Two Positions of International Consultant (Community Engagement and Accountability Advisor)

Afghanistan is facing the bloodiest conflict in the world with nearly 4,000 civilian causalities every year. Ongoing conflicts and recurrent natural disaster in the country contribute to population displacement, mass casualty incidents and potential outbreaks of communicable diseases including polio, leading to a disruption of the fragile Afghan health system, already overburdened by the protracted complex emergency situation in the country.  Emergency primary healthcare needs continue to rise for people living in hard-to-reach areas where humanitarian organizations have limited access and where population movement continues to over-stretch existing services which are already under-resourced. Existing health services are unable to cope with the increase demand.

Afghanistan remains one of the last three countries in the world yet to have eradicated polio. South region of Afghanistan (Kandahar, Helmand and Urozgan provinces), which is the most underserved area of the country, continues to be the epicenter of sustaining and spreading poliovirus transmission in the country. Primary reasons of limited success in this area are ongoing conflicts resulting in limited access for basic service delivery.

Despite much progress in health status of the population, Afghanistan continues to report health indicators that warrants improvement.  Only half of the children under 5 have received full vaccination. Nationally, 30% of population lack access to basic services.  Of those, population living in hard-to-reach districts are most likely to be deprived of essential primary health services.  Preliminary data from Afghanistan Demographic Survey 2018 shows that maternal mortality rate and under-5 mortality rate in hard-to-reach district can be as much as 30% higher than national average. Vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach districts can be low as 32% in Uruzgan. The grave situation is coupled with lack of other basic services such as lack of clean drinking water; poor sanitation, hygiene, nutrition etc.

The Field Support Unit as endorsed by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is a dedicated multi-disciplinary team of roving senior experts funded through contributions from multiple agencies and donors. The Unit is responsible to ensure progress against the National-Subnational Mutual Accountability Framework for Coordination – a component of the HCT Compact. As such, the Unit is directly accountable to the HCT and also collaborates closely with OCHA and relevant coordination forums, including the ICCT.  WHO Afghanistan supports and endorses this mechanism.

The National-Subnational Mutual Accountability Framework sets out a number of objectives and prescribed activities at both national and subnational levels in areas of coordination related to the cross-cutting issues of Accountability to Affected People (AAP), community engagement, linking relief and development, information management and data collection, humanitarian access, and integrated response, as well as the activities required to strengthen the coordination architecture itself. The FSU is required to ensure that policy developments in these areas at the national level result in coordinated action in the field.

This specific position is for a specialist in AAP to support the roll out the national Collective Approach to AAP in Afghanistan, while addressing the immediate and urgent needs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore this role is to lead on community engagement and accountability program design and management for WHO and the Field Support Unit, and on the interagency RCCE initiatives already underway and planned. Additionally, the specialist will build capacity on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) in-country: RCCE being a component of AAP and an effective entry point to broader work on AAP in the coming months.

RISK COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (RCCE) FOR COVID-19

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, which began in December 2019, was declared a global pandemic on 11 March 2020 – due to the scale and spread of transmission. Current medical evidence shows that the main symptoms of COVID-19 include coughing, fever and, in severe cases, shortness of breath. While 80% of the COVID-19 cases globally are considered to be mild, people with compromised immune systems and pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, are considered to be at high risk. As it is a new virus, the lack of immunity in the population (and the absence as yet of  a proven, accessible and effective vaccine) means that COVID-19 continues to  spread in communities right around the globe.

Afghanistan has been significantly affected, particularly during the first ‘wave’ (March – July 2020) due to its weak health system and limited capacity to deal with major disease outbreaks. Officially, Afghanistan has reported more than 30,000 Covid-19 cases and over 580 deaths. However, the actual scope of the crisis is unknown due to extremely limited testing capacity and lack of a death registry. Cases are expected to continue to rise as community transmission escalates given the infeasibility of physical distancing in overcrowded homes and IDP camps. Poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and low coverage of vaccination (required for stronger immune systems and the ability to fight viral and bacterial infections), in combination with weak health and WASH infrastructure, only worsens the situation.

