National Consultancy on “Leveraging Nutrition and Social Protection Programming to Address Malnutrition and Poverty in Iran” - only Iranian national

Consultant Programme & Policy

Contract

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Consultancy on “Leveraging Nutrition and Social Protection Programming to Address Malnutrition and Poverty in Iran”

Location: IRAN

Type of Contract: Individual Contract

Languages Required: English

Expected Duration of Assignment: from May to September 2023

Background

Rising malnutrition rates among children as well as calorie consumption deficiency of average Iranian, have been concerning nutritional trends in Iran for the past three years. Since 2018, the median of calorie consumption among of Iranians has been below the necessary 2,100 kilo calories. According to official reports, 25.5 million Iranian are living below poverty line which threatens the nutritional security of children among them to survive and thrive. Not all of this vulnerable group is effectively covered by social protection system.

Food security status of households by selected eight provinces:

Sistan and Balouchestan: 30% Secure – 18% Mild insecure – 23% Moderate insecure – 29% Severe insecure

Khouzestan: 43% Secure – 8% Mild insecure – 23% Moderate insecure – 22% Severe insecure

South Khorasan: 46% Secure – 15% Mild insecure – 23% Moderate insecure – 16% Sever insecure

Kerman: 16% Secure – 15% Mild insecure – 45% Moderate insecure – 24% Sever insecure

Ilam: 54% Secure – 12% Mild insecure – 12% Moderate insecure – 22% Sever insecure

Kohkiloyeh Boyerahmad: 35% Secure – 11% Mild secure – 22% Moderate insecure – 32% Sever insecure

Hormozgan: 48% Secure – 16% Mild insecure – 10% Moderate insecure – 26% Sever insecure

Boushehr: 57% Secure – 14% Mild insecure – 13% Moderate insecure – 16% Sever insecure

Across Iran, eight provinces particularly stand out on malnutrition indicators. Most of these provinces also suffer from poverty, or concentrated geographics pockets of it.

Prevalence of malnutrition by selected eight provinces:

Sistan and Balouchestan: 11.7% Wasting – 19.7% Stunting – 31.6% Anemia – 33.95 Vit. A deficiency

Khouzestan: 8.1% Wasting – 6.4% Stunting –20.9% Anemia – 33.9% Vit.A deficiency

South Khorasan: 8.1% Wasting – 11.1% Stunting – 24.2% Anemia – 26.1 % Vit. A deficiency

Kerman: 12.7% Wasting – 8.6% Stunting – 24.3% Anemia – 20.2% Vit.A deficiency

Ilam: 4.7% Wasting – 7.5% Stunting – 18.5% Anemia – 14.6% Vit.A deficiency

Kohkiloyeh Boyerahmad: 6.7% Wasting – 8.2% Stunting – 19.1% Anemia – 12.7% Vit. A deficiency

Hormozgan: 11.7% Wasting – 8.2% Stunting – 24.4% Anemia – 15% Vit.A deficiency

Boushehr: 5.2% Wasting – 6.3% Stunting – 20.7% Anemia – 12.7% Vit.A deficiency

Malnutrition in early childhood is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. Likewise, poverty is both a cause and a consequence of malnutrition in early childhood. Tackling these complex and interconnected problems requires a comprehensive, systemic, and transformative response across both nutrition and social protection.

The relationship between malnutrition, hunger and poverty is strong and incontrovertible. The debilitating physical effects of child food poverty and malnutrition lead to children having poorer cognitive skills, fewer years of schooling, lower school attainment and reduced wages in adulthood, leading to an increased probability of living in poverty. In turn, poverty threatens children’s nutritional well-being; it heightens their risk of becoming and remaining malnourished, and of relapsing into malnutrition even after they have recovered. When crises hit, the poorest are often the most likely to be affected child food poverty and by malnutrition.

