Consultancy: Youth Engagement, Participation and Communication specialist, Health Section, PD - NYHQ, Requisition #514610

UNICEF HQ is seeking an individual consultant to (i) analyse and compile messages from individual country based consultations (to be undertaken by UNICEF and UNFPA country offices and UN MGCY constituencies in a variety of countries), (ii) facilitate a one-day preparatory workshop in Astana with young people representing youth organisations/advocacy groups/ issue-based organisations who will participate in the Global Conference on PHC to make sure the messages from the global consultations (face-to-face and U-report) are adequately represented during the conference and young people are afforded opportunities to network and build new alliances (iii) plan, prepare and coordinate a Youth lunch at the Global Conference on PHC where the voices and stories on health and PHC from young people across the globe should be heard and seen loud and clear.

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Background & Rationale

UNICEF is committed to supporting adolescents to reach their full potential. The premise is that by protecting adolescent’s rights to health, wellbeing, education and full participation in society, adolescents can acquire the capabilities and opportunities they require to make a healthy, safe and productive transition into adulthood.

From 25-26 October, 2018, UNICEF, WHO and the Government of Kazakhstan will co-host the Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, Kazakhstan, a high-level conference focusing on primary health care (PHC),. The conference will bring together UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom, heads of state, ministers of health, education and finance, primary health care practitioners and young people from around the world.

The conference will explore how PHC can contribute to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals on health and is expected to drive renewed political commitment to PHC and UHC among global leaders, development practitioners and young people.

As a co-convener of the conference, UNICEF has been tasked with promoting youth engagement and participation, in the lead-up to, during, and after the conference. UNICEF in collaboration with WHO, UNFPA, the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth (UN MGCY) and the Government of Kazakhstan have agreed to engage in a broad consultation with young people and young medical professionals to better understand the experiences, needs, aspirations and contributions of young people on health and PHC. This information will be used to inform and shape the global PHC agenda both during the conference and in other fora.

The voices of young people, particularly young people who are members of marginalized groups, are seriously under-represented in global dialogue around health, PHC and how to achieve UHC. This is a serious problem, particularly given that health care is critical to young people both today as users and providers of services and  support and tomorrow as future parents, grandparents, care givers and service providers. . Young people have unique health needs yet are often poorly served by health services. The engagement of young people within their communities and with their peers is essential for promoting good health and preventing disease. Listening to young people and ensuring their voices are heard when policies and programmes are designed is essential, both for improving the quality of health services, but also for improving demand by young people for health services, with positive implications for public health.

The focus of this consultancy is to facilitate youth engagement and participation through different forms of consultations before the Global Conference on PHC and analyse and communicate the messages from these consultations during the Global Conference on PHC. UNICEF wants to ensure that the stories, voices and faces of young people become a prominent feature of the conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, including the voices of marginalized young people. UNICEF will also conduct a global U-report poll that will complement in country face-to-face consultations (data from the U-report poll will be analysed and presented under a separate short-term consultancy contract).

Purpose

UNICEF HQ is seeking an individual consultant to (i) analyse and compile messages from individual country based consultations (to be undertaken by UNICEF and UNFPA country offices and UN MGCY constituencies in a variety of countries), (ii) facilitate a one-day preparatory workshop in Astana with young people representing youth organisations/advocacy groups/ issue-based organisations who will participate in the Global Conference on PHC to make sure the messages from the global consultations (face-to-face and U-report) are adequately represented during the conference and young people are afforded opportunities to network and build new alliances  (iii) plan, prepare and coordinate a Youth lunch at the Global Conference on PHC where the voices and stories on health and PHC from young people across the globe should be heard and seen loud and clear.

The consultant will carry out this work in close consultation with the UNICEF PHC Youth engagement and participation task team (consisting of Adolescent and Communication Specialists based in HQ, the UNICEF regional office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) and the UNICEF Kazakhstan country office). The consultant will also interact with representatives from the Government of Kazakhstan, WHO, UNFPA and the UN MGCY, as this is a joint effort.

Expected results: (measurable results/Deliverables)

1. Analysis of in-country consultation meeting reports with messages from young people collected through face-to-face consultations which will take place July-August 2018, and compilation and synthesis of key messages, life stories, voices and develop a report with a coherent narrative with key issues and messages from young people to other young people and world leaders in health. (10 days)
2. Facilitate a one-day preparatory workshop in Astana with young people (18 years of age or older) youth representing organisations/advocacy groups/ issue-based organisations that will participate in the Global Conference on PHC to make sure the messages from the global consultations (face-to-face and U-report) are adequately represented and conveyed. The preparatory workshop should also facilitate networking and coalition building amongst the group of young people participating in the conference and ensure they are briefed about the content of the conference, the common objectives and messages that they wish to convey to other conference participants and government officials. (10 days)
3. In consultation with young people who will be attending the Global Conference on PHC and the UNICEF PHC Youth engagement and participation task team, plan (incl. communication strategy and schedule) Youth lunch session at the conference and if required facilitate the lunch where the voices, stories and opinions on health and PHC from young people across the globe can be communicated to the wider conference audience. Communication materials (photos, films will be gathered during the country level face-to-face consultations and under a separate short-term consultancy contract). (10 days)
4. Coordinate communication and alignment between UNICEF HQ, Europe Central Asia regional office (ECARO) and Kazakhstan country office, UNFPA and the UN Major Group for Children and Youth. (3 days)
5. Produce an end-of-consultancy report (maximum 15 pages) describing the main learnings, challenges and results from the consultancy as well as opportunities and possible avenues/activities for the continued engagement and participation of young people beyond the conference to promote and deliver PHC that can contribute to achieving UHC. (5 days)

Duty Station : Remote or UNICEF HQ New York, US.

Timeframe

Expected Start date: 1 September 2018                              
End date:  30 November 2018

Key competences, technical background, and experience required Deadline

• Advanced university degree (Master's) in Public Health, Social Science, Sociology, Development studies, Communication, Journalism or related field
• At least 5 years of relevant experience working in the field of public health, adolescent health and/or global health communications
• Expert skills in planning and facilitating youth engagement and participation activities internationally
• Excellent communication skills and experience of developing and implementing communication strategies
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills
• Experience of working with UN, global non-governmental organisations or other relevant partners
• Experience of working with people in different locations, cultures and capacities toward a common goal
• Self-starter with ability to plan and execute projects in a timely manner
• Fluency in English and excellent writing skills (writing samples should be provided together with application). Knowledge of other official UN languages is desirable.
• Submission of at least 2 products and/or writing samples related to youth engagement;
• Minimum three references that include the name and contact person, title and contact information.
• A detailed financial proposal quoted in United States Dollars (USD) which must outline, fees for thirty-five (35) working days.

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

Remarks

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.