Consultant – Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN), UNICEF EAPRO, Bangkok

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Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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 fulfil 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, hope

UNICEF Thailand Country Office works to ensure the rights of all children in Thailand. This means the rights of every child living in this country, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or ethnicity, to:

  • survival – to basic healthcare, peace and security;
  • development – to a good education, a loving home and adequate nutrition;
  • protection – from abuse, neglect, trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation; and
  • participation – to express opinions, be listened to and take part in making any decisions that affect them

How can you make a difference?

The Nutrition Section, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) is seeking an individual consultant to provide technical support for the implementation and documentation of maternal and infant young child nutrition activities in in 6 ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam) and at the regional level.

Background: The UNICEF, WHO, World Bank joint global and regional child malnutrition estimates from 1990 to 2017 reveal uneven and insufficient progress to reach the World Health Assembly (WHA) targets set for 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030 for nutrition. Childhood undernutrition remains a major health problem in resource-poor settings. Approximately one in four children less than five years of age in Southeast Asian countries is stunted (low height-for-age), this translates to 15 million stunted children.

It is well-recognized that the period from conception to two years of age is the “critical window” for the promotion of optimal growth, health, and development. Evidence shows that the largest proportion of stunting in low and middle-income countries occurs during two time periods: during gestation and during the complementary feeding period of 6-23 months of age which is a transition time from exclusive breastfeeding to consuming a wide range of family foods with continued breastfeeding. In Southeast Asia, poor maternal nutrition is linked to adverse outcomes for both the mother and her baby. Maternal height and body mass

index are strong predictors of low birth weight and wasting and stunting in early childhood. Maternal anemia, especially in its severe form, is strongly linked to maternal mortality and accounts for 12 percent of low birth weight, 19 percent of pre-term births and 18 percent of perinatal mortality. Of the eleven Southeast Asian countries, none are on track to meet the WHA target to reduce anemia in women of reproductive age, none are on track for the wasting target, and while five countries are making some progress towards the stunting target, none are on track.

Improved nutrition status of pregnant women and improved feeding of children under two years of age is particularly important because children during the first 1000 days experience rapid growth and development, they are vulnerable to illness, and there is evidence that feeding practices and maternal nutrition status is poor in most low and middle-income countries. There are global guidelines available to guide the development of national policies and programmes for both maternal nutrition and complementary feeding. These guiding principles were intended to guide policy and programme development at a global, regional and national development. In November 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) released “Recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience”, including recommendations on nutrition interventions (see Annex 2). These new guidelines present a renewed opportunity to intensify efforts on maternal health and nutrition. UNICEF EAPRO with the ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN Member States is developing regional specific guidance on IYCF, Maternal Nutrition, Food Fortification, Nutrition for School Age Children and a range of other topics, to ensure more context specific and actionable guidance is available to ASEAN Member states.

Work Assignment:

Under the supervision of Nutrition Specialist, the consultant will perform the following tasks:

  • Support the ASEAN Secretariat and Member States to develop and finalize guidance documents for IYCF, Maternal Nutrition and other nutrition thematic areas.
  • Support ASEAN secretariat and ASEAN Member States to conduct launch events for guidance documents and regional reports linked to the Health Ministers Meeting in September 2021.
  • Support development of the 2022 SOFI Report in partnership with UN Nutrition Partners.
  • Provide technical assistance for SBCC Capacity Assessment currently being implemented in 3 countries.
  • Provide technical assistance for the development of the SBCC Capacity Building Curriculum. Work with country offices and curriculum developer to plan and implement assessment and develop plan for pretesting and piloting curriculum.
  • Contribute to regional consortium for improving complementary foods (COMMIT) through the analysis and write up of data on commercially processed complementary foods.
  • Support the development and implementation of country level workshops and facilitation meetings for complementary feeding, maternal nutrition and COMMIT findings.

Work Schedule: Please see details in attachment.

VA2021-27 Consultant_Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN).pdf

Duration of Contract: 240 days over the period of 22 June 2021- 5 June 2022 (11.5 Months).

Official Travel: The consultant is expected to work at UNICEF EAPRO, Bangkok and travel to support missions to Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

  • An Advanced University Degree in Public Health, Nutritional Epidemiology, International Health and Nutrition or Maternal and Child Nutrition.
  • A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in public health/nutrition planning, management, policy research at the international level, including experience in low and middle-income countries in South and Southeast Asia.
  • Experience in nutrition and public health policy and programming.
  • Experience developing guidance documents for application in multiple contexts.
  • Proven experience working with regional governance bodies such as ASEAN and familiarity with related protocols and processes.
  • Knowledge of IYCF policy and programme landscape in the Southeast Asian region.
  • Expertise in Infant and Young Child Feeding and maternal nutrition.
  • Excellent communication and organizational skills.
  • Demonstrable analytical and research skills including review and synthesis of data and information.
  • Excellent oral and written English skills.

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV or P-11, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, and proposed daily professional fee in USD 28 April 2021

FORM P11.doc

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People, and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org