As COVID-19 spread in Afghanistan, aid and health workers are grappling with the dual challenge of containing the virus while attempting to meet the needs of millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance. Afghanistan’s long history of conflict, disasters and protracted displacement makes its people highly susceptible to Covid-19 and to poor outcomes overall. Kabul remains the most affected part of the country, followed by other major urban centres in Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces. However, communities across Afghanistan are highly vulnerable to Covid-19 due to poor hygiene conditions, a lack of health literacy or comprehension of how behaviour change can mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 at a community level.

As we head into 2021, the second wave and the potential roll out of a vaccine, clear two-way communication and stronger community engagement will be ever more critical. This will include the provision of information on mitigation and prevention measures as well as listening to populations’ questions, concerns and comments about how the virus and the response affects them. It will be critical to tackle apprehensions and tensions around the roll out of the vaccine, inform the public that they vaccine will not be a cure-all, as well as continue to promote behaviour change to prevent infection from spreading. It is well known that COVID-19 presents complex issues, which must be addressed by government, health officials and community workers, the media and civil society.

The initiatives and evidence developed during the initial phase of the response to the pandemic in Afghanistan will enable longer term community engagement efforts in response to broader crises as well as to essential rights of Afghans. Strengthening and deepening capacity and commitment to a rights-based approach through community engagement and accountability across the country will have lasting benefits for wider development and emergency response initiatives as well as the ongoing peacebuilding commitments the country is making. This role will manage, document, build capacity in and plan for the continuation of this work.

The role of Community Engagement and Accountability Specialist will be responsible for the following duties:

As per the Collective Approach to COVID-19 related RCCE in Afghanistan and the Afghanistan RCCE training curriculum, and in close collaboration with the RCCE working group, the Community Engagement and Accountability Specialist will be responsible for the following:

1. Provide capacity building to COVID-19 RCCE actors (UN and NGOs) in the regions through trainings (including trainings for trainers), mentoring and coaching. This should include face to face as well as remote support.

2. In coordination with the relevant agencies, support the coordination of COVID-19 RCCE activities through the interagency working group and in the regional sub-offices through establishing coordination mechanisms as and where needed including the necessary supportive processes of 4Ws, partner mapping, etc.

3. Facilitate the RCCE Working Group meetings to ensure knowledge sharing, collaboration and to identify gaps and avoid duplications in RCCE related programming.

4. Support the strategic partnership between WHO and NRC in co-chairing the RCCE working group and related initiatives.

5. Provide oversight and management of WHO’s CEA common service projects, such as assessments and evidence on communications and community engagement, perceptions tracking and media outreach.

6. Explore future opportunities for developing additional common service projects with a CEA focus, as needed and guided by principles of the humanitarian-development nexus.

7. Provide advice and support to the Area-Based Response pilots on the integration of COVID-19 related RCCE activities.

8. Coordinate with the AAP working group on response-wide initiatives that emerge from RCCE emergency response strategies and WHO’s CEA initiatives.

9. Carry out training workshops for partners on community engagement and accountability.

10. Monitor and evaluate the impact and quality of community engagement mechanisms in the field and provide coaching and feedback to partners based on evidence of impact or ongoing need.

11. Advise partners in the development of high quality tailored and intersectoral RCCE materials.

12. Explore and pilot approaches in the field that strengthen the linkages between accountability, local engagement, emergency response and public health, including attacks on health care.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES;

Submission of monthly time sheets and any other documentation as required by the Team Leader at the end of each month.

Payment Modality;

Payments under the contract shall be made monthly based on actual days worked with an attached timesheet, after the delivery of outputs above following completion and acceptance of a progress report and submission of invoice. This report will be reviewed and approved by the Team Leader, Field Support Unit.

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

Institutional Arrangements;

Under the direct administrative supervision of the Team Leader – Field Support Unit, the International Consultant will work closely with a wide range of actors including the WHO project teams, UN agencies and NGOs.

UNDP will provide office space and internet facility, logistical and other support services including transport and security, as needed. As an inter-agency resource, the consultant may also work from other agencies locations in direct coordination with those agencies. The consultant is expected to bring his/her own laptop and mobile phone – WHO will provide a local SIM card and cover communications costs. Costs to arrange meetings, workshops, travel costs to and DSA during field visits, etc. shall be covered by the UNDP.

