported at least 2 strategic UNDP COs and/or Regional efforts for partnership development related to NCDs and health inequalities programming - 1 – 5 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 10- In collaboration with the FCTC Secretariat, produced at least 3 FCTC 2030 partner country specific Fact Sheets on the implementation status of the Convention – 2 - 6 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 11 – Provided technical support and inputs to the development of the Toolkit - Legal Environmental Assessment for Tobacco – 2 - 5 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 12 - Contributed to the development of tool for practical guidance of Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on Article 5.3 – on the protection of public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry (15 -20 pages) – 8 – 9 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 13 - Contributed to the development of a Discussion Paper on Tobacco Policy Coherence, highlighting the importance of aligning health and economic policies (10 - 12 pages) – 3 – 4 months after signing contract.
Deliverable 14 - Contributed to the development of a Discussion Paper on the interactions among SDG target 3.a and the other SDG targets (10-12 pages), leading to support for a global experts meeting on the topic – 1 month after signing contract;
Deliverable 15 - Contributed to the roll out of legal checklist for NCDs assessments and/or International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) Article 12 (Right to Health) in at least 1 additional country based on lessons learnt from testing in Belarus and developed guidance note and glossary – 4 - 6 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 16 - Contribute to and produce follow up reports for country missions of the UNIATF for NCDs for at least for 2 countries (potentially including for Belarus and Kyrgyzstan) – 2 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 17 - Contributed to and produced follow-up reports for country missions of the WHO FCTC Needs Assessment for at least 4 countries – 1 - 3 months after signing contract;
Deliverable 18 - Produced End of Consultancy Report (up to 15 pages) with lessons learnt and key entry points for further programming – 9 months after signing contract.

Payment schedule:

Payments will be made based on the following schedule with UNDP confirming that services have been provided on time and the required quality. Detailed work-plans will be agreed with the supervisor at the beginning of every month.

1st payment – 1 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 1,14 – 10% ;
2nd payment – 2 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 5,16 – 10%;
3rd payment – 3 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 6,17 – 15%;
4th payment – 4 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 4,13,14 – 10%;
5th payment – 5 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 9, 11– 10%;
6th payment - 6 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 10,15 – 10%;
7th payment – 7 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 8 – 10%;
8th payment – 8 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 2,7 – 10%;
9th payment – 9 months after signing contract and finalizing deliverable 3,12,18 – 15%.

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 adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies:

Commitment to the principles set forth in the UN High Level Declarations on NCDs;
An excellent understanding of NCDs, 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 research and drafting skills;
Excellent communication skills, oral and written.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

An advanced degree (masters or higher) in public health, human development, international development or other relevant field.

Experience:

At least 2.5 years of relevant experience in the field of health and development with a particular focus on NCDs and SEEDs of health;
Working experience in research, analysis and drafting documents in the field of health and development (addressing NCDs, SEEDs and other-health related development issues);
Successful track-record in research and translating results into technical advisory work in the field of health and development;
Relevant experience working with UN agencies or similar organizations specifically in the context of health (addressing NCDs, SEEDs and other health-related developmental issues) is a strong advantage.

Language skills:

Fluency and ability to communicate and perform complex research in English;
Knowledge of other regional languages especially Russian is a plus. Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Evaluation of Applicants:
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and a lump sum financial proposal in US$.
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 (desk review) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;

Having submitted an acceptable writing sample.
Only candidates who received at least 70% of total technical score (desk review) can be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Criteria -70% of total evaluation: max. 56 points:

Relevant education: max. 5 points;
At least 2.5 years of relevant experience in the field of health and development with a particular focus on NCDs and SEEDs of health: max. 20 points;
Relevant experience working with UN agencies specifically in the context of health (addressing NCDs, SEEDs and other health related developmental issues): max. 15 points;
Experience in research and technical advisory work in the field of health and development: max. 10 points;
Writing sample: max. 3 points;
Knowledge of other regional languages especially Russian: 3 points

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation: max. 24 points.

Application procedures:
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.
Writing sample in English (addressing NCDs, SEEDs and/or other health related developmental issues), not edited by others and a 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. Please combine these documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.
Financial Proposal* - specifying a) lump sum in USD for tasks specified in this announcement, including all consultant’s costs for the consultancy and b) travel to join the duty station/repatriation travel.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials
*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account all costs related to conducting the consultancy.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

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://on.undp.org/t7fJs

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.

References
(1) WHO Europe, Prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in the European Region: a progress report
(2) WHO. Closing the gap in a generation. Commission on Social Determinants of Health Report, 2008
(3) Wilkinson, R.; Pickett, K. The spirit level. New York 2009
(4) 56th World Health Assembly. Outcome of the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health. WHA65.8, Geneva May 2012
(5) Marmot, M. et al. WHO Europe review of social determinants of health and the health divide. Lancet 2012; 380:1011-1029
(6) The second phase of the SEEDS initiative involves a pilot project in the Republic of Belarus with the aim to develop a standard methodology and tool for the systematic integration of a SEEDs of health and health equity approach into project approval and implementation processes.