HIV Specialist - Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW)

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life, as envisaged by 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are on the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners that can bring about results.

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan and help countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

BPPS supports UNDP’s 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, focusing on 7 outcomes including strengthening institutions to progressively deliver universal access to basic services (outcome 3). The HIV, Health and Development Group (HHD), within BPPS, is helping to contribute towards this outcome.

UNDP HIV, Health and Development Strategy 2016-2021

UNDP’s commitment to HIV and other major health challenges is based on the principles that health is both a driver and outcome of development, and that actions across a wide range of development sectors have a significant impact on health outcomes.

UNDP’s work in HIV and health contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals by addressing the social, economic and environmental determinants of health, health-related inequalities and governance for health. UNDP’s work in these areas is outlined in its HIV, Health and Development Strategy 2016-2021.

The strategy encompasses three inter-related action areas, each of which includes three priorities:

Action Area 1: Reducing inequalities and social exclusion that drive HIV and poor health.

Action Area 2: Promoting effective and inclusive governance for health.

Action Area 3: Building resilient and sustainable systems for health.

HIV, Health and Development Approach

UNDP is a founding co-sponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development leverages the organisation’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies.

UNDP’s Partnership with the Global Fund

The Global Fund achieves its goals through a broad range of partnerships, including with the United Nations family. UNDP partners with the Global Fund to support and strengthen national responses to HIV, Tuberculosis and malaria. The objective is to ensure access to quality health services for all, and enable all those living or affected by the diseases to live healthy, productive lives. The partnership leverages UNDP’s mandate to strengthened institutions to deliver universal access to basic services and rebuilding resilient health services in crisis and post-crisis settings.

• UNDP supports the implementation of Global Fund programmes on an interim basis in countries facing significant capacity constraints, complex emergencies, donor sanctions, or other difficult circumstances;
• Develops national capacity and strengthens national systems to gradually reduce the need for UNDP implementation support and to transfer the role of Principal Recipient to national entities when circumstances permit;
• Transforms national responses to the 3 diseases by providing policy and technical support in areas of UNDP expertise and mandate, such as human rights, gender, sustainable financing and environmental sustainability, and reaching key populations at higher risk.

UNDP is requested to serve as the Global Fund’s Interim Principal Recipient (PR) in countries facing a wide variety of special challenges, including serious capacity constraints, post-crisis or complex emergencies, weak governance and accountability, grant implementation difficulties and financial irregularities, donor restrictions, or other exceptional circumstances. UNDP only serves as an Interim PR when a national entity cannot fulfil this role, as determined by the Country Coordinating Mechanism and/or the Global Fund, including in countries under the Global Fund’s Additional Safeguards Policy (ASP).

UNDP Results

UNDP has contributed to 3.1 million lives saved through the UNDP-GF Partnership. As of 2017, UNDP is managing 36 grants in 19 countries, as well as 3 regional grants. The current total value of the portfolio in signed grant agreements is $1.7 billion. Total portfolio expenditure in 2015 was US $423 million.

UNDP’s Global Fund portfolio has saved 3.1 million lives in its support to countries, including children and young adults in their most productive years who would have otherwise succumbed to the three diseases, sparing countries the devastating socio-economic impact at both community and national levels of such massive mortality.

Beyond this programme implementation role, the past few years have seen a further deepening in UNDP’s engagement with the Global Fund on human rights, key populations, gender, capacity development of systems for health, sustainable financing, and other key strategic issues.

Global Fund Angola HIV grant:

UNDP is currently the Principal Recipient for the HIV grant in Angola, “Strengthening the National Response to HIV/AIDS in Angola,” which runs from July 2016 – June 2018 for a total amount of $29.9m. The program seeks to reduce new HIV infections among general and key populations, and to increase PMTCT and ART coverage for children and adults.  Increasing educational campaigns targeting young women in and out of school is among the grant’s prevention strategies.

Adolescent Girls and Young Women

In Angola, the HIV prevalence among 15-24-year-old is 0,9%, with a higher prevalence (1,1%) among young girls of the same age group (MIS, 2016). The national median age for sexual debut is 16 years old. Recent studies conducted by UNFPA, and UNICEF with the support from the Ministry of Youth & Sports and the Provincial Government of Huila show that in Luanda and Huila provinces, the age of sexual debut is lower than national data, at 13 years old in Luanda and 14 years old in Huila.

The study also indicates that the Efiko ritual which is linked with menarche (puberty) marks the beginning of sexual and reproductive age. After the ritual some families and communities understand that girls are ready to engage in sexual activity, become pregnant and give birth. On average, only 32% of girls aged 15-24 have comprehensive knowledge girls about HIV prevention, even lower at 9% in rural areas.  It should also be noted that teenage pregnancy rate is higher in the same areas. 50% of girls aged 19 years old have already had a baby. What this figure also tells us is that these girls had unprotected sex. Together with pregnancy, they are therefore exposed to STI and HIV infection. 

In the current grant, UNDP has contracted UNFPA to implement HIV prevention interventions with girls and young women, with focus on out-of-school ones, using the Bancada Feminina approach (BF, community sensitisation, using participatory approaches). Due to the definition of the Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) module in the Performance Framework, UNFPA is not working with boys under the Grant.

The community sensitisation activities being carried out in schools. Schools, especially in the rural areas, are considered a safe place where parents feel confident that they can leave their children, including for extracurricular activities such as sensitisation for adolescent sexual and reproductive health.  Given the fact that the age range targeted under the Grant is 10-24-year olds, it is essential for the success and continuation of the BF that the parents of those at the younger part of the age range, feel comfortable about where their daughters are going and where they will be, even if it for a couple of hours. The school provides reassurance to parents.

