Consultant - Tobacco Control

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Purpose of the consultancy

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical guidance on tobacco control, particularly the development of evidence-based policies for tobacco regulation, taxation, and effective advocacy and communication strategy for tobacco control. Under the guidance of the WHO Representative and the Technical Officer at the WHO Country Office in Mongolia, the contractual partner shall perform the following tasks: • Prepare evidence-based technical briefs on tobacco (conventional and novel) policies, legislative briefs position papers and similar documents to guide policy making, legislation and strategy development for tobacco regulation, control, taxation and towards the elimination of tobacco in Mongolia. • Provide technical guidance and inputs on the development and implementation of comprehensive evidence-based advocacy and information, education and communication strategy for tobacco control; • Provide technical support for strengthening national capacity for developing and implementing effective advocacy and information, education and communication strategy for tobacco control

Background

In Mongolia, noncommunicable diseases are estimated to account for 83% of all mortality. (NCD Country Profiles 2022, WHO) 8 in 10 people die from four common NCDs: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease. Smoking - one of the four main risk factors for NCDs, remains a major public health problem due to the high morbidity and mortality it causes. The smoking prevalence among people aged 15-69 is 24.2%, with 43.7% among men and 5% among women, which indicates tobacco use is 8.7 times higher among men than women (4th National STEP Survey, 2019) The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2019) of Mongolia reported that 14% of students with ages 13 to 15 years are currently used any tobacco products, with 21% of boys, and 6.9% of girls. In a nationally representative survey of 3,854 individuals conducted by the MNUMS in 2019, nearly all of the individuals surveyed were aware that smoking affects their health, though education level is a factor in risk awareness. The belief that harm only occurs if an individual smokes one pack or more a day is associated with having only completed secondary education or lower. In addition, knowledge of the dangers of secondhand smoke—or at least preference for smoke free environments—is also common. About 84% of participants objected to people smoking in their house, and 98% believe it is important to have a smoke-free workplace. Despite the tobacco control efforts in Mongolia through implementation of Law on Tobacco Control (2005) and national health policies, challenges for conducting effective tobacco control advocacy and communication strategies have been remaining among others.

Planned timelines

Start date: 15 February 2024 End date: 14 August 2024 Duration: 6 months, with possibility of extension

Works to be performed

The works will require the development of technical and evidence-based policy briefs to aid policy-making and legislation. This work will require daily interaction (either face-to-face or virtual) with all government stakeholders, and relevant technical teams across WHO.

Deliverables

Output 1: Provide technical expertise and undertake the development of evidence-based technical briefs to aid policy making and legislation. Deliverable 1.1 conduct relevant research and develop technical content, including fact sheets, press release, posters, social media contents, talking points, media briefs and Q&As for tobacco control Deliverable 1.2 collaborate with WHO Headquarters and regional offices, partner networks, and global health exports and associations in developing and reviewing materials and evidences for a communication strategy for tobacco control

Output 2: Provide guidance and input on the development and implementation of comprehensive evidence-based advocacy and information, education and communication plan for tobacco control Deliverable 2.1 coordinate the production process of communication material with contracted communications agencies, such as product design and video production; and facilitate planning and organizing events

Output 3: Provide technical support for strengthening national capacity for developing and implementing effective advocacy and information, education and communication strategy for tobacco control Deliverable 3.1 provide guidance and coordinate planning and implementation of trainings and meetings on advocacy and communication for tobacco control in collaboration with government partners, public health experts and academic institutions Deliverable 3.2 organizing strategic engagements with Members of Parliament and key government agencies to gain their support for effective tobacco control policy Deliverable 3.3 implementing and monitoring progress of communications strategies and debunking potential myths, claims and misinformation

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

University degree in Public Health and/or Business Administration and/or International Development or related field from a recognized university

Experience

Essential: Minimum of 5-10 years of work experience in public health, noncommunicable diseases, tobacco control, economics, or other related field. Practical experience in supporting countries on tobacco control (technical or advocacy) and communications campaigns for public health programmes. Desirable: Working experience with WHO or any other UN organization Working experience in tobacco control

Skills/knowledge

Project management skills Sound interpersonal and communication skills

Languages

Written and spoken fluency in English

Location

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Remuneration and budget

a. Remuneration: TBD b. Living expenses: Not applicable c. Expected duration of contract: 6 months and possibility of extension

Travel

The contractual partner will be required to be based at the WHO Country Office Mongolia on a full-time basis to perform the tasks related to this activity and will be asked to be available for face-to-face/virtual technical discussions with other partners as needed.

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 reasonableaccommodation@who.int • 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: (1) 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 this ling for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates