International Consultant Multi-Sectoral and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for Nutrition; Dhaka (Not for Bangladeshi)

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Background:

Bangladesh has achieved admirable progress in improving the nutrition status of its population, with child stunting having reduced from 41.3% in 2011 to 31% in 2017/2018 and wasting having reduced from 15.6% to 8.4%.[1] Moreover, the consumption of a Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD) has increased from 21.2% to 34.1%, and Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) from 24.25% to 37.5% among children during the same period. Largely accountable for this progress is the success Bangladesh has had in mainstreaming nutrition into national policy and action plans; The National Nutrition Policy has been translated into the country’s Second National Plan of Action on Nutrition (NPAN2) 2016-2025, nutrition has been mainstreamed as a key component of food systems planning in the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy (NFNSP) 2020, and has been acknowledged as a key element to the successful implementation of the country’s National Social Security Strategy (NSSS), providing social protection for the most vulnerable. The Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC), which was established in 1975 by the Father of the Nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and reinvigorated by NPAN2, has gained institutional strength and facilitates collaboration on nutrition among 22 ministries. However, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact nutrition outcomes.

UNICEF supports the Government of Bangladesh in attaining its nutrition goals and has, as such, developed its Country Program 2022-2026 in line with the Government’s own vision for development as stipulated in its Eighth Five-Year Plan 2021-2025. In Nutrition, UNICEF has been working intensively with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and BNNC, to support the strengthening of multi-sectoral services contributing to the improvement of the nutrition status of mothers and children in Bangladesh. The new CPD will outline how UNICEF will contribute further to the Government’s achievements of commitments under the SDGs, WHA, and the SUN movement and its plans under the 8^th five-year plan. It will bring with it renewed focus on priorities for Bangladesh, in particular in providing technical assistance and generating evidence for the development of an integrated multi-sectoral Early Childhood Care and Development approach, for the expansion of essential nutrition services from health facilities into the communities, for strengthened urban service delivery, for expanded nutrition education for adolescents, and for improved accountability and financing through setting up a financial tracking system for nutrition. The end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 will be crucial in ensuring that the new Country Program is adequately planned and timely initiated.

Moreover, UNICEF is the lead agency in several multi-stakeholder frameworks, such as the Immediate Socio-Economic Response Plan (iSERP) which was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nutrition working group under the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026, the Bangladesh Roadmap for the Global Action Plan (GAP) for Wasting 2022-2026, and the nutrition Development Partners Task Group under the fourth Health, Population, Nutrition Sector Program (HPNSP) 2017-2022. Moreover, both the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021, and the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in December 2021 are important moments for Bangladesh to demonstrate its leadership in nutrition globally. The years 2021 and 2022 therefore represent key moments of reflection and priority-setting, while ensuring alignment, complementarity, and coordination between the different multi-sectoral frameworks and relevant work plans. This is done in close collaboration with the BNNC.

From 2017, BNNC’s human resource capacity has grown steadily, along with its capacity to coordinate across the 22 ministries. However, in leading multi-stakeholder monitoring and coordination, strategic communication and support with the further elaboration, coordination of a minimum multi-sectoral package of nutrition, as well as the further refinement of multi-sectoral nutrition profiles, BNNC still requires support from its partners.

All elements described above are interlinked and require coherent and focused coordination, monitoring and reporting, for which the nutrition section wishes to recruit a dedicated colleague, who, both in support of the new Country Program and at the request of BNNC, will play a critical role in multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration for nutrition.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

In line with the above, UNICEF seeks a consultant to:

• Provide key strategic support to BNNC in strengthening its coordination capacity as well as in conceptualization, documentation and advocacy for nutrition, including in preparation for events and summits such as the N4G Summit
• Coordinate multi-sectoral frameworks and working groups for nutrition jointly with the Chief of Nutrition, in particular for UNSDCF, GAP, and DP TG for HPNSP
• Support the planning and monitoring of the new Country Program in line with the Program Strategy Notes for nutrition and in collaboration with nutrition section colleagues
• Provide support for multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach for nutrition to nutrition section and CXB

 How can you make a difference?