The use of cash transfers in social protection programs can improve maternal and child nutrition, including by reducing the socioeconomic barriers to accessing nutritious diets. Results achieved for children and women are greater still when cash transfers reach the most nutritionally vulnerable; for example, when targeted directly to children and women during the first 1,000 days from conception to 2 years of age – the critical window of nutrition vulnerability. Furthermore, social protection programs that are combined with evidence-based complementary interventions, such as evidence-based food and nutrition policies, essential nutrition services, and timely and quality nutrition information, counseling and support, can lead to improved nutrition practices and can facilitate access to essential nutrition services for children and women.

Social protection contributes to the prevention of child food poverty, malnutrition and deteriorating vulnerability. Early warning information systems, such as the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC), can be used to trigger timely action to scale up social protection programs in response to shocks and mitigate hunger, poverty and malnutrition in children and women.

The impact of early expansion of social protection programs during times of crisis, particularly in contexts affected by severe food and nutrition insecurity, can be enhanced through the simultaneous scaling up of quality nutrition services through the food, health, and education systems and large-scale community action. Coordination between cash, livelihoods and agricultural recovery programs is also important.

How can you make a difference?

Objectives:

UNICEF is a global leader in child rights and has unparalleled experience in nutrition and social protection policies and programs for children and women across the globe. This ToR intends to investigate and promote the need for a systems approach, which effectively demands the realization of synergies across these two sectors in Iran.

The ToR will aim to formulate strategies that makes the social protection system, nutrition sensitive. It will also determine the differentiating features of such integrated system from current design. and propose frameworks for sustainable funding of it, as well as offering scale up options.

Deliverables:

1. Need assessment and evidence generation

a. Disaggregated analysis of malnutrition trends in Iran, based on household characteristics and with a focus on children in the eight insecure provinces

b. Explore the relationship between poverty, vulnerability, hunger, child food poverty and malnutrition

c. Stakeholder mapping and analysis of current gate holders for nexus of social protection and nutrition

d. Identify the second order consequences of existing nutritional trends on health and viability of children and identifying associated long-term costs over a 10-year horizon

2. Re- Structure current design schemes toward an integrated maternal and child nutrition and social protection programs

a. Conduct gap analysis on current status of interlinks between social protection and nutrition systems

b. Adjust cash transfer programs to improve dietary diversity, feeding and care practices, and access to essential nutrition services

c. Identify entry points for program linkages, and leverages that inform program design as well as providing tools to monitor success

d. Outline the requirements for an agile, fit-for-purpose and impactful, synergic nutrition and social protection system with clear roles and assigned responsibilities among stakeholders

3. Identify the gaps and propose organizational solutions to strengthen implementation capacity at the point of service delivery

a. Propose designs to enhance knowledge management and refining monitoring, evaluation and accountability systems

b. Identify main gaps in capacity of local governance systems, front line workforces and formulate material as well as system designs to enhance this capacity.

4. Advocacy requirements across nutrition and social protection for sustainable and adequate financing

a. Cost benefit analysis of joint nutrition and social protection initiatives, and build evidence case for sustainable funding mechanisms of these solutions in Iranian government’s budget

b. Identify entry points which bring together relevant stakeholders, including government ministries, NGOs and public-private partnerships to align food value chains in the country

Expected Outputs/reports:

The consultant is the primary source of national technical support for smooth implementation of the “Leveraging Nutrition and Social Protection Programming to Address Malnutrition and Poverty in Iran” with below key outputs. All deliverables must be in English and summarized in Persian.

Deliverable 1: Need assessment and evidence generation on disaggregated trends, on poverty and malnutrition as well as stakeholder analysis and cost estimates – Estimated Duration 4 weeks – Review and approval by UNICEF Social Policy Section

Deliverable 2: Report on proposed design re-structures toward an integrated maternal and child nutrition and social protection programs – Estimated Duration 4 weeks – Review and approval by UNICEF Social Policy Section

Deliverable 3: Report on gap identification and proposing organizational solutions to strengthening implementation capacity at the point of service delivery – Estimated Duration 4 weeks - Review and approval by UNICEF Social Policy Section

Deliverable 4: Develop advocacy requirements across nutrition and social protection for sustainable and adequate financing - Estimated Duration 4 weeks - Review and approval by UNICEF Social Policy Section

Duration and Timeline:

Expected Duration of Assignment: from May 2023 to September 2023

Verification:

Compliance of the contract implementation processes and its results with these Terms of Reference will be verified by UNICEF’s Social Policy section.

