Consultant - Climate Change and Health, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
![Logo of WHO](https://www.who.int/images/default-source/infographics/who-emblem.png)
Purpose of the consultancy
The consultant will provide expert support to the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) in strengthening technical capacity of the Ministry of Health climate change technical unit, particularly by supporting implementation of Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Project- Enhancing Lao PDR National Capacity and Coordination in Health and Climate Change and GCF SAP project- Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System.
Background
Since 2021, World Health Organization (WHO) Lao PDR country office has been supporting the Ministry of Health in accessing funding from GCF and implementing GCF project. Lao PDR has now two health projects approved by GCF:
- GCF Readiness project for Enhancing Lao PDR National Capacity and Coordination in Health and Climate Change since 2022
- GCF Simplified Approval Process (SAP) project for Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health Systems
The Readiness project has been under implementation since 2022 and is soon coming to end. The goal of the project is to strengthen health sector climate resilience through capacity-building and access to climate financing. In collaboration with Save the Children, GCF accredited entity, WHO has been supporting the Government to develop a GCF SAP proposal and the project was approved by GCF Board on 25 October 2023.
WHO Environmental Health unit seeks a consultant to provide technical and managemental support to this transition from Readiness as well as ensuring a smooth kick off the implementation of the SAP project. WHO’s role in the GCF SAP project is to lead the implementation of Outcome 1: The health system’s governance and leadership is climate resilient and Outcome 2: Health Information Systems are improved to include climate and weather data and used to track, prepare for, and reduce climate-related risks to health.
The consultant will work with relevant departments of the Ministry of Health and provide technical inputs to the planned activities. The consultant is also expected to work with multiple units of WHO Laos with a focus on coordination, financial monitoring, and management of above projects.
This consultancy needs broad understanding of the role of different units to support mainstreaming climate change into different health programmes and support the Ministry of Health towards building climate-resilient health systems.
Deliverables
The consultant will report to and be guided by the Team Leader/Technical Officer of the HEN unit of the WHO Lao PDR country office. The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following:
Output 1: Project management of climate change and health projects funded by GCF.
Activity 1- Provide support to project management of GCF-funded projects and monitoring of the project activities in close collaboration with MoH. Deliverable 1.1: Implementation plans of according to the work plans and donor agreements and other requirements (For activities planned under SAP project Outcome 1 and 2) Deliverable 1.2: Monitoring reports on encumbrances and expenditures of GCF funded activities, based on coordination with HEN, Health Information Systems (HIS) and other relevant teams. Deliverable 1.3: Monitoring report of Direct Financial Cooperation (DFC) awarded to the Government. Deliverable 1.4: Draft and deliver PowerPoint presentations related to the projects and respective activities as needed.
Output 2: Support donor reporting and coordination of climate change and health Activity 2 Support HEN and HIS and other relevant teams to draft donor reports and submit according to donor reporting requirements Deliverable 2.1: Submission of regular technical and financial supports according to deadlines and ad-hoc basis as requested by donor.
Output 3: Support developing informational and awareness-raising materials for health impacts and health resilience-building to climate change. Activity 3- Develop communication messages, case studies, publish articles/press releases in collaboration and consultation with the WHO Comms team. Deliverable 3.1- Communication strategy on health sector climate change actions (Planned timeline- January to April 2024). Deliverable 3.2- Organize a workshop with climate change focal points from other ministries and the private sector to disseminate the communication plans, collect feedback, and promote collaboration (Planned timeline- April 2024) Deliverable 3.2- Communications messages and published articles
Output 4: Provide technical support to following activities related to climate change, the environment and health Activity 4.1- Dissemination of Health National Adaptation Plan (H-NAP) to subnational level Deliverable 4.1.1: Develop Training of Trainers (ToT) materials and guidance on climate change adaptation planning and its practical implementation in provinces (Planned timeline- January to April, 2024) Deliverable 4.1.2: Develop a guidance to lead the health sector's climate change adaptation planning with the identified best practices. (Planned timeline- January to April, 2024) Deliverable 4.1.3: Technical report of meeting/workshop with list of participants
Activity 4.2- Attend relevant workshops and technical meetings within the scope of HEN and provide written summaries of key discussions and conclusions during the meeting, as needed.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications
Essential: University bachelor’s degree in public health, environmental engineering, medical sciences or related fields, or equivalent professional training. Desirable: Background in climate change-health, or climate change-WASH is preferred.
Experience:
Essential: Minimum of five years of work experience in public health with at least three years of work experience related to climate change and health. The consultant should have strong communication and interpersonal skills. The consultant should be able to interact effectively with the national counterpart, nongovernmental organizations and international agencies. Desirable: Working experience in international organizations and external relation and coordination. Familiarity with GCF. Work experience in Lao PDR.
Skills and knowledge:
Technical knowledge of climate change and health Project/Programme management skills and knowledge to ensure effective use of resources Strong skills and developing donor reports Strong skills in communication, interpersonal, and coordination skills Ability to work and interact effectively with national counterparts, nongovernmental organizations and international agencies at various levels. Good computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Language:
Expert knowledge of English
Location
On site: Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
Travel
The consultant is expected to travel. The selected consultant will work in Vientiane Capital and travel to provinces as needed.
Remuneration and budget
Remuneration: USD 6,380/month Expected duration of contract: 10 months, 4 March to 31 December 2024
Additional Information:
• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level. • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted. • A written test may be used as a form of screening. • If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review. • For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int. • The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics. The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to [email protected] • An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice. • WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates. • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco. • Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. • WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO. • Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected]. • In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates .
..