Background
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, established by its Constitution of 22 July 1946, which entered into force on 7 April 1948. WHO is a not-for-profit, public international Organization consisting of 194 Member States and has as its constitutional objective the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.
The mission of WHO’s PPC/Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care Division is to contribute to reducing health inequalities and reducing preventable disease and injury caused by environmental, social, and economic determinants of health. This is achieved through a coordinated inter-sectoral approach aimed at enabling all people to enjoy bThe role of the Department for Environment, Climate Change, One Health and Migration (ECO) within the overall work of WHO is to promote a healthier environment, intensify primary prevention, and influence public policies in all sectors to address the root causes of environmental threats to health. ECO develops and promotes preventive policies and interventions based on an understanding and an in-depth scientific analysis of the evidence base for environmental determinants of human health.
Within ECO, the Climate Change, Air Quality, Energy and Health Unit (CAE) has an active programme of work on the topic of climate-health economics. This work programme produces and publishes normative and standard-setting technical guidance on evidence synthesis and economic evaluation and analysis of climate–health actions; global estimates of the scale-up, health effects, costs, and benefits (in monetary terms) of climate–health actions; evidence syntheses on these actions; and, in collaboration with countries, national analytic case studies of these action’s estimated effectiveness, costs, and benefits.
The consultant will contribute to production, publication, and dissemination of technical guidance; health, climate, and economic estimates; a suite of country case studies (to add to the first two conducted so far); and systematic reviews of health, climate, and economic evidence on climate–health actions. The purpose of this consultancy is to support the advancement of climate-health economic methods and evidence.
Deliverables
Deliverable 1 – 31 August 2026
- 1.1 Contribute to publication of two completed country case studies of economic analyses of climate–health actions
- 1.2 Assist with preparation of the global launch of global economic assessments of prioritized climate–health actions
- 1.3 Contribute to development of protocols for three systematic reviews on climate–health actions
- 1.4 Develop communications content and materials on climate-health epidemiology and economics
Deliverable 