National Consultancy in Regulatory Research on Pollution in Tbilisi, Georgia

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 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, Health

I. Background

In 2017, UNICEF Georgia designed a special human biomonitoring (HBM) module for the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) involving venous blood collection from young children. This module revealed 41% of children nationwide had elevated blood lead levels (BLL).

Lead exposure, even low levels, is dangerous for children and pregnant women as it is associated with greater risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight,[1] growth and developmental delays, behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities among children.[2] Recent academic research shows a robust and statistically significant causal effect of childhood lead exposure on individuals’ propensity to crime.[3]

Hence, in line with UNICEF’s mission to ensure every child survives and thrives, learns, lives in a safe and clean environment, and has equitable chance in life, UNICEF Georgia is assisting the Government of Georgia to effectively combat lead exposure of children and help establish mechanisms to control toxic metal contamination and human exposure to such toxicants.

UNICEF’s support in this regard includes technical assistance in creating a regulatory framework when it comes to controlling lead and other toxicant pollution in food and non-food products, construction materials, water, soil and air.

To this end, UNICEF Georgia is seeking a consultant to undertake a thorough desk review of Georgia’s regulatory framework, as well as the regulatory framework of the U.S. and the EU both of which are considered to be the global best practice when it comes to regulation; Identify regulatory gaps regarding the control of lead and other toxicants in product, material and environment in Georgian legislation that could be filled by transposing U.S. and/or EU regulations on the same topic.

II. Tasks and Deliverables

• • Tasks:
  • Thorough review of Georgia’s regulatory framework and existing regulations in food, environmental, construction and technical safety, especially focused on lead and other toxicants;
  • Thorough review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, EU Directives and Regulations or harmonized standards on the same topic.
• Deliverables:
  • Initial report of no more than 10 pages describing the methodology, sources to be used for the desk review, research questions, and general product/environmental/food safety architecture of Georgia, the EU and the U.S.
  • Final report consisting of no more than 50 pages, plus annexes as required. The report should contain
  • Executive Summary
  • Introduction
  • Main findings
  • Discussions
  • Recommendations
  • Table of sources, table of content, table of abbreviations, table of figures (if any)
  • Both reports should come in English and Georgian, the consultant shall be required to arrange or undertake the translation.

IV. Research Questions

• • What do EU, U.S. and Georgian product/environmental/food safety architecture look like?
  • what do they have in common?
  • how are they different?
  • Using U.S. and the EU regulations/directives/standards as a best practice, what are the gaps in Georgian regulations towards effectively controlling contamination and human exposure of lead and other toxicants?
  • How can these gaps be addressed?

  V. Minimum Qualifications

• At least a master’s degree in environmental, European Union or international comparative law;

• Environmental, International or comparative law, European Union or international comparative law;
• Minimum six years of experience in legal research and practice in judicial or regulatory institutions or academia;
• Legal research involving U.S. and European Union law and jurisprudence will be an asset;
• Excellent understanding of Georgian legal system and regulatory architecture;
• Excellent analytical and legal writing skills;
• Excellent command in written and spoken Georgian as well as English languages.

VI. Duration of Consultancy

The consultancy is for 3 months: from October through December 2020 inclusive.

The consultancy is part-time - 35 working days in total - and can be done remotely.

VII. Supervision and Reporting Responsibility

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and the general guidance of the Representative. The consultant will provide monthly activity reports based on the agreed tasks and deliverables.

The consultant’s performance will be evaluated against timeliness, efficiency and quality of delivered work.

VIII. Payment Terms and Rates

The remuneration will be negotiated between UNICEF Georgia and the selected consultant, based on an initial proposal of the selected consultant. Applicants are therefore requested to submit a gross remuneration proposal in GEL.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or failed to meet deadlines.

IX. Termination of contract

The contract may be terminated by either party before its expiry date by giving a two-week prior notice in writing to the other party. However, in the event of termination on the ground of misconduct, UNICEF will be entitled to terminate the contract immediately, without earlier notice.

In case of early termination of the contract, the Contractor will be compensated on a pro-rata basis for no more than the actual amount of work completed to the satisfaction of UNICEF.

[1] Hossain et. al. (2007). Environmental factors implicated in the causation of adverse pregnancy outcome. At https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2795358/ (accessed 15 Sept. 2018)

[2] Evans at. Al (2015) at https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/81522688.pdf (accessed 3 December 2018); Canfield et. al. (2003) at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12700371 (accessed 3 December 2018); U.S. CDC, Childhood Lead Poisoning Data, Statistics, and Surveillance at https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/data/index.htm (accessed 15 Sept. 2018); WHO (2017) https://www.who.int/ipcs/lead_campaign/QandA_lead_2017_en.pdf (accessed 15 Sept. 2018); EFSA: Panel on contaminants in the food chain (CONTAM). Scientific Opinion on Lead in Food. EFSA J. 2010, 8: 1570; Supranote 1

[3] Doleac (2017), New evidence that lead exposure increases crime, at: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/06/01/new-evidence-that-lead-exposure-increases-crime/ (accessed 3 Sept. 2018)

For every Child, you demonstrate UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and 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

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.