Consultant for Development of the Uganda National Paediatrics and Adolescent HIV Advocacy Strategy and roadmap, 45 Days, Kampala, Uganda (Ugandan Nationals Only)

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a fair chance.

Uganda is one of the over 190 countries and territories around the world where we work to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child’s path. Together with the Government of Uganda and partners we work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Uganda National Development Plan, and the planned outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework. Visit this link for more information on Uganda Country Office https://www.unicef.org/uganda/

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Background

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights and wellbeing of every child, irrespective of geographical location. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. This mission is UNICEF’s footprint — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action.

There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and social protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

UNICEF’s HIV response for children ensures that neither age, poverty, gender inequality, nor social exclusion determine access to life saving HIV prevention, treatment and care. UNICEF and its partners’ responses seek to ensure all children are born free of HIV and remain HIV free for the first two decades of life, from birth through adolescence. The response also ensures that all children living with HIV have access to the treatment, care and the support they need to remain alive and healthy. This is UNICEF’s vision of an AIDS-free generation starting with children.

Ending AIDS among children is vital to ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 – the overarching goal of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV /AIDS (UNAIDS) of which UNICEF is a cofounding partner. UNICEF envisions an AIDS-free generation for all children and their families and has consistently supported Uganda’s efforts to achieve the 95-95-95 super fast-track targets and the global goal to end paediatric AIDS by 2030.

Although Uganda is on the right trajectory to achieve the UNAIDS’ 95-95-95 super fast-track targets for PLHIV, children (0-9 years) and adolescents (10-19 years) are still lagging. This lag is sustained despite two decades of consistent efforts and innovations to improve HIV care and treatment outcomes for children and adolescents living with HIV. This warrants re-strategizing for this demographic.

Advocacy has been identified as a key pivot for accelerated progress toward the elimination goal through reduction of the inequalities that plague paediatric and adolescent HIV. This necessitates the development and consequent operationalization of a national Paediatric HIV Advocacy Strategy.

The Uganda Ministry of Health in partnership with UNICEF and EGPAF held a National Paediatric HIV Advocacy Consultation workshop in April 2022. The workshop aimed to collectively identify advocacy needs that require urgent prioritization to further accelerate progress toward elimination of Paediatric AIDS by 2030.

Through review of Uganda’s paediatric and adolescent HIV program trajectory with a focus on the challenges that continue to undermine progress toward the 2030 paediatric HIV elimination goals and through dedicated plenary sessions, program gaps that required advocacy for resolution were systematically identified, collated and documented.

Following this, the development of a national Paediatric HIV Advocacy Strategy and road map – to operationalize it, were prioritized by Government, ADPs, networks of PLHIV and CSOs and commitment to drive advocacy by all parties was garnered.

To this end, UNICEF has planned to support the development of the Uganda National Paediatric HIV Advocacy Strategy and to develop the roadmap to operationalize this strategy. This process which will involve a series of workshops is planned for the period between June to September 2022.

A consultant will be recruited by the Health and HIV output under the Child Survival and Development (CSD) to lead the development of the Uganda National Advocacy Strategy for children and adolescents living with HIV (LHIV) and to develop a detailed road map for the implementation of this strategy - in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Uganda AIDS Commission and key stakeholders-, over a period of 45 days. The National Advocacy Strategy will be the key reference document for advancing equitable resource distribution (financial and HR) to Paediatric and Adolescent HIV programming.

Purpose of assignment and scope:

The objective of the consultancy: -

• To develop a National Advocacy Strategy for accelerating the HIV response for children and adolescents LHIV. • To develop the accompanying road map for its operationalization following consultative engagements with key stakeholders at sub-national and national level.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collate and synthesize content from the consultation meetings for caregivers of CLHIV, HIV Exposed Infants; adolescents LHIV and the key stakeholders- conducted in April 2022] • In close collaboration with MoH and Uganda AIDS Commission plan and co-facilitate the writing, validation and dissemination workshops • Document and compile all workshop reports.

Main Tasks:

• Facilitate the two separate consultative workshops, one for adolescents/young people LHIV and one for caregivers of children LHIV and collate the gaps highlighted by caregivers, adolescents/young people LHIV and the caregivers of children LHIV into key messages. • Provide technical leadership and facilitate the strategy writing workshop for key stakeholders using the above harvested reports from the consultations from adolescents/young people LHIV and caregivers' workshops and the key stakeholders. • Facilitate virtual and in-person reviews to finalize the Uganda National Paediatric HIV Advocacy Strategy and Road map. • Facilitate the national validation workshop for the strategy and the road map. The validation team will comprise of technical officers from MOH, Networks of PLHIV, MOES, MOGLSD, SBCC, UAC, AIDS development partners and UNICEF. • Facilitate the national dissemination workshop of the final Uganda National Paediatric HIV Advocacy Strategy and Road map. To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education

• Advanced university degree in public health, social/political sciences or another relevant field

Work Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional work experience at national and international level in analysis and/or research and/or communication/advocacy in the area of health, primary health care, community health programming • Extensive experience producing timely and high-quality reports for UN systems • Knowledge of the Uganda health system or experience working in Uganda is an advantage

Key Competencies

• Excellent analytical, communication, advocacy and research skills. • Computer literacy, especially MS Office programmes, is required. • Fluency in English • Knowledge of the Uganda context is preferred. • Understanding of local institutional, policy and legal frameworks is preferred • Ensured adherence to MOH guidelines and SOPs related to COVID-19 prevention and control Conditions: • Consultant is responsible for providing his/her own work materials – computer, software, etc. • All remuneration must be within the contract agreement and against the agreed deliverables • No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant or Contractor. • No contract may commence unless the consultant provides a certificate of completion of a mandatory course on “prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse”. A certificate to be submitted with the signed contract should have been obtained in the last three months. • Consultants will be required to sign the health statement for consultants/Individual contractor prior to taking up the assignment, and to document that they have appropriate health insurance, if applicable. • The Form 'Designation, change or revocation of beneficiary' has to be completed by the consultant before the commencement of travel. • Clearance from DHR required for former UNICEF staff. • Clearance from the Government required for civil servants.

Application Procedure/Call for Proposals

Interested candidates are required to submit a technical proposal on how they intend to approach the work. The proposal should include a timeline, and methodology, based on the Terms of Reference. The proposal must also include detailed CV of the consultant, as well as a financial proposal, clearly indicating daily rate for professional fees. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive of all costs (consultancy fees and where applicable air fares, airport transfers, daily living expenses). This is an international level consultancy and competitive market rates should apply.

Evaluation of Candidate:

The Technical proposal is weighted at 75% and 25% for the Financial proposal.

The consultant will be competitively selected from a list of applicants based on their past experience of doing similar work. For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.