FOR CONSULTANT TO SERVE AS
Sexual & Reproductive Health/Reproductive Health Commodities Security - St Lucia
Hiring Office๏ผUNFPA Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean, Barbados & OECS
Purpose of Consultancy:
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund Sub-regional Office for the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, supports 22 countries and territories and has offices in six countries: Jamaica, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago. The Barbados Office covers the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States [OECS] countries which include Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and St. Lucia.
UNFPA, the Partnering UN Organisation, [PUNO], in partnership with UN Women [lead Agency], is funded by Global Affairs Canada to jointly implement the multi-year Build Back Equal Project [BBE] in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and St. Lucia to further promote improved economic and social equality for women and girls, with an emphasis on economic empowerment of women and the most marginalized or vulnerable women, including survivors of all forms of violence and elderly women, to uphold the principle of โLeaving no one behindโ.
The BBE project, through a comprehensive approach, will contribute to womenโs economic resilience in the Eastern Caribbean, by addressing the barriers women face to economic empowerment. Thus ensuring that women have greater access to quality subsidised childcare, reliable sexual and reproductive health services, climate and shock-responsive social protection such as gender-based violence services, access to innovative financing, digitisation and climate-smart and environmentally-friendly practices to grow their businesses. UNFPAโs focus will be centered on enhanced quality and accessibility of sexual and reproductive health and rights [SRHR] frameworks and services for women and girls, especially for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Under the BBE project, a Technical Specialist will be engaged as an International Consultant to support the implementation of the project activities in the four identified OECS countries. S/he will be required to provide technical and strategic programmatic leadership in Sexual & Reproductive Health/Reproductive Health Commodity Security [SRH/RHCS] to ensure that capacity building, advocacy and policy dialogue work reflects UNFPAโs mandate and programme policies as well as current thinking and academic advance in substantive areas affecting the ICPD Programme of Action. The Consultant will maintain primary responsibility for coordination of the provision of technical assistance and programmatic support to primarily Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines with a specific focus on family planning and RHCS, but also on adolescent health, comprehensive sexuality education, integrated SRH/GBV services and humanitarian preparedness and response.
Scope of Work:
The SRH/RHCS Consultant will be responsible for leading RH/RHCS interventions in the four Eastern Caribbean countries as well as for providing RHCS technical support to the other countries covered by the SROC.
The Consultant will:
Provide technical and related programme leadership, management advice and strategic support and guidance at sub-regional and national levels, in RH/RHCS, including for emergency preparedness and humanitarian assistance, in collaboration with technical and programme staff in SROC.
Provision of technical assistance to Ministries of Health to effectively forecast, procure, distribute and track the delivery of sexual and reproductive health commodities, including:
Rapid assessment of infrastructure, capabilities and human resources to inform the design of a robust SCM system.
Development of RHCS strategies, action plan and monitoring plan in all four countries (including consultations and validation processes) and development of advocacy materials.
Technical assistance to support the design of an automized Logistic Management Information System in Grenada to be implemented at all levels.
Supply Chain Costing capacity building to protect SCM financing and guide budgeting for SCM in Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Training on quantification and procurement practices- includes coaching.
Design robust SCM system, inventory control, and LMIS including capacity building.
Development & dissemination of advocacy materials on SCM in health crisis.
Design the health commodity supply logistic in line with the health priorities, and the national RHCS plans.
Provide, coordinate and manage trainings on rights-based voluntary family planning with a focus on adolescents and marginalized populations with focus on LARCS (Implants and IUDs) to health care providers, including:
Technical support to the introduction of implants and reposition of IUDs and capacity building on rights-based voluntary family planning.
Procurement of implants and anatomical models for the capacity building of health providers in implants and IUD insertions and removals.
Provide technical assistance to the Ministries of Health and CSOs on establishing rights-based, gender-focused and SRH services responsive to the needs of adolescents and youth
Development and implementation of the standards for quality health care services for adolescents.
Support ministries of health to develop mechanism for monitoring the provision of quality adolescent friendly services as per national standards.
Provision of integrated SRH information, services and the roll out of CSE toolkit for out-of-school youth, with particular focus on the most vulnerable persons (including adolescent girls, LGBTQ+, sex workers, hard to reach population etc.) through CSOs.
Provide technical assistance on legislative and policy reform where the law bars or hinders access to sexual and reproductive health and rights to relevant government entities.
Provide technical assistance to Ministries of Health on the operationalization of SRHR coordination mechanisms.
Contribute to the regional advocacy efforts with partners for the reliable and consistent improvement of RH commodities policy environment and systems strengthening.
Contribute to the development, implementation and monitoring of the national and regional strategies on RHCS.
Maintain and foster substantive and intellectual regional partnerships in RHCS for advancing state-of-the-art knowledge.
Represent UNFPA on programme issues upon request and elaborate UNFPAโs substantive sub-regional and global perspectives in SRH.
Support preparation of technical briefs, reports, or situation analysis in the area of SRHR and RHCS.
Provide technical oversight for the development of relevant advocacy, resource mobilization and policy documents to address programmatic issues for SRHR.
Carry out any other duties as may be requested by the office of the SROC Director.
Duration and Working Schedule:
The contract of this consultancy will be for the period July 1, 2023, to May 30, 2024.
The Consultant will be expected to work Monday โ Friday.
Place where services are to be delivered:
The Consultant will be based in St. Lucia with the proper office space and equipment provided to support the execution of duties and responsibilities of the position.
The Consultant will be expected to interact both virtually and physically with UNFPA staff, relevant UN Agencies and key stakeholders, and therefore must have good access to virtual communication services.