UNDP Jobs - 98014- Communication Consultant to develop Communication

Communication Consultant to develop Communication Campaign and Communication Plan in response to COVID-19

Location :

BKK, THAILAND

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

19-Apr-2021

Application Deadline :

09-Apr-21 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

19 April – 31 May 2021 (15 working days)

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

19 April – 31 May 2021 (15 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

Dear Sir / Madam:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is looking for an individual to perform the work described in the corresponding TORs.

Post Title: Communication Consultant to develop Communication Campaign and Communication Plan in response to COVID-19
Country of Assignment: Thailand, Home based with no travel
Duration of Assignment: 19 April – 31 May 2021 (15 working days)

Proposal should be submitted no later than 9 April 2021

If you are interested in this assignment, please provide the following documents;

Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability with financial proposal in Thai Baht using the template provided by UNDP.
P11, Indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
Technical Proposal/ Port Folio– Brief comprehensive strategic communication plan (maximum of 2 pages).
A copy of the highest educational certificate.
Your confirmation that you have read, understood and hereby accept UNDP’s General Conditions of Contract for the Services of the Individual Contractors.
Completed and signed Statement of Good Health (prior to signing of the contract).
Copy of Medical Insurance Certificate (prior to signing of the contract).

Yours sincerely,

Procurement Unit

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1) GENERAL BACKGROUND

Background

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone.

As part of the UN system, UNDP offers immediate assistance to the national COVID-19 response, to prepare for, respond to, and recover from this pandemic, ensuring no one is left behind while safeguarding the progress achieved towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

With support from the Japanese Government, UNDP has been implementing a project “Strengthening socio-economic recovery, human security and resilience in Thailand in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak ensuring the Leave No One Behind and Safeguard progress made towards the SDGs”. The overall objective is to promote social and economic recovery and strengthen the community resilience of the Thai people – with a particular focus on the vulnerable and at-risk group – ensure empowerment at both sub-national and national level, and in view of promoting SDG localization efforts.

Situation
Air pollution leads people to be exposed to fine particles in polluted air that penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system, causing diseases including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and respiratory infections. Industry, transportation, coal power plants, and household solid fuel usage are major contributors to air pollution. Air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate and affects economies and people’s quality of life. Particulate matter (PM) air pollution, predominantly the result of fossil fuel combustion, is recognized as the most deadly form of air pollution globally. The AQLI demonstrates that averaged across all women, men, and children globally, particulate air pollution cuts global life expectancy short by nearly two years relative to if particulate concentrations everywhere were at the level deemed safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). This life expectancy loss makes particulate pollution more devastating than communicable diseases like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, behavioral killers like cigarette smoking, and even war. Some areas of the world are impacted more than others. For example, in the United States, there is less pollution, life expectancy is cut short by just 0.1 years relative to the WHO guideline. In China and India, where there are much greater pollution levels, bringing particulate concentrations down to the WHO guideline would increase average life expectancy by 2.3 and 5.2 years, respectively.

According to the World Health Organization's guidelines, a person's average annual PM2.5 exposure should not exceed, on average, ten micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and that exposure during any 24 hours should not exceed 25 mg/m³). However, Thailand capped the PM2.5 threshold at 50 mg/m³ per day and 25 mg/m³ per annual average. The country's average concentration of PM2.5 from 2011-2018 was 24 mg/m³, with Bangkok and surrounding areas closer to 30 mg/m³. Contributors to poor air quality in Thailand include power generation from coal, manufacturing, refining, mining industries, vehicle emissions, and waste burning. Seasonal variations exist, with a high air pollution level in the dry season (January to April). The World Health Organization estimates seven million people die every year due to air pollution, while non-fatal effects of over-exposure to PM2.5 particles include irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma, and decreased lung function. Available data indicates that Bangkok has a consistently high level of air pollution. The pollution index by country 2020 mid-year indicated that Thailand ranks the world's twenty-seventh most polluted globally and ranks the fifteenth in Asia.

