Consultant - Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) legal toolkit and field testing

Purpose of consultancy

To develop and finalize the MPDSR legal toolkit and field testing in three (3) pilot countries.

Background

Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) is a continuous cycle of notification, review, analysis and response. It works to reduce preventable maternal and perinatal mortality by involving all stakeholders in the process of identifying maternal and perinatal deaths, understanding why they happened and taking action to prevent similar deaths occurring in the future.

Maternal and perinatal death reviews should be conducted in the spirit of shared responsibility rather than attributing blame to anyone involved in the process including health care workers. The ultimate goal is to inform actions to prevent future similar deaths.

Full respect for, and protection of, the rights of both health system users and health workers is essential. Institutions must be organized and managed in such a way as to ensure respect for, and protection of, women’s sexual and reproductive health rights. This requires systematic education on women’s access to quality care as a fundamental right for policymakers, planners, health system administrators and providers to ensure that all duty-bearers understand their corresponding obligations of conduct. In addition, it is essential that health workers are recognized as rights-holders as much as duty-bearers.

Effective standards and regulations should be in place to promote quality and respectful care, and sanctions by professional associations, medical councils and/or licensing bodies should be applied in the event of proven negligence, abuse or malpractice, irrespective of whether providers are tenured. The same mechanism should also protect the rights of healthcare workers having a supportive environment that enables them to provide quality and respectful care.

Deliverables:

Task 1: Develop and finalize the MPDSR legal toolkit.
Preparation.

• Deliverable 1.1: Finalize the draft MPDSR legal toolkit and prepare the materials for field testing, including the revised checklist, the standardized protocol for use at country level, data collection tools and benchmarks for each selected pilot country.
  Expected by: End of February 2023.
• Deliverable 1.2: Identify and organize a technical advisory group (up to 8 people) to meet at 3 to 5 times in 2023 to provide input to and review the development and testing of the toolkit. Expected by: End of February 2023.
  Expected by: End of February 2023.
• Deliverable1.3: In close collaboration with WHO/MCA and MCA/SRH Regional Advisers, establish country teams for field testing.
  Expected by: End of February 2023.

Field testing in 3 pilot countries (Pakistan, one to select in Latin America and one to select in Africa):

• Deliverable 2.1: Create a resource and capacity building package for country implementation: Power points, reading list, etc. for overview of topic, capacity building to use during the pilot testing tailored to relevant stakeholders.
  Expected by: Mid-March 2023
• Deliverable 2.2: Facilitate the meetings of the stakeholder working groups in 3 countries and participate at the first stakeholder working group meeting in person in 2-3 countries.
  Expected by end of June 2023.
• Deliverable 2.3: Review and provide inputs to the landscape analysis report and recommendations in 3 countries.
  Expected by end of July 2023.
• Deliverable 2.4: Finalize the MPDSR Legal Toolkit based on the pilot test results of the checklist, including additional annexes based on human rights standards in relation to maternal and perinatal death reviews.
  Expected by Mid-August 2023.
• Deliverable 2.5: Submit cross-country field report in peer review journal.
  Expected by end of August 2023.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages.

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• Advanced university degree in law with a specialization in public health.

Experience

Essential:

• Over 10 years of relevant field experience in international sexual and reproductive human rights.
• Experience working on MPDSR.
• At least 5 publications in the field of reproductive health and rights or maternal and newborn health or child rights.

Skills

• Ability working with colleagues from various cultural backgrounds.
• Ability living and working in low- and middle-income countries.
• Ability to conceptualize and write about complex health topics.

Languages required:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Location

Off-site: Home based.

Travel

The consultant is not expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level C-USD 500 - 625 per day.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

8 months (46 days during the period).

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html