Tasks/Milestone:

1. Support the 2022 annual work planning of the section, based on the PSN for nutrition of the new country program
2. Support Chief of Nutrition in monitoring program progress
3. Support end-year review nutrition program 
4. Liaise and coordinate the nutrition working group under SP2 for UNSDCF in developing the UNSDCF workplan, based on the Results Framework (As and when required)
5. Participate and represent UN nutrition group in inter-agency discussions, on behalf of Chief of Nutrition (As and when required)
6. Coordinate multi-stakeholder discussions of the nutrition DPs under the HPSNP (quarterly)
7. Coordinate follow-up actions for GAP and coordinate with UN and Government partners to track progress ( since tracking started)
8. Provide support to COVID-response related activities when and where necessary or appropriate (As and when required)
9. Provide capacity building support to BNNC/NSS for the further elaboration and coordination of the minimum multi-sectoral package of nutrition, including the roll-out of the minimum multi-sectoral package for district planning, and community-based modelling
10. Support BNNC with coordination of financial tracking mechanism development among different ministries and stakeholders
11. Support BNNC with the development, finalization and follow-up of commitments for N4G, including development of key documentation for the Government of Bangladesh representation to N4G
12. Provide strategic support to BNNC to lead monitoring and coordination of multi-stakeholder collaborations, such as UNSDCF and GAP
13. Support BNNC with follow-up and advocacy to ensure inclusion of SSNP review recommendations into sectoral planning (As and when required)
14. Support BNNC with development and finalization of key written communication and reporting materials (including monitoring reports, as and when required)
15. Support BNNC with coordination and documentation for the further refinement of the Nutrition Profiles, including for consensus on indicators and advocacy for routine monitoring (As and when required)
16. Support in knowledge management planning for ENIS by coordinating with stakeholders externally, and SPEAR section internally, as well as coordination with institutional contractor  (As and when required)
17. Provide documentation support in the institutionalization of NIS (As and when required)
18. Advocacy for u-PNRI (whole period)
19. Advocacy for CCTN (As and when required)
20. Support with documentation of RTMR for advocacy (As and when required, during NVAC)
21. Provide written inputs or support to EU-UNICEF project team when required
22. Provide additional support to Chief of Nutrition as necessary

Deliverables/Outputs:

1. work plan, documentation of work planning
2. written feedback to progress reports when required
3. documentation on end-year review nutrition program
4. UNSDCF JWP for nutrition developed
5. UN nutrition working group inputs and interests are reflected in inter-agency discussions
6. DP meetings are held timely and as required all written communications and supporting documentation
7. GAP progress reports prepared (frequency to be determined)all written communications and supporting documentation
8. COVID-response related documentation as and when required documentation on multi-sectoral package, and community-based modelling when required
9. Documentation on financial tracking mechanism when required. i.e. meeting programs, invites, minutes, presentations, concepts notes, etc. 
10. Documentation when required, Final N4G commitments 
11. GAP Final Roadmap, UNSDCF JWP for nutrition, preparation of invitations, programs, presentations, coordination of stakeholders, etc.
12. Documentation for advocacy on inclusion of SSNP-review recommendations into sectoral planning e.g. policy briefs etc.
13. Documentation when required e.g. annual monitoring report NPAN2
14. Written inputs for coordination for refinement of nutrition profiles, and documentation on profiles for advocacy
15. Written documentation on knowledge management, written communications between stakeholders
16. Written documentation for advocacy for NIS
17. Written documentation for advocacy for u-PNRI
18. Written documentation for advocacy for expanded CCTN
19. Written documentation on RTMR for advocacy in line with NVAC.
20. Written inputs and documentation of support as required.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• International Relations, International Organization, Public Health, Nutrition.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of Bangladesh nutrition policy environment, institutional infrastructure, and key stakeholders
• Extensive experience working in Bangladesh
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in multi-sectoral collaboration and stakeholder coordination in nutrition
• Proven experience in drafting and developing complex multi-stakeholder planning documents
• Existing good working relations with the Government of Bangladesh would be an asset
• International consultants based in Bangladesh will be given preference.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written)

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

[insert competencies]

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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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.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.