National Consultancy on “Measuring the Load of Special Responses on Iranian Health Care, Education and Social Protection Systems” (only Iranian National)

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Consultancy on “Measuring the Load of Special Responses on Iranian Health Care, Education and Social Protection Systems”

Location: IRAN

Type of Contract: Individual Contract

Languages Required: English

Expected Duration of Assignment: 4 months from May 2023

Background

Responsiveness to shocks of differing natures is an essential component of social services. In a shock-prone country such as Iran, this corresponds to a considerable operational load for social systems. This also imposes significant costs as systems are not necessarily planned and budgeted on responses outside their normal operations. This consultancy intends to explore shock response economics and its impact on the development of Iranian children for three major subsets of social services: health, education, and social protection.

The health system of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in transition. The country has long been recognized for its innovative approaches to primary health care. Over the past four decades, the country’s pro-poor and community-based orientation has extended access of its population to primary health care services, especially in rural areas. The Islamic Republic of Iran has extended health insurance coverage to a nearly universal level, with an estimated 95% of the population covered by a public health insurance scheme in 2017. Therefore, it is important to maintain financial sustainability as well as service provision quality of the system to match this political commitment.

The recent influx of the Afghan population has put a huge strain on the Iranian health system. The newcomers arrive with a particular disease profile, which does not necessarily reflect the current priorities of the Iranian health network based on its national assessments. And therefore, the system must be on overdrive to compensate for risks introduced to the health system. Moreover, given the concerns of the undocumented migrant population from referring to hospitals and clinics, the trend has put a further load on PHC services to offer more intensive interventions. Shifting to other natural disasters, little is known regarding the financial burden and quality of response in shock. In addition, the sustainability of funding methods utilized for these responses is a critical element in designing shock responsive structure of the health system.

Iran's Ministry of Education is a crucial institution that oversees the development and management of the country's education system. With over 12 million students and 1.2 million teachers in more than 200,000 schools, the ministry plays a critical role in promoting access to education and fostering innovation in the classroom. The Ministry of Education has made significant strides in providing access to education for all Iranians, particularly those from marginalized communities, as evidenced by the primary enrollment rate of 98% and a lower secondary enrollment rate of 95%. However, despite these achievements, the education budget in Iran remains low, and almost 95% of it is used for salary payments. This has resulted in a lack of investment in infrastructure, curriculum development, and teacher training, which are essential for providing quality education. Challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited resources, and gender inequality remain significant obstacles to providing high-quality education for all Iranians. Nonetheless, the ministry's commitment to providing equitable access to education and promoting critical thinking skills necessary for Iran's economic and social development is commendable. Moving forward, the ministry will need to continue its efforts to improve the education system while addressing the challenges facing it.

Since 2015, the country has committed to providing equal access to education to migrant and refugee children regardless of documentation status. In 2022, around 650,000 Afghan students were enrolled in the formal education system, many of whom in communities that are already stretched for resources. And this has put additional burdens on the education system which can affect the quality of education. New migrants usually move to areas with existing migrant communities to benefit from their support; therefore, it is expected that pressure on the host communities’ education facilities would increase, and it is almost certain that those districts will not have the capacity to match their services with the new demand. This would create a big gap between the financial and human resources and infrastructure capacity of education system, particularly in the areas with high population of Afghan refugees. Moreover, in natural disasters, schools serve as the nodes for response. While imposing unbearable costs in case of fragility.

Iranian social protection system comes with an ambitious mandate of covering all suffering from poverty and vulnerabilities. The system manages all major pension funds in the country. It also handles the monthly cash transfer program which nearly covers all Iranian households, except for few in decile 10. The social protection system offers wide range of smaller scale programming for people with vulnerabilities. Despite its successes in selected areas, social protection system of Iran has suffered from macro factors of the environment such as double-digit inflation and economic growth issues. This is exacerbated by pension crisis and the persistent capacity challenges of service delivery.

