Consultant – APNEC Support

BACKGROUND

Health ethics promotes the consideration of values in the prioritization and justification of actions by health professionals, researchers and policy-makers that may impact the health and well-being of patients, families and communities. National ethics committees, comprised of experts and stakeholders, may be established by the government to ensure robust assessment of issues and offer empirically informed identification of ethical solutions and policy recommendations. With competing interests under limited resources, a health ethics framework provides for a systematic analysis and resolution of conflicts through the evidence-based application of general ethical principles, such as respect for personal autonomy, beneficence, justice, utility and solidarity. Health ethics is integral to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whereby countries commit to realizing a holistic vision for economic, environmental, political and social development through 17 interlinked and indivisible goals. As such, achieving health in the SDGs through universal health coverage is reinforced by health ethics, both in principle and in practice.

WHO supported the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting for National Ethics/Bioethics Committees (AP-NEC), it provided a platform for participants to exchange ideas, build support and foster collaboration on health ethics, including public health ethics, clinical care ethics and research ethics, with a focus on regional priority issues in the context of the SDGs. APNEC Meetings were convened in October 2017 and October 2019. During the last APNEC Meeting, WHO was requested to provide assistance to Member States in advancing actions for health ethics, such as through supporting the establishment of NECs, support for specialist training on technical areas and ethics processes, e.g. writing guidelines; the facilitation of country-to-country learning; and the development of international guidelines and standards on specialist topics, e.g. use of artificial intelligence in health and climate change–related ethical guidance. WHO also created the APNEC Working Group Meeting on COVID-19 which has been virtually meeting monthly since April 2020.

PURPOSE/SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITY

The general purpose of this consultancy is to support HLE in assisting Member States of the Western Pacific to strengthen their health ethics frameworks, including through the capacity building of National Ethics/Bioethics Committees (NECs).

DESCRIPTION/METHODS OF ACTIVITIES TO BE CARRIED OUT

Output 1: Support day-to-day activities related to APNEC capacity development, including support the management and coordination of APNEC monthly meetings

Deliverable 1.1: Coordination of APNEC monthly meetings
Deliverable 1.2: Management of mapping of national ethics institutions and personnel of APNEC members, including linkages with countries between different ministries and/or non-state actors engaged in ethics activities

Output 2: Provide internal technical briefings on key ethics issues for WHO Western Pacific Regional Office and Country staff

Deliverable 2.1: monthly technical briefings (written and/or verbal) for WHO and/or APNEC members, topics to be determined by WHO

Output 3: Support weekly engagement with WHO Headquarters, and other Regional Offices on key ethics issues

Deliverable 3.1: weekly summaries of key updates from WHO HQ and/or regions on key ethics developments

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

Education 

University degree in ethics or related field.

Experiences

Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in health law or ethics, work at country/regional/international level(s), and with government(s) and/or inter-governmental organization(s) are preferred.

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge 

Ability to review ethics technical resources and frameworks and provide key messages for staff with limited ethics knowledge and experience; ability to draft concept notes, technical papers and reports; ability to prepare and deliver presentations to various stakeholders; and ability to organize technical workshops.

Language

Fluent knowledge of English (reading, writing, speaking) is required

Competencies

• • Communicating in a credible and effective way
• • Moving forward in a changing environment
• • Producing results

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Place of Assignment: Home based
• Starting Date: 19 October 2020
• Duration of Contract: 8 months

APPLICATIONS

Qualified and interested specialists should submit their CV (with proposed professional monthly rate) and Expression of Interest to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at  wproungm@who.int by 03 October 2020. 

Please use Tender Notice No. 114370 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.