Antimicrobial Resistance Officer in Mauritania

UN VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT MRTR000027--Antimicrobial Resistance Officer The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long- established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.

General Information

Country of Assignment Mauritania

Host Institute World Health Organization

Volunteer Category International Specialist

Number of Volunteer 1

Duration 12 months

Expected Starting Date 01-03-2018

Duty Station Nouakchott [MRT]

Assignment Place

Family Duty Station

Assignment Place Remark

Family Duty Station.

Living Conditions

Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwestern Africa. It is the eleventh largest country in Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara in the north, Algeria in the northeast. Mauritania has a mixed Arab and Berber population of 3.4 million inhabitants (in 2014), about one third of its people live in Nouakchott, the capital and largest city, situated between the dunes and the ocean. Services and infrastructures that have been improving lately. The healthcare system in Mauritania mainly consists of administrative centers and emergency health facilities. The healthcare system in the country is predominantly public, however, over the past decade the private medical sector has experienced a steady increase. The country has hospital in all the 15 regions. Some of those hospitals are suitable for medical emergencies; however they are not fully equipped to house inpatients. The UN system has a list of hospital and private structures for the needs of the UN staff and families. There is a lack of adequate schools in the country. However, they are two main international schools (French and American). Mauritania does not have any particular security problems. Violent crimes are rare in Mauritania. Nonetheless expats, particularly women should avoid travelling alone at night and getting taxis alone as assault can be an issue with women, particularly foreigners. They are plenty restaurants and an important community of expats. Nouakchott has a Saharan climate. Daytime temperatures exceed 38 degrees Celcius (100° Fahrenheit) during the day, however the morning and nights are 16 Jan 2018 Page 1 of 5 cool. No particular vaccine is required to enter Mauritania. However, having an updated vaccination certificate is recommended. Assignment Details

Assignment Title Antimicrobial Resistance Officer

Organizational Context & Project Description

The aims of World Health Emergencies (WHE) programme in Mauritania are:

(i) to improve health national security by maintaining national alert and response operations and assisting the country in building its

capacity for surveillance systems, preparedness and response to all health emergencies, in line with the requirements of the

International Health Regulations and specific country risks;

(ii) to promote WHO's leadership in health emergencies and humanitarian health crisis including through relevant regional initiatives

and specific pilot research projects;

(iii) to assist the country establish and run effective health programmes that are able to tackle the burden of communicable

diseases, particularly, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, especially M/XDR-TB, antimicrobial resistance.

Within this context the WHO Mauritania country Office specifically aims to reduce the impact of antimicrobial resistant organisms and

their related morbidity and mortality. In line with the regional strategic action plan (2017-2022), WHO country Office will support the

Mauritanian Government in developing inter-sectoral policies for the prevention, detection and management of antimicrobial

resistance.

This will be done in close collaboration with relevant technical partners, by facilitating intersectoral coordination, supporting the

development of the national AMR action plans, strengthening surveillance of antimicrobial consumption and resistance,

implementing infection prevention and control programs, promoting antibiotic stewardship, stimulating innovation and research, as

well as supporting education, awareness and behavior change campaigns. The Mauritanian strategic action plan is fully aligned with

the Global AMR action plan adopted in 2015 in the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly of May 2015 and urged Member States to

develop National Action Plans for AMR using a “One Health Approach”.

Sustainable Development Goals 3. Good Health and Well-being

UNV Focus Area Securing access to basic social services

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the WHE Coordinator, and in straight collaboration with all relevant technical staff working on Health

Emergency programme experiencing the emergence of drug resistance, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Assess the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in the country

Identifying the main organisms to involve, their geographical distribution, their actual and/or anticipated impact in disease

control programs in the country, and other relevant elements for the development of an evidence-based surveillance capacity

and other actions to contain AMR, such as antibiotic stewardship, health care-associated infections and infection prevention

and control (IPC).

Advise and collaborate with the MoH on setting up appropriate national surveillance systems, advocate for harmonization and

standardization to obtain and report high quality data using available tools and methods incorporated by WHO African

Surveillance of antimicrobial Resistance and support enrolment in the Global AMR Surveillance System (GLASS).