Although at the current moment, Iranian social protection system is not inclusive of refugees, persistent social vulnerabilities among this population with large scale negative externalities have caused policy makers to rethink this. In addition, social protection system serves as the backbone households’ welfare in post shock and recovery phases. And is the first system to respond with long term development impact on children. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the requirements for creating a shock responsive framework with corresponding financing.

Objectives:

UNICEF is a global leader in child rights and has unparalleled experience in health, education social protection policies and programs for children and women across the globe. This ToR intends to investigate the funding and economics of national systems in responding to shocks, with a focus on refugee inclusion and natural disasters.

The ToR will aim to formulate strategies that makes the social systems, shock responsive in a sustainable manner. It will also determine the differentiating features of such systems from current design and propose pathways for transition.

How can you make a difference?

Deliverables:

1. Estimate the current cost of refugees, emergencies and non-insured population on Iranian health care, education and social protection systems; provide a complete tally of laws and regulation in this area as well as practices on the ground

a. Provide cost estimating framework suitable for data scare environment of Iranian social services, taking into account detailed costing of services provided- when available

b. Provide disaggregated estimates on each system corresponding to different shock mechanism using administrative and proxy data

c. List and analyze regulation outlining the response as well as financial bylaws governing their funding

2. Provide an analysis of how current practices impact the long-term viability of the Iranian health, education and social protection systems particularly in delivering results for children; articulate a cost and benefit framework for current existing practices

a. Build scenario on future with premises based on current trends and their potential trajectories

b. Provide gap analysis between favorable and unfavorable scenarios

c. Provide solid cost and benefit values for these scenarios, monetizing the result frameworks for these system

3. Propose policies and structural adjustments that potentially reduce the costs of emergency related shocks on Iranian health, education and social protection systems while improving results

a. Outline the infrastructure needed for creating a shock responsive social services system

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

c. 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. Identify sustainable funding mechanisms which enhance the fiscal stability of these systems while enhancing their result indicators

a. Propose revenue generation schemes, taxes, budgeting practices and implementation processes which contribute to timeliness and sustainability of response to shock across these systems

b. Identify entry points that bring together relevant stakeholders, including government ministries, NGOs and public-private partnerships for creating sustainable funding sources

c. elaborate the disaggregated impact of such measures on different target populations of the system

Expected Outputs/reports:

The consultant is the primary source of national technical support for the smooth implementation of the “Measuring the Load of Special Responses on Iranian Health Care, Education and Social Protection Systems” with the below key outputs. All deliverables must be in English and Persian.

Deliverables / Outputs:

1. Estimate the current cost of refugees, emergencies and non-insured populations on Iranian health care, education and social protection systems; provide a complete tally of laws and regulations in this area as well as practices on the ground – Estimated Duration: 4 weeks – Review and Approval: UNICEF Social Policy Section

2. Provide an analysis of how current practices impact the long-term viability of the Iranian health, education and social protection systems particularly in delivering results for children; articulate a cost and benefits framework for current existing practices - Estimated Duration: 4 weeks – Review and Approval: UNICEF Social Policy Section

3. Propose policies and structural adjustments that potentially reduce the costs of emergency related shocks on Iranian health, education and social protection systems while improving results – Estimated Duration: 4 weeks – Review and Approval: UNICEF Social Policy Section

4. Identify sustainable funding mechanisms which enhance the fiscal stability of these system while enhancing their result indicators – Estimated Duration: 4 weeks – Review and Approval: 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.

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 – upon delivery of deliverable # 1- Amount: 25% of the total cost

- 2nd installment – upon delivery of deliverable # 2- Amount: 25% of the total cost

- 3rd installment – upon delivery of deliverable # 3- Amount: 25% of the total cost

- 4th installment – upon delivery of deliverable # 4- Amount: 25% of the total cost

• 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 will be provided)

• 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

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

Selection will be made based on review of technical capacity and the financial offer provided by the Consultant. 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.

• 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.

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.

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, Public Health, Economics, Development studies

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

• Demonstratable research backgrounds in economic analysis and estimation

• Familiarity with Iranian social protection, health and education 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, health and education programs

• Previous experience with UN projects and procedures is an asset

• Intensive experience with Iranian government planning

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