National Project Coordinator

This position is located in FAO Representation office, Islamabad, Pakistan. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural , fisheries and forestry sectors and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The project is under the Implementation of Codex standards to support containment and reduction of foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) .

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a global threat on several fronts, including food safety. Codex has developed and continues to develop a range of tools in the form of standards, guidelines, and recommendations that can support containment and reduction of foodborne AMR. However, countries face many challenges in adopting these standards ranging from lack of resources, expertise, and capacity to awareness of the importance and impact of implementing Codex Standards. In addition, there is a currently no systematic means of monitoring the use and impact of Codex standards which contributes to gaps in our understanding of the global use of Codex standards, their overarching impact and how they might be further improved to reflect the needs of Members. In this context, there is a clear need for Codex in collaboration with FAO’s technical divisions to support Member countries to implement Codex standards, especially on AMR, in line with a country's situation and need, and bridge the gap between Codex standards, which are agreed at the intergovernmental level and therefore somewhat overarching in structure, and the needs of individual Member countries in implementing these standards at the local level, and in parallel to monitor that uptake and use to better inform future standards development and support to Members in applying Codex standards.

This project will aim to work at both the global and local levels to support the implementation of Codex standards, especially those related to the containment and reduction of foodborne AMR, and then to monitor the use and impact of Codex standards. In this context, this proposal aims to apply a two-pronged approach to support Member countries by:

1. Developing tools and approaches at the global level to:

• assess the use and impact of Codex standards, specifically those related to the containment and reduction of foodborne AMR;

• create awareness, support implementation, and demonstrate the value of Codex standards, specifically those related to the containment and reduction of foodborne AMR; and
• support data collection and analysis to inform risk assessment and management of foodborne AMR.

2. Working with selected Member countries at the national level to:

• assess needs and support the implementation of monitoring and surveillance programmes and risk management measures based on Codex standards related to the containment and reduction of foodborne AMR; and
• develop and pilot a range of practical tools and learning resources on foodborne AMR that can be made available for use by all Member countries.

At the national level, the project will focus on six pilot Member countries in the Asia/Pacific and South America regions. The project will be implemented in close cooperation with the division for food safety (ESF) and other relevant units, including the concerned regional and country offices. It will compliment and build upon ongoing FAO activities to support members in their endeavors to improve food safety and address AMR.

This approach will involve all relevant stakeholders along the food chain with input from regulatory authorities, public and private sectors, and other stakeholders as required.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative Pakistan, direct supervision of Assistant Representative (Program) and the technical supervision of the TO and the Regional Food Safety Officer, the National Project Coordinator will perform the following tasks:

Technical Focus

• Knowledge of the country, its stakeholders
• Experience in facilitating national public health initiatives.
• Proven capacity in networking sensitively, cooperatively and productively with multiple stakeholders
• Knowledge of Codex, food safety and AMR

Tasks and responsibilities

• Lead the development and/or review of a situational analysis of the current situation in Pakistan with regard to its use of Codex standards, its food safety system and its approach to addressing AMR with a particular focus on foodbome AMR;
• Engage with key national stakeholders and if not already in existence support the establishment of a multi-sectoral national team to guide and support the activities under the project as well as promote the project outputs;
• Lead the development of the detailed national work-plan under the country component of the project “Implementation of Codex standards to support containment and reduction of foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR)”in consultation with national partners, based on the situation analysis and local consultation, ensuring complementarity to ongoing activities in the country.
• Facilitate the implementation of the relevant assessments (e.g. ATLASS, PMP) which will facilitate the establishment of a baseline for the current situation in the country and enable prioritization of the activities to be implemented under the project.
• Lead, facilitate and provide inputs to work plan implementation in the areas of surveillance and good practices and monitor progress against the work plan by tracking activities and targets with periodical review and revision;
• Support the roll out of a system to monitor the use of Codex standards in the country.
• In close liaison with the FAO Pakistan country office, ensure that project expenses are regularly updated and reflected in the FAO accounting system. Produce on a regular basis a narrative progress report as well as financial delivery estimates (every six months), with forecast expenses as well as activities milestones/progress;
• Engage and collaborate with relevant national authorities, institutions, organizations and stakeholders, including coordinators of other related projects and the WHO and OIE national focal point to ensure complementarity of activities and to promote FAO/OIE/WHO Tripartite collaboration in support of the implementation of the Global Action Plan on AMR;
• Work closely with consultants to collect and review a national baseline of the available data on), national legislation relevant to use of Codex standards and AMR;
• Organize a national "workshop inviting major stakeholders (private sector, academia, farmers, government, veterinarians etc.), including participants from the public health, animal health and environment. Ministries of Health and Agriculture and Fisheries will also be invited to directly interact;
• Submit a final and end of assignment report listing activities implemented;
• Perform other related duties as requested from FAO.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Public Health or related fields
• At least 8 years of relevant experience in the public health/food safety domain.
• Working experience with UN and/or international organizations will be an asset;
• National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Experience in developing technical reports and documents

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong command over spoken and written English;
• Computer skills in Office Applications Including Excel, Word, Outlook, Power Point;
• Capability for planning, organizing and administering, on-the-job independent staff
• training, sessions;
• Having Knowledge of United Nations and International Organizations’ administrative policies and procedures.

Strong communication skills, and strong spirit of teamwork

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the requirements listed above.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION