National Consultant for Maternal Nutrition (Only for Bangladeshi)

Contract

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Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Maternal and child undernutrition cause 45% of all deaths in children aged 0-59 months in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Among surviving children, these forms of undernutrition impair children’s physical growth and brain development, school readiness and educational achievement, and earning potential and productivity in later life. Globally, about 151 million children under 5 remain stunted and their physical growth and brain development compromised. Evidence indicates that a substantial proportion of childhood undernutrition has its origins in the fetal period. Maternal undernutrition in the form of short stature and low body mass index is related to small for gestational age births and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. In all, it is estimated that small for gestational age births may account for ~20% of the stunting burden observed in low- and middle-income settings as well as~20% of neonatal mortality. One particularly widespread problem of maternal undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries are deficiencies in micronutrients.

In Bangladesh context, one third of Bangladeshi pregnant women are underweight and 42% of ever married women of reproductive age (15-49 years) are anaemic. A body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5 is observed among 24% of ever married women of reproductive age. Around 13% of women in reproductive age are severely stunted (less than 145 cm) leading to prolonged/obstructed labour, the proportion of which out of the causes of maternal death has remained unchanged for a decade in Bangladesh. Fifty percent of women suffer from iron deficiency anaemia and 2.8% from night blindness. Though women’s nutritional status has improved slightly over the years, maternal malnutrition still contributes to a high rate of maternal mortality and under weight babies and further contributes to high stunting rates in children under 5 specially in first 2 years of their lives. At the same time, overweight and obesity are increasing, thus contributing to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and pregnancy-associated metabolic risks.

The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has few policies in place supporting maternal nutrition interventions such as provision of dietary counselling and iron and folic acid supplementation (IFAS) and has attempted to strengthen institutional delivery and improve quality of antenatal care (ANC) services at health facilities, the overall emphasis on maternal nutrition is limited. To illustrate, only little attention is given to maternal nutrition in the Comprehensive Competency-based Training on Nutrition (CCTN) designed by the Government of Bangladesh for service providers. Similarly, the quality of ANC services in Bangladesh remains low, as only 31% women receive four or more antenatal care visits. No recent data is available on consumption of IFA supplementation during pregnancy, but coverage is likely to be low.

Furthermore, a 2016 national expert consultation recommended that IFA programs should be strengthened through actions on both the demand and supply sides as well as improved monitoring to inform program implementation. Given the minor role of iron deficiency as a contributor to anemia, possibly related to high iron concentrations in groundwater in many parts of the country, the consultation recommended to lower the recommended iron dose offered to pregnant women as part of the standard of care from 60mg to 30mg. To address the high prevalence of other micronutrient deficiencies that contribute to anemia in the country, the consultation recommended that the Government of Bangladesh consider replacing iron/folic acid supplementation with prenatal multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) among pregnant women.

To this end, the Government of Bangladesh under the leadership of the National Nutrition Services, Institute of Public Health Nutrition (NNS, IPHN) with UNICEF’s support has taken action in conducting the situation analysis on the maternal nutrition service and current initiatives to improve the coverage and quality of maternal nutrition services through ANC platform, including the use of MMS; adapting WHO ANC 2016 Guidelines; improving maternal nutrition training guidelines and materials of the CCTN. The adaptation of the WHO ANC 2016 has taken place and the English version of the National Maternal Nutrition Guidelines has been finalized and endorsed by the established Technical Working Group. The next steps, as recommended by the TWG and agreed by the NNS, IPHN, are development of specific Operational Guidelines, Action Plan and costing exercise for the action plan of the maternal nutrition guidelines. Other actions that have been initiated under the leadership of NNS, IPHN include strengthening maternal nutrition services including the use of prenatal MMS through ANC public health platform, as well as improving quality of nutrition services for pregnant women and care for low-birth weight (LBW) infants.

To this end, UNICEF will hire a national consultation to provide technical assistance for maternal nutrition initiatives. The consultant will play role as liaison to the NNS, IPHN.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Timeline

Develop workplan for the given tasks and assignments with clear methodology and detailed timeline in Gantt Chart

Inception report for assignment with clear objectives, strategies/methods and detailed Gantt Chart (#1)

5 days

(2 weeks after contract signed/mid Dec 2020)

Support and facilitate translation work of the National Maternal Nutrition Guidelines (Note: translation work will be done by Third Party)

Draft of Bangla version of the National Maternal Nutrition Guidelines (#2)

40 days (Feb 2021)

Facilitate approval process of the National Maternal Nutrition Guidelines

Final Maternal Nutrition Guidelines (English and Bangla) submitted to NNS, IPHN with forwarding letter for government approval (#3)

20 days (Mar 2021)

Support organizing required meetings related to maternal nutrition programme (including logistics arrangement, DCT request)

Minutes of meetings (compilation from meetings take place quarterly (max 3 meetings quarterly) (Jan-Mar 21) (#4a)

Minutes of meetings (compilation from meetings take place quarterly (max 3 meetings quarterly) (Apr-Jun 21) (#5a)

Minutes of meetings (compilation from meetings take place quarterly (max 3 meetings quarterly) (Jul-Sep 21) (#6a)

5 days (Apr 2021)

5 days (Jul 2021)

5 days (Oct 2021)

Support implementation of maternal nutrition programme supported by UNICEF (the demonstration programme to strengthen maternal nutrition and the use of MMS and maternal nutrition investment, including field visits) in coordination with Zonal Colleagues

Quarterly updates on the programme implementation (Jan-Mar 2021) (#4b)

Quarterly updates on the programme implementation (Apr-Jun 2021) (#5b)

Quarterly updates on the programme implementation (Jul – Sep 2021) (#6b)

20 days

(Apr 2021)

20 days

(Jul 2021)

20 days

(Oct 2021)

Support work related to development of Operational Guidelines, Action plan and costing of action plan from the Maternal Nutrition Guidelines

Draft of Costed Action Plan of Maternal Nutrition Operational Guidelines

40 days

(Aug 2021

Document the lessons learned on the process of finalization of MN guidelines, implementation of demonstration programme and process development of maternal nutrition investment.

Key lessons learned (#7a)

Final consultation report (summary and attached all deliverables, in hard and soft copy) (#7b)

15 days

(Nov 2021)

5 days

(Nov 2021)

Minimum Qualifications required: Master's degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Social Science, Anthropology of other relevant disciplines with at least 4 years of related experience.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Experience in development and implementing of nutrition programme, including infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition, including community-based nutrition programme.
• Proven recent experience working on maternal nutrition issues and guidelines development
• Experience in planning and organizing consultation meetings/workshops with GoB
• Expertise in maternal nutrition, infant and young child feeding
• Proven effective communication (verbal and writing)
• Experience working with UN agencies or other International CSOs is preferable.

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.

The functional competencies required for this post are...

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.