Provide technical support and control quality for the national AMR reference laboratories, data management, proof-of-

principle studies, and others, in close collaboration with other WHO programs which face serious antimicrobial resistance

challenges, as well as with other programs which provide support for antimicrobial resistance surveillance, laboratory

capacity, etc.

Develop national laboratory standards and networks on antimicrobial resistance with emphasis on bacterial infections and

16 Jan 2018 Page 2 of 5 antibiotics, based on international standards.

Coordinate and provide technical assistance in applying tools and guidelines developed in the WHO African region and foster

training in antimicrobial resistance surveillance and laboratory standards on sensitivity testing, quality assurance and bio-

safety.

Contribute to fundraising in support to implementing the national strategic action plan and national policies for the

containment of antimicrobial resistance in the country.

Participate to, accompany MoH technical officer and represent the WHO Country Office in, technical international fora related

to antimicrobial resistance.

Promote and represent WHO's work related to AMR within the UN system in the country, with other organizations and

partners in country.

Support the implementation of the national IPC programme in collaboration with the MoH and other stakeholders for improved

IPC conditions in health structures.

Perform other duties as required by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:- Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerismby

reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNVactivities (for instance in events that mark International

Volunteer Day)- Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms ofvolunteerism in the host country- Reflect on the type

and quality of voluntary action that they areundertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities- Contribute

articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNVpublications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.- Assist with

the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers- Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering,

orencourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV OnlineVolunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/Expected Outputs

The AMR national plan is totally developed, validated and funding is mobilized for its implementation.

The country assessment of AMR situation is well known, validated and ready for stakeholder’s use.

The national ARM event-based surveillance system is set up, and data are collected, analysed and regularly shared with

decision makers

The National reference laboratory has acquired the standard competencies to carry out AMR activities.

The national programme of infection prevention and control is fully established and hospitals have good level of IPC

conditions.

The country is involved and shares good quality data with the Global Surveillance AMR and other relevant networks.

The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including

supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs);

Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout

the assignment

A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the

number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including

supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); • Age, Gender and Diversity

(AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final

statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development dur-ing the assignment, such as reporting on the

number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

Qualifications/Requirements

Required Degree Level Master degree or equivalent

Education - Additional Comments

Health science, microbiology (MPH, master in epidemiology/ medical microbiology/antimicrobial resistance). Desirable: Specific

training in AMR.

16 Jan 2018 Page 3 of 5 Required experience

24 months

Experience Remark

At least 2 years of experience, with increased responsibilities in antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems at the national or

international level. Experience with the management, organization and quality assurance of large data sets and development of

surveillance systems, including lab, training programs, use of web-based data collection. Experiences with laboratory standards on

AMR.

Desirable: Documented track-record in project management, planning and implementation of AMR surveillance. Experiences with

yearly reporting on AMR and providing scientific evidence from related research or programs. Experience in the African Region.

Language Skills

French (Mandatory) , Level - Fluent

AND - English (Mandatory) , Level - Fluent

AND - Arabic (Optional) , Level - Working Knowledge

Area of Expertise

Public health Mandatory

Other health related experience Mandatory

Area of Expertise Requirement

Need Driving Licence No

Competencies & Values

Ethics and Values

Integrity

Professionalism

Working in Teams

Conditions of Service and other information

Condition of Service Click here to view Conditions of Service

Conditions of Service for International Specialist:

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and

satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is composed of the Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family

Allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three).

The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and

other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$ 1,587. The

16 Jan 2018 Page 4 of 5 VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty

stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is

published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org.

For example, kindly enter the link Calculator

In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a

Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the

duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty

station.

UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security

framework (including residential security reimbursements).

UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for periodic home visit and for the final

repatriation travel (if applicable). Resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful

candidate.

Application Code MRTR000027-2433

Application procedure

* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup. Important: After creating your account, complete all sections

of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink.

Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.

* Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile. Then go to ‘My Page’ at

https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink to select the special call to which you would like to

apply.

Application deadline: 30 January 2018

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted after application deadline.

Disclaimer

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are

committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.

16 Jan 2018 Page 5 of 5