Individual Consultant: SRH in Emergencies Consultant – Preparedness

Purpose of Consultancy:

The Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region is exposed to multiple risks, including natural hazards (such as landslides, avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and droughts), population movements, armed conflicts, civil unrest, and disease outbreaks. Earthquakes are a dominant threat in most countries of the region. The ongoing war in Ukraine has caused a high number of IDPs and Refugees across different countries in the region, including Poland, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, and other countries.

Over the last 2 years, the geopolitical situation in Europe and Central Asia has drastically changed, resulting in increased political instability, volatility, full– fledged wars, border clashes, etc. The war in Ukraine that shifted from a protracted crisis in the East of the country since 2014 to a full-blown invasion in February 2022 and the recent earthquakes in Turkey are the most visible tips of the iceberg. There are strong and less publicised consequences however in neighboring countries which further directly and indirectly destabilize the economy and political equilibrium in each country, such as in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, Moldova and Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

UNFPA globally rolled out the Guidance Note on Minimum Preparedness Actions (May 2014 version) as part of the preparedness programs in July 2014. It was developed to enable a coordinated and focused Fund-wide strengthening of UNFPA’s preparedness capacity, including the preparedness activities at the country office level. For the specific preparedness on SRH, the 3rd MISP Readiness Assessment was conducted in 2021 by EECARO, covering 16 countries in the region to evaluate the country’s capacity to implement the MISP at the onset of a crisis. Based on the assessment results, UNFPA EECARO needs to provide technical support to UNFPA Country Offices (COs) to ensure the implementation of the MRA action plan by UNFPA COs and their partners in each country.

Due to the frequency and severity of humanitarian emergencies in the region and to improve the preparedness in the eight priority countries and other countries in the region, EECARO Humanitarian Team recruited a Sexual and Reproductive Health in Emergency (SRHiE) consultant in 2023 to help support and strengthen the emergency preparedness and response efforts with specific focus to support the implementation of the Minimum Preparedness Actions (MPA), the strengthening of the MISP readiness and support to build the capacity of UNFPA country offices in the region in the preparedness in general and SRH in emergencies in particular. The Sept – Dec 2023 consultancy will conclude with a final report summarising the (online- and in-person) support provided to UNFPA COs in terms of preparedness, emergency response, and MISP readiness, with a clear summary of key findings, lessons learned,, and recommendations for preparedness in EECA region. Based on the training needs of EECA country offices, a CO ranking for support is being developed with a recommendation for a training schedule 2024/25.

As this consultancy ends in December 2023, UNFPA is looking for a new consultant to implement the recommendations from the final report and training plan for the priority countries based on their ranking and needs.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Objective of the Consultancy:

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Regional SRHiE Specialist, the SRHiE preparedness consultant will provide high-quality support in strengthening emergency preparedness, including capacity building on humanitarian preparedness in general (MPA implementation) and SRHiE in particular (MISP readiness).

The SRHiE preparedness consultant will undertake remote and in-country missions as feasible within this time frame to country offices to provide technical assistance and conduct capacity-building activities. To meet this objective, UNFPA is looking for a consultant with strong technical expertise and strategic thinking to undertake this consultancy,

Scope of Work:

Under the overall supervision of the UNFPA EECARO regional director and EECARO regional humanitarian coordinator and direct supervision of the EECARO Regional SRHiE specialist, the SRHiE preparedness consultant will work closely with the GBViE preparedness consultant that will also be recruited for this consultancy, as well as the wider EECARO’s Humanitarian and SRH Team, including the Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Response Specialist, to support inclusive and accessible regional preparedness, including capacity-building activities.

