Nutrition and Climate Change consultant

FAO’s Nutrition and Food systems Division (ESN) assists Member Countries to improve diets and prevent all forms of malnutrition, through appropriate policies, strategies and methodologies for improving the efficiency and inclusiveness of their food and agricultural systems. As a knowledge leader, areas addressed include dietary assessment, support on nutrition-sensitive food and agriculture policies and programs, effective nutrition promotion programmes, food value chains, market linkages, post-harvest handling and agro-processing. FAO is committed to support Member States in their efforts to improve nutritional outcomes as stated in the Rome Declaration on Nutrition (November 2014) and to mainstream nutrition into FAO’s strategic objectives.

FAO International Consultants and Call Purpose

Good nutrition is at the heart of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By declaring 2016-2025 the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, the UN General Assembly has fully endorsed enhanced efforts to ensure that good nutrition is achieved by all. Because nutrition starts with what one eats, to achieve this goal, food systems must deliver healthy diets for all. Food systems are increasingly challenged by climate change, land conversion, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and natural resource degradation. ESN is expanding the work stream dedicated to the integration of nutrition into efforts to address these challenges. FAO is supporting countries to both mitigate and adapt to stresses on the food system such as climate change through a wide range of research-based and practical programmes and projects.

The objective of the Call of Interest is to identify skilled professionals to support various activities focusing on the nexus of nutrition and climate change, biodiversity, and natural resource management.

Reporting Lines

The Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Director of ESN and the direct supervision of the Senior Nutrition and Food Systems Officer.

To provide data, information, knowledge and skills to analyse and interpret the relation between nutrition and climate change, biodiversity and natural resource management. This work will include providing support to the development of training materials and toolkits on nutritional vulnerability as a component of risk assessment and resilience planning. Other activities include contributing to the drafting of numerous reports through provision of nutrition technical input to documents focusing on biodiversity and natural resource management and resilience in the context of climate change. The consultant will also provide technical expertise for meetings, briefs, speeches, and similar deliverables. The consultant will contribute to the development of a sound understanding on the environmental impact of changes in dietary patterns.

• Support to FAO country projects focused on resilience in the context of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and natural resource degradation. Activities might include technical assistance to headquarters and field level staff for the implementation of specific activities.
• Develop capacity within ESN and in FAO regional and country offices to analyse and interpret the relation between nutrition and climate change, biodiversity and natural resource management. This will include developing risk assessment methodology, and training materials and toolkits.
• Provide technical nutrition input to documents focusing on resilience in the context of climate change, biodiversity challenges, and natural resource management.
• Provide technical review for nutrition components to diverse documents on resilience and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

• Support the FAO and ESN in consultations and meetings by providing data, information and knowledge and expertise on nutrition aspects of resilience building especially in the context of climate change, biodiversity challenges, and natural resource degradation including risk assessment and mitigation.
• Support FAO regional offices in development of tools to identify entry points, policy recommendations and programmatic actions to address climate change as a driver of malnutrition.
• Perform other duties as required.

• Advanced University degree in public health, natural sciences, earth and environmental sciences, geography, or similar. Degree in human nutrition is an asset.
• At least five years of relevant experience in programme and/or policy support in the area of nutrition and climate change or natural resource management.
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another of the UN languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian), preferably Spanish, for Consultants. Working knowledge of English for PSA.SBS.

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in providing support to project implementation;
• Work experience in liaison and communication amongst diverse sectors or stakeholders;
• Experience in preparation and providing support to events such as trainings, workshops, conferences, meetings;
• Extent and relevance of experience in the field of nutrition and governance;
• Strong written communication skills with demonstrable success;
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;
• Previous working experience in international organizations is an asset.

• Demonstrates expertise and experience in thematic area of nutrition and climate change, biodiversity, natural resource management and resilience;
• Experience in successful publication of work;
• Demonstrates skills and experience in supporting effective collaboration with partners, international actors and research institutions, etc.;
• Extent and relevance of knowledge and experience in the field of climate change, biodiversity, natural resource management and their inter-relatedness with on nutrition and solutions to mitigate potential negative interactions;