Since the onset of the pandemic of COVID-19, several studies revealed the interrelation of long-term exposure to air pollution increase the risk and the impact on the spreading of the disease. The director of the Center for Climate, Health and Global Environment at Harvard University mentioned that people living in a more polluted place over time are more likely to die from coronavirus. In one study, researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that higher levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, are associated with higher death rates from Covid-19. The areas with high air pollution levels are associated with the increased risk of severe illness and death of several respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Therefore, people need to understand the impact of air pollution on their health, not limited to the respiratory system, and the connection of air problems with COVID-19 and actions to mitigate risks and solve the problems.

UNDP recently conducted a study to develop Communication Strategy and Action Plan on Air Pollution and Air Quality in response to COVID-19. The findings from this work were presented to the Department of Pollution Control to discuss and select the communication strategy and action plan to develop the communication campaign further.

Duties and Responsibilities

2) OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

This assignment's main objective is to develop a communication campaign based on the selected communication strategy and action plan from the UNDP study on “Communication Strategy and Action Plan on Air Pollution and Air Quality in response to COVID-19” to raise awareness of the people living in Thailand regarding air pollution impact on their lives and actions to solve the problem.

3) SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will develop the “evidence-based advocacy campaign” to raise awareness of the Thai consumers in air pollution, impact their life and action to solve the problem. The evidence-based advocacy campaign and communication plan will be developed based on the study's findings on air pollution and air quality. This study will focus on the current situation in Thailand about air quality and define the way of communication in the campaign.

The consultant will utilize the existing findings from UNDP study on “Communication Strategy and Action Plan on Air Pollution and Air Quality in response to COVID-19”.

The consultant will utilize her/his own equipment to complete the assignment.

Intellectual Property

All information collected for the advocacy report pertaining to the assignments as well as outputs produced under this Contract shall remain the property of the UNDP who shall have exclusive rights over their use. The products shall not be disclosed to the public nor used in whatever format without written permission of UNDP in line with the national and International Copyright Laws applicable.

4) DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT, DUTY STATION AND EXPECTED PLACES OF TRAVEL

Duration
Up to a period of maximum 15 days. The expected starting date is 19 April 2021, and the expected ending date is 31 May 2021.

Duty Station
The assignment will be home-based with no travel.

5) Expected Deliverables

The deliverables of this assignment are expected as follows:

No	Deliverables	Details	Timeframe	Payment schedule
1	Implementation Plan	The implementation plan covering each deliverable's detailed activities must be submitted to UNDP Thailand for review and endorsement. The implementation plan must spicy the process of the evidence-based advocacy campaign including presentation schedule and communication strategy development.	26 April 2021	30%
2	Prototype of Evidence-based advocacy campaign	The draft of the story board (in Thai/English) for evidence-based advocacy campaign, including printed ad, infographic, and VDO film must be presented to the UNDP Thailand team for endorsement before finalization. The final product will be submitted to UNDP Thailand one week after the endorsement.	17 May 2021	40%
3	Communication Plan	Based on UNDP study on “Communication Strategy and Action Plan on Air Pollution and Air Quality in response to COVID-19”, a Communication Plan must be developed to define who needs to be aware of and informed about the campaign, how and how often information will be distributed, and who will be responsible for the distribution.	24 May 2021	30%

Competencies

6) PROVISION OF MONITORING AND PROGRESS CONTROLS

Under the overall guidance of the Project Manager of “Strengthening Socio-Economic Recovery, Human Security and Resilience in Thailand in the Context of the COVID-19 outbreak ensuring to Leave No One Behind and Safeguard Progress made towards the SDGs” and the Programme Analyst – Inclusive Green Growth for Sustainable Development (IGSD) of UNDP Thailand, the consultant will report directly to and work closely with the Project Manager as assigned.

Language

Fluency in written and spoken English
Fluency in written and spoken Thai

Required Skills and Experience

7) DEGREE OF EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

- At least Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalist, communication design, arts or related field

Work Experience:

- Minimum of 5 years of professional in advocacy campaign and communication strategy development

- Proven at least 3 years of professional in designing the communication campaign in the area of environment, and its relation to air pollution

- Experience working with major international organizations or the United Nations is desirable

Language

- Fluency in written and spoken English

- Fluency in written and spoken Thai