Expected Outputs include:

• Develop a regional emergency preparedness plan based on the recommendations from the 2023 Preparedness Report, in collaboration with the GBViE Preparedness IC and EECARO Humanitarian Team.
• Support COs in EECA in the implementation of their 4-year plan to increase MISP readiness in their respective countries
• Support coordination and co-facilitation of the “humanitarian leadership and nexus trainings” (name still to be agreed upon) in EECA in 2024 for UNFPA COs senior management and technical experts, with key inputs on preparedness and emergency response in general, and SRHiE in particular.
• Contribute to the development of the various preparedness capacity building initiatives that will take place in 2024 in EECA under the overall coordination of EECARO Regional Director, including on preparedness, the nexus and the development of strong Country Programme Documents (CPD)
• Contribute to the adaptation and contextualization to EECA of key SRH Programming Guidelines, trainings and tools, such as data collection tool for SRH service coverage, guideline on CVA and AAP as part of SRH intervention, disability inclusion within the SRH services.and/or others as needed, in collaboration with the Regional SRHiE Specialist and the SRH RO team.
• Undertake travel to Istanbul (EECARO) or other countries within Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, as needed; and
• Perform any other duties as required by the UNFPA EECARO Regional SRHiE specialist, regional humanitarian coordinator, and regional director and deputy.

Expected Deliverables:

• Regional Preparedness Plan based on the recommendations from the 2023 Preparedness Report and lessons learned from the MISP Readiness Assessments.
• Monthly report with key achievements, capacity building activities, training materials, tools, and guidance developed and technical assistance provided to UNFPA COs.
• Organization and co-facilitation of regional humanitarian response and preparedness training, in collaboration with other colleagues (withcomponents on the nexus and the drafting of Country Programme Document)
• Final report summarising the preparedness capacity building activities conducted in the priority countries with a clear summary of key findings, the support provided, and recommendations.
• Set of guidelines, tools and training/capacity building materials adapted to EECA, with a focus on SRHiE

Duration and working schedule:

Consultant will be engaged for up to 132 workdays on a part time basis as per request of EECARO and may include remote or in-country support at the regional office in Istanbul, or deployment to Country Offices, as needed.

Place where services are to be delivered:

Home-based with expected travels to EECARO and Country Offices in the EECA region, as needed. UNFPA will pay travel costs separately and in line with UNFPA travel policy.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

Electronic copy, as needed.

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:

The SRHiE consultant will work closely with the Regional SRHiE Specialist, the Regional Humanitarian Response Specialist, the Regional GBViE Specialist, the humanitarian team and other EECARO staff as needed. Frequent discussions will be held to note progress throughout the contract, and a tracking sheet will be used to document progress against ToR deliverables and deadlines.

Supervisory arrangements:

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Director, the SRHiE consultant will report directly to the EECARO Regional SRHiE Specialist, who provides direction and guidance, certifies delivery of outputs and evaluates performance.

Expected travel:

Possible travel to the Regional Office or Country Offices, as needed.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

Education:

Minimum of Master’s degree in medicine, public health, gender studies, public health, international development, social sciences, or other related fields.

Knowledge and Experience:

• A minimum of 7 (seven) years of relevant professional humanitarian experience, including experience in SRH in emergencies;
• Substantive knowledge and practical experience in sexual and reproductive health programming in humanitarian with a specific focus on preparedness (MISP and MISP readiness assessment);
• Knowledge and experience in the UNFPA’s Minimum Preparedness Actions (MPA) implementation is an advantage;
• Demonstrated humanitarian coordination and programming and ability to establish harmonious working relations in an international and multicultural environment;
• Experience in capacity development and delivery of SRHiE training components to UN, government, NGO, and community-level participants.
• Excellent computer literacy (MS Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and Internet skills).

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:

Consultant is expected to have own equipment and means of communication to deliver the expected services.

Payment and other relevant information or special conditions, if any:

Total fee payment for this contract will not exceed the amount equivalent to the daily fee times 132.

Payment will be made upon delivery of satisfactory services and acceptance by UNFPA in four instalments as following:

• Initial instalment – upon accumulation of 33 workdays
• 2nd instalment – upon completion of 33 workdays
• 3rd instalment – upon completion of 33 workdays
• Final instalment – upon accumulation of remaining 33 workdays or less, but not exceeding 132 workdays in total

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA’s workforce – click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.