Duration of the Work;

Performance of the work under this contract shall be completed within 24 months (with maximum of 220 working days) after signing the contract. The target date for the start of the works will be 15 January 2021.

Duty Station;

Kabul, Afghanistan with frequent travel throughout the country

Core competencies:

• Required Competencies

• Team building

• Managing relationships across units and health partners

• Self-awareness

• Interpersonal skills

• Stress tolerance

• Planning and organizing

• Proactive problem solving

• Operational decision-making

Academic Qualifications;

• Master’s degree in humanitarian, development studies or other relevant field of social sciences is required.

Required Experience; 

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in humanitarian preparedness, emergency response, risk reduction and response or relevant fields.

• Experience in programme design and development in the field of communication, community engagement and accountability to include: management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, gender, donor relations and protection.

• Experience in mass media centered communications (desirable).

• Experience in inter-agency coordination.

Other skills;

• Previous experience and knowledge of the country.

• Excellent training, coaching and mentoring skills.

• High level of writing and communication skills.

• Willingness to spend high proportion of time travelling to the field.

• Language skills: Good command of English.

Language;

• Excellent written and oral English

• PRICE PROPOSAL AND SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

   

  Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.  The consultant shall then submit a price proposal when requested by UNDP, in accordance with the below:

• Daily Fee – The contractor shall propose a daily fee, which should be inclusive of his professional fee, local communication cost and insurance (inclusive of medical health insurance and evacuation). The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract of 220 working days.

• DSA/Living Allowance – The Consultant shall be separately paid the Living allowance/DSA as per applicable WHO rate for stay in Kabul and travel to other locations as per actual number of nights spent in Kabul or other locations. Deductions from DSA shall be made as per applicable WHO policy when accommodation and other facilities are provided by WHO. An estimated provision in this regard shall be included in the contract. The consultant need not quote for DSA in Financial Proposal.

• Accommodation in Kabul – The Consultants are NOT allowed to stay in a place of their choice other than the UNDSS approved places in Kabul, Afghanistan. UNDP will provide accommodation to the Consultant for the duration of the stay in Afghanistan in UNDSS approved places. Deductions in this regard shall be made from DSA payment as per applicable UNDP Policy.

• Travel & Visa – The contractor shall propose an estimated lump-sum for home-kabul-home travel (economy most direct route) and Afghanistan visa expenses.

• The total professional fee shall be converted into a lump-sum contract and payments under the contract shall be made on submission and acceptance of deliverables under the contract in accordance with the schedule of payment linked with deliverables and at the end of assignment.

EVALUATION METHOD AND CRITERIA

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable and having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight 70%

* Financial Criteria weight 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points out of 100 (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Proposal (100marks) 

• Technical Approach & Methodology (25 marks) – This explains the understanding of the objectives of the assignment, approach to the services, methodology for carrying out the activities and obtaining the expected output, and the degree of detail of such output. The Applicant should also explain the methodologies proposed to adopt and highlight the compatibility of those methodologies with the proposed approach;

• Work Plan (20 marks) – The Applicant should propose the main activities of the assignment, their content and duration, phasing and interrelations, milestones (including interim approvals by the Client), and delivery dates. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology, showing understanding of the TOR and ability to translate them into a feasible working plan.

Qualification and Experience (40 marks) [evaluation of CVs for shortlisting]

• General Qualification (10 marks);

• Experience relevant to the assignment (15 marks).

• Interview (30 points)

Documents to be included when submitting proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• Personal CV, indicating all experience from similar projects.

Technical proposal:  – Technical Proposal can be uploaded as part of CV application or candidate can respond to mandatory questions at application stage.

• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable candidate for the assignment;

• A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and work plan as indicated above.

All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNDP Afghanistan.  UNDP Afghanistan will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

• Annex 1 – IC Contract Template (for information);

• Annex 2 –  Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (to be completed at later stage upon request by UNDP);

• Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions (for information);

• Annex 4 – RLA Template (if consultant wishes to be recruited through an employer) – (for information).

  Incomplete application will not be considered, it will be disqualified automatically