Generating baseline evidence on climate change impacts on human health in the selected Pacific Island countries

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to enter into a contractual agreement with a successful bidder and select a suitable contractor to generate baseline evidence on climate change impacts on human health in the selected outer islands of Kiribati as part of the KOICA-funded project, Making Health Adaptation for the Future Resilient Islands – Kiribati Outer Islands Climate Health Action (Te-MaMAURI KOICA) and other Pacific island countries (Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) as part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project – Building Climate Resilience in Health Systems in Pacific Least Developed Countries to Climate Change.

BACKGROUND

The Western Pacific Region is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate and environmental changes. Environmental determinants of health are responsible for more than a quarter of the burden of disease in the Region. Enduring shortage of safe drinking-water and sanitation, air pollution, presence of hazardous chemicals in the environment and climate-change related disasters heighten the threat of communicable and non-communicable diseases, negatively health equity and contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in the region.

The combination of exposure to climatic hazards, limited capacity of the health system, including inadequate basic infrastructure such as communication, water and sanitation and electricity, human resources, and supplies, as well as communities that are remote and hard to reach provide significant challenges in reducing climate change-related morbidity and mortality. Without substantial and proactive investment in adaptation in the health sector and community level, the current and projected climatic changes will result in increased health risks through direct and indirect pathways. In building resilience into the health systems, WHO has worked closely with Member States in the preparation of successful project proposals for submission to potential funding agencies.

Generating baseline evidence of climate change impacts on human health in select Pacific island countries.

In building climate resilience in the health systems, WHO has worked closely with Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu to receive the following project:

1. KOICA-funded project, Making Health Adaptation for the Future Resilient Islands – Kiribati Outer Islands Climate Health Action (Te-MaMAURI KOICA) 
2. Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project – Building Climate Resilience in Health Systems in Pacific Least Developed Countries to Climate Change.

These projects are being implemented by WHO in close collaboration with the Ministries of Health with the goal of strengthening health systems, healthcare facilities, schools, and communities to protect and improve population health in a changing climate. Te-MaMAURI KOICA has an emphasis on the outer islands in Kiribati. The proposed activities in this project will address significant institutional and informational gaps that are inhibiting the health system in Pacific island countries to effectively cope in a changing climate.

REQUIREMENTS/WORK TO BE PERFORMED

Output 1: Review of data quality, collection and management, as well as potential data errors and their effects.

Deliverable 1.1: Data review report

Deliverable 1.2: Cleaned analytic dataset

Output 2: Epidemiologic and statistical assessment for generating a baseline status of climate change impacts on human health.

Deliverable 2.1: Technical report with an overview of climate change impacts on human health

Deliverable 2.2: Draft peer-reviewed journal article(s)

CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTRACTOR

Mandatory: Proven experience in the field of biostatistics with climate change and health.

• Doctoral degree in epidemiology or biostatistics with a focus on environmental health or climate change and health.
• Work experience and advanced knowledge of climate change and health impacts and adaptation in the context of the Pacific Island countries or small island developing states. 
• Scientific and technical work experience in the fields of climate change and health, environmental health, especially in health impact evidence generation.

• Experience developing and conducting assessments related to climate change and/or environmental health in low-resource contexts.
• Previous work with WHO, other international organizations and/or major institutions in the field of   climate change and health ;

Desirable:

• Experience working in the Pacific Island countries.

SUBMISSIONS

Qualified and interested specialists should submit the following documents to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < wproungm@who.int > by 20 July 2023

• • Company Profile {for institutional applications}
• • Technical proposal indicating methodology and timelines, in addition to the below annexes
  • Annex 1: Acknowledgement Form
  • Annex 2: Confidentiality Undertaking
  • Annex 3: Proposal Completeness Form
  • Annex 6: Self-Declaration Form
• • Financial proposal

Please use Tender Notice No. 205524 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.

Last day of receiving queries for this tender is on 14 July 2023