WASH FIT Consultancy. Req

Contract

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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, HOPE

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: WASH FIT Consultancy.

Section/Division/Duty Station: WASH Section – PG - NYHQ

Duration: 24 June 2024 – 14 March 2025

Home/ office Based: REMOTE

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection, and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations, and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is foundational to the provision of quality healthcare. Yet healthcare facilities across low- and middle-income countries are without these basic services. A 2022 progress report from the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene on WASH in healthcare facilities found that worldwide, 1 in 5 healthcare facilities (HCF) lack basic water services, 1 in 2 lack basic hand hygiene services, and 1 in 10 lack toilets. These poor conditions put more than 1.7 billion people at risk of contracting an infection while receiving care and put healthcare workers in dangerous environments to provide healthcare.

In the least developed countries, the problem is even greater: half of HCF lack basic water services. Furthermore, the extent of the problem remains hidden because major gaps in data persist, especially on environmental cleaning. COVID-19 has exposed key vulnerabilities in health systems, such as inadequate infection prevention and control. WASH services in HCF, so often taken for granted, are needed more than ever to protect vulnerable health workers and patients. Inadequate WASH conditions undermine not only quality care, but also impact initiatives aimed at improving maternal and child health and reducing antimicrobial resistance.

Progress has been made since the 2018 Global Call to Action on WASH in HCF issued by the UN Secretary-General which has elevated the programme among all UN agencies, partners, and Member States. Building upon this Global Call, all 194 WHO Member States unanimously approved a resolution on WASH in HCF at the 2019 World Health Assembly and in 2019, WHO and UNICEF published the Eight Practical Steps for universal WASH access. In 2023, the UN General Assembly passed another resolution in support of the issue.

There are already existing tools and resources to help strengthen capacities of governments and other partners, and amongst UNICEF staff. For instance, in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF developed the WASHFIT tool to help government and partners make incremental improvements and scale up WASH in HCFs. For the past several years, UNICEF has been supporting countries to build capacities of staff and governments to undertake WASHFIT implementation reaching over 60 countries. Since then, there has been unprecedented increase in demand from countries for WASHFIT implementation and so UNICEF intends to continue to build capacities of governments, partners and UNICEF staff to apply tool in HCFs and provide technical support on the Eight Practical Steps to scale up WASH services in HCFs.

This consultant will support the WASH Section at UNICEF HQ to provide technical support to countries on WASH FIT training and implementation in countries across the globe.

Scope of Work:

Between 20 June 2024 – 19 June 2025, this project will complete the following tasks:

• Provide guidance and coaching to regional and country offices seeking to roll out trainings on WASH FIT
• As requested, facilitate WASH FIT trainings in collaboration with regional and country offices
• Maintain the tracker on UNICEF’s SharePoint to monitor WASH FIT implementation in countries where training on WASHFIT was conducted.
• Support countries to document experiences and lessons from WASH FIT implementation in selected facilities
• Support regional and global webinars to facilitate cross countries experiences, best practices and lessons.
• Review the upcoming WASH FIT evaluation report to be produced by WHO and UNICEF in spring 2024.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. Support at least 7 country offices and 1 regional office with training and rollout of WASH FIT, including direct facilitation of trainings as requested by offices.

• At least 4 COs/ROs supported by Dec 31, 2024.
• At least 4 COs/ROs supported by June 19, 2025

2. Review and provide written comment on the draft WHO/UNICEF WASH FIT evaluation report. - By September 30, 2024
3. Present on knowledge sharing webinar on WASH FIT implementation. - By November 30, 2024.
4. Final consultancy report, including a summary of lessons learned on WASH FIT implementation. By June 19, 2025.

Qualifications

Education:

Advanced university degree in Public Health, Environmental Health, Engineering, Social Sciences, Statistics, Economics, or related field.

Experience:

• At least five years of experience working on WASH in healthcare facilities. Knowledge of the WASH FIT tool required.
• At least two years of experience as trainer/facilitator.
• Prior experience working for the United Nations an added advantage.

Competencies/Knowledge:

• Must be fluent in English. Knowledge of French or Spanish is considered an asset.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills required.
• Demonstrated capacity to work in a dynamic environment coordinating across different teams and sectors.
• Good interpersonal skills.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect:
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability.
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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:

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.