This does not mean however that only schooled children and adolescents are targeted under the GF-funded programme. In rural areas, the school is an open and safe space which attracts schooled and non-schooled children and youth. Attendance during the BF therefore includes both in school and out of school youth.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The aim of the consultancy is to help Global Fund grant implementers reduce the exposure of 10-24-year olds to HIV infection in 4 provinces of Angola.

Specific objectives

• To identify the risk factors that increase the vulnerability of 10-24-year olds to HIV in the provinces of Huila, Cunene, Kuando Kubango and Namibe;
• To assess the extent to which the programme strategies currently used by the Global Fund implementers are addressing such risk factors; and
• To propose improvements in programme strategies to enhance their relevance and effectiveness.  

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Consultant will carry out the following activities:

Conduct a desk review of existing the national Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health strategy and related documents as well as the UNDP/GF project documents;

Review the UNDP/GF targets and results with a view to assessing the effectiveness of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health innterventions in the 4 targeted provinces;

Compare implementation against workplan; 

Conduct in person or group based key stakeholder interviews and/or focus group discussions to understand social norms, barriers and risk factors faced by 10-24-year-old in relation to HIV in the 4 provinces. The interviews and FGDs will be carried out with:

• Beneficiaries (AGYW: girls and boys), teachers/parents,
• Service providers (HCWs, Activistas/PE, 1 or 2 SRs + PR),
• MOH at provincial/municipality levels.

Deliverables:

On starting the consultancy, the consultant will present a brief methodology showing the proposed number of days for desk review, review of the programme's effectiveness, FGDs & IDIs in the 4 provinces, drafting of the final report.

The consultant shall be responsible for submitting:

A summary report of the outcomes of the key stakeholder interviews conducted

One draft Assessment Report, including an Executive Summary, that provides:

• an overview of the social norms, barriers for AGYW to accessing services as well as the HIV risk factors faced by 10-24-year olds in the 4 provinces;
• the interventions implemented through the UNDP/GF supported programme and an assessment of their effectiveness;
• the existing gaps identified in the current program to address social norms, barriers for AGYW to accessing services and to address HIV risk factors identified ;
• an overview of the current M&E systems in place for reporting UNDP/GF PF’s indicators (identifying existing gaps in Data management and the quality of data);
• an assessment of assess mapping of the beneficiary populations in each of the 4 provinces
•  an assessment of linkages and referrals
• strategies and operational recommendations to tailor the programme as necessary to achieve impact;

Following inputs from stakeholders, submit a Revised Assessment Report incorporating feedback received; and

A final report on the consultancy. 

Evaluation:

Candidates will be evaluated using a combined scoring method with the qualifications and methodology weighted at 70% and the price offer weighted at 30%.  Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49% (out of 70%) points on the technical qualifications part will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Criteria for technical evaluation (70%):

• Minimum 7 years of working experience on issues related to Gender and HIV/AIDS, including the following areas: inclusion and participation of AGYW in decision making processes; programs to: advance women's and girls' rights and remove human rights barriers to health services, the socio-political and economic empowerment of women and girls and/or combat gender based violence. – 20 points
• Experience carrying out HIV program assessments to review effectiveness, impact and identifying opportunities to refocus or refine activities to achieve agreed goals – 20 points
• Work experience in a development context, either for an international organisation, NGO and/or UN agency, preferably supporting programs targeting AGYW – 20 points
• Experience of working and/or knowledge of the Global Fund and its strategy/activities to support AGYW – 10 points

Criteria for financial evaluation (30 points maximum):

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluatedy = maximum number of points for the financial proposalµ = price of the lowest priced proposalz = price of the proposal being evaluated

Reporting: The consultant shall report to the Project Coordinator for the UNDP/Global Fund Angola HIV grant. All expected deliverables will be submitted to the Project Coordinator for approval.

Travel: 

Travel within and outside Luanda is expected during the assignment, based on a schedule to be developed in accordance with UNDP and UNFPA. Payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP Team and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be covered and paid by UNDP.

Security: Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://trip.dss.un.org.

Competencies

Corporate:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional:

• Strong analytical, negotiation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products;
• Professional and/or academic experience in one or more of the areas of international development, public health or related field.

Project and Resource Management:

• Ability to produce high quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Ability to work independently, produce high quality outputs.

Communications and Advocacy:

• Strong ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences and speak clearly and convincingly;
• Strong analytical, research and writing skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically; 
• Strong inter-personal, negotiation and liaison skills.

Partnership building and team work:

• Excellent negotiating and networking skills; 
• Demonstrated flexibility to excel in a multi-cultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in a specialization relevant to health and development, strong preference for background in intersection of gender and HIV/AIDS  

Required Skills and Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of working experience on issues related to Gender and HIV/AIDS, including the following areas: inclusion and participation of AGYW in decision making processes; programs to: advance women's and girls' rights and remove human rights barriers to health services, the socio-political and economic empowerment of women and girls and/or combat gender based violence;
• Experience carrying out HIV program assessments to review effectiveness, impact and identifying opportunities to refocus or refine activities to achieve agreed goals;
• Work experience in a development context, either for an international organisation, NGO and/or UN agency, preferably supporting programs targeting AGYW;
• Experience of working and/or knowledge of the Global Fund and its strategy/activities to support AGYW, is an asset;
• Previous professional experience working in Angola, is an asset.

Language:

• Excellent written and spoken English;
• Fluency in Portuguese is strongly preferred.

Application Submission Process:

Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all docs in one file):

 Applicants should submit:

• Signed and Updated Personal History Form (P11). The template can be downloaded from  this link: http://sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc)
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability indicating an all-inclusive daily fee in USD. Applicants are instructed to upload their financial proposals using the Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability.

ANNEX 1 - INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS is provided here: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf.