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Qualifications
Purpose of the Consultancy The consultant will support advancement of activities of the multi-partner maternal and newborn health initiatives, i.e., Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) and Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP), in Africa.ย ย
Background The Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing (MCA) Department at WHO HQ, and the Reproductive and Maternal Health (RMH)/Child and Adolescent Health (CAH) Units of the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WH) AFRO)aligns with the goals and targets related to maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Strategy for Womenโs, Childrenโs and Adolescentsโ Health to support the achievement of WHOโs 13th General Programme of Work.ย Annually, almost 300,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth, around 2 million babies are stillborn, and 2.4 million babies die in the first month of life.ย The WHO African Region bears a disproportionate burden of this preventable mortality. WHO/MCA, in collaboration with the WHO AFRO/ULC/LC and partner agencies, is committed to improving maternal and newborn survival towards achieving global targets. A number of initiatives are underway to advance maternal and perinatal health and survival. These efforts are even more urgent in the WHO African Region. Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM), a global initiative to address maternal deaths, and Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP), a global initiative to address stillbirth and neonatal deaths, aim to accelerate and track progress in improving maternal, perinatal, and newborn health and wellbeing. ENAP and EPMM joined forces as a multi-partner movement co-chaired by WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA to strengthen the coordination of actions in countries to create synergy and avoid duplication of efforts to guide actions toward achieving the coverage targets and milestones by 2025 as a step towards the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In this effort:ย
- All countries are invited to develop Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) acceleration plans 2023-2025 as part of their national RMNCAH strategy and plan.
- Implementation efforts will be led by each country's Ministry of Health (MoH).
- Partners at the national and subnational levels will provide technical support to implement the acceleration plans.
- Regional and global partners will complement national technical support based on country MNH priorities for impact.ย There are a number of working groups focused on various areas of work overseen by the ENAP-EPMM Management Team both at global and regional levels. The working groups focus on country implementation (CIG), metrics, advocacy, research and innovation, emergencies, commodities, etc. ENAP-EPMM CIG has been assigned the responsibility of tracking and assisting with implementing MNH Acceleration Plans (EPMM/ENAP) alongside country leaders and partners.
Deliverablesย Output 1: Country MNH Plans
- In consultation with the WHO AFRO, regional EPMM/ENAP CIG leads, WHO MCA including the ENAP-EPMM Secretariat colleagues, identify and liaise with countries for developing MNH Acceleration plans and detailed technical assistance plans (templates available).
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications: Essential: Advanced university degree (Masters' level) in medicine or public health-related field, from a recognized university.ย
Experience:ย Essential:ย At least 7 years of experience working in a health-related field at regional or international level with a good understanding of the health systems and maternal and newborn health programme implementation and monitoring.ย
Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:
Ability to coordinate expert groups Ability to conduct data analyses Experience working with colleagues and stakeholders from various cultural backgrounds Experience living and working in low- and middle-income countries Expertise in creating plans and monitoring projects. Ability to conceptualize, present and write about health topics.Languages and required level: Essential:ย Expert knowledge of English or French with working knowledge of the other.ย Desirable:ย Intermediate knowledge of Portuguese.
Location On site: WHO Regional Office for Africa.ย ย
Travel The consultant is expected to travel, including for taking up assignments and country technical support, when required.
Remuneration and budget The remuneration will be based on applicable assignment assigned experience as per the consultant payment guidelines according to the monthly rate of band levels B.
Lower to mid end of band level B - USD 7,000 to 8,500 per month.ย A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited.ยExpected duration of contract:ย Duration:ย 8 months.
Additional Information
This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
A written test may be used as a form of screening.
If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link:ย http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email toย reasonableaccommodation@who.int.
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Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
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