Duty Station:

Home-based.

Qualifications of the Successful Contractor:

Selection will be made based on review of technical capacity and the financial offer provided by the Consultant. In terms of technical capacity, the Consultant is required to have the following eligibility criteria:

Mandatory Qualifications:

• Minimum of master’s degree in Public Policy, Nutrition, Economics, Development studies

• Minimum 4 years of experience in socio-economic and nutrition areas

• Familiarity with Iranian social protection and nutrition support systems

• Strong communication, coordination, and collaboration skills

• Perfect command of oral and written English and Persian

• Previous experience in public sector, policy making as well as nexus of poverty and malnutrition

Desirable Qualifications:

• Previous experience on implantation of social protection and nutrition programs

• Previous experience with UN projects and procedures is an asset

• Intensive experience with Iranian government planning

Terms of Payment/Remuneration:

As full consideration for the services performed by the consultant under the terms of the contract, UNICEF shall pay the total amount of contract as per below instalments, upon certification that services have been satisfactorily performed and against submission of Invoice and signed Certificate of Payment (CoP).

1st Installment: 1st deliverable – 25% of total fee

2nd Installment: 2nd deliverable – 25 % of total fee

3rd Installment: 3rd deliverable – 25% of total fee

4th Installment: 4th deliverable – 25% of total fee

• The contract’s total payment is expected to cover travel cost to join the duty station communication costs, costs of typing and preparing the soft and hard copies of documents and any other relevant costs regarding this activity.

• Each payment will be made in Iranian Rials upon satisfactory completion of the tasks and respective deliverables as per submission of deliverables/claims by the consultant and the project/UNICEF approvals.

• Each payment will be transferred by UNICEF through Electronic Fund Transfer to the IRR account number of the contractor introduced through an official letter indicating full banking information. Payments will be made according to UNICEF regulations as explained in the contract documents. Each payment will be made in Iranian Rial within 30 days from receipt of UNICEF’s verification and payment request.

• The National Consultant shall not do any work, provide any equipment, materials and supplies or perform any other services which may result in any cost in excess of the abovementioned amount.

• The contract’s total payment is expected to cover travel cost to join the duty station, living allowances of site visits, communication costs, costs of typing and preparing the soft and hard copies of documents and any other relevant costs regarding this activity.

• The travel costs to join duty station and repatriation, if applicable, shall be included in the financial proposal.

Travel Requirements:

If travel is required under the contract, the individual contractor shall:

• Obtain the required Security Clearance from UNICEF office (the details of travel including date of departure and arrival, accommodation and purpose of travel shall be submitted to UNICEF office 2 working days before date of travel)

• Undertake the training courses on BSAFE and provide UNICEF with the certificate. The link to access the course is https://training.dss.un.org/course/category/6

• Undertake a full medical examination including x-rays and obtain medical clearance from an UN- approved physician. This is only applicable for the Consultant on the age of 65 years or more

The Contractor shall consult with the delegated authorities on the bases on Travel requirements before date of departure and arrival

NOTE FOR CONSULTANTS AND INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTORS:

The Consultant should submit a technical proposal including the plan, methodology and a timeline for conducting the consultancy and an overview of the subject to demonstrate his/her knowledge. Please submit a financial offer along with your proposal, which contains the following information:

• Fee for services to be provided – based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference

• Wherever possible, indicate the itemized cost of the travel (air tickets etc.) if an international consultation, and daily living costs for your stay in the country.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org