Short-term Consultancy (STC) – To provide technical assistance focused on community engagement, governance for equity, gender mainstreaming and health beyond the health sector

Short-term Consultancy (STC)  – To provide technical assistance to ongoing activities of the Social Determinants of Health/Violence and Injury Prevention/Alcohol (SDH) team, Division of Healthy Environments and Populations, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, with a focus on community engagement, governance for equity, gender mainstreaming and health beyond the health sector

BACKGROUND

The Western Pacific Region is dynamic and has a rich social, cultural, economic and demographic diversity. The Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) is one of the six regions of the World Health Organization (WHO) with more than one quarter of the world’s population. It extends geographically from the Mongolian steppes in central Asia, east to the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific Ocean and south to New Zealand. It includes large countries such as China with 1.4 billion people and small countries such as Niue, occupied by just 1000 people. It is one of the most diverse of all the WHO regions.

WPRO has made it a priority to work with countries and key partners to identify the Regional priorities, which are documented in the For the Future vision, namely ageing and NCDs, climate change, health security including antimicrobial resistance, and reaching the unreached. In addition to the thematic priorities, the new strategic vision calls for us to be innovative in our way of working, that we apply a grounds-up approach, and that we champion health beyond the health sector, among other operational shifts. Through this, we can strengthen our efforts to address the social and commercial determinants of health. The strategic vision emphasizes the need to use a gender and equity lens to ensure that everyone benefits equally from regional progress towards better health. In order to make the Western Pacific the healthiest and safest region, WHO will support countries in the Region to curb the surge of NCDs through leveraging cross-sectoral opportunities for reducing avoidable risks, with a focus on regulation and tax increases for tobacco products, alcohol and unhealthy food, and stimulating healthy physical and social environments. In response to the priorities of the Western Pacific Region, WPRO has established a unit on the Social Determinants of Health and Violence and Injury Prevention (SDH/VIP). The work of the unit includes the social and commercial determinants of health, including alcohol, as well as violence and injury prevention, including road safety.

PURPOSE/SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITY

The objective of this STC is to provide technical assistance to ongoing work and related activities of the SDH team with a focus on community engagement, governance for equity, and addressing major determinants of health, including gender, equity and ageing in the Western Pacific Region.  

WORK TO BE PERFORMED

The work will involve background research, policy and programme support as well as qualitative and quantitative analysis. It will require contribution to development of documents, reports and workshop materials, event preparation, and project management, including coordination and consultation with relevant WHO Country Offices (WCOs), WHO Headquarters, and other partners and technical units in the Regional Office when appropriate.

Output/s

Output: Support technical collaboration and related activities of the SDHVIP team with a focus on community engagement and governance for health equity, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing major determinants in health in the Western Pacific Region.  

Deliverable 1: Support preparations, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of Community Engagement (CE) for Health in WPRO

• • Provide program management support to the CE Research Initiative, including supporting priority countries to develop and evaluate innovative community engagement models, prototypes, and intervention packages as part of the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts;
• • Facilitate CE Research Initiative project advocacy, implementation and uptake of project outputs including concept briefs, project and stakeholder narratives, and stakeholder and community dialogues;
• • Support with rolling out and maintaining CE Toolkit hand-in-hand with country focal points and collaborating centres;
• • Support WCOs with the planning and implementation of CE processes to prepare for extensive community transmission and vaccine rollout;
• • Support with the development of guidance documents and supporting materials on CE and the monitoring and evaluation of country-led CE initiatives;
• • Support the operationalization of CE in responding to COVID-19 and beyond in the Western Pacific Region by facilitating preparations for Regional CE Network meetings.

Deliverable 2:  Support establishment of a mechanism to facilitate cross-country problem solving and learning to strengthen the COVID-19 response in addressing the barriers specifically experienced by vulnerable populations. This includes, but is not limited to:

• • Support to the IMST Working Group on COVID-19 and Vulnerable Populations including reviews of papers, drafting of meeting notes, and development of a road map;
• • Monitoring of implementation of work plan on addressing barriers specifically experienced by vulnerable populations, including related recording and reporting
• • Through the Regional CE Network, support WCOs with implementation of interim guidance notes on vulnerable populations;
• • Assistance with other ongoing activities of the SDH/VIP team and WPRO colleagues, as needed, on addressing barriers faced by vulnerable populations and reaching the unreached, particularly through CE.

Deliverable 3: Support strengthening of attention to gender and equity in health programmes and services. This includes, but is not limited to:

• • Support the review and development of good practices included in WPRO’s SDH/VIP Regional Hub on gender inequities, specifically addressing the four key thematic priorities outlined in For the Future, drawing upon data gathered for the Evidence Review;
• • Support review and finalization of SDH/VIP publications on gender, equity, violence, and social determinants, including the Panorama on Gender and Health, Panorama on Vulnerable Populations, and Healthy Ageing and its Determinants of Health;
• • Backstopping support for WCOs and preparations for meetings and country policy dialogues on gender, equity, violence, ageing and the social determinants of health, such as the Regional Gender Equity and Rights Network;
• • Assist and support the SDH/VIP team with the implementation of the RCM agenda item health and ageing through research and reviews of the latest evidence on ageing and the social determinants.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education

A Master’s degree in social sciences or related field is desirable.

Experience

This is a junior consultancy position at the P.3 level. At least 5 years of professional experience is expected, preferably at the international level. Experience working with WHO (including internships, short-term consultancies and/or staff contracts) is essential.

Technical skills and knowledge

• • Knowledge of the WHO Western Pacific Region is desirable.
• • Knowledge of cross-cutting issues in public health, including ageing and health, gender, equity, social determinants, is essential.
• • Proficiency in standard MS Office applications and skills in database, spreadsheet and statistical programmes is expected.

Language

Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English is essential. Working knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.

Competencies

• • Communication
• • Teamwork
• • Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• • Producing Results
• • Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Place of assignment

The consultant will undertake the work remotely, in their own workplace/country of residence. Through video conferencing or other technologies, the Consultant will actively participate in SDH/VIP team regular meeting and important meetings with WPRO staff and/or partners as assigned by Dr Kira Fortune, Coordinator/SDH/VIP.

Contract duration

6 months starting 1 May 2021

APPLICATIONS

Qualified and interested specialists (individual contractor) should submit their CV and Expression of Interest {cover letter} to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < wproungm@who.int > by 19 April 2021 (17:00 GMT+8)

Please use Tender Notice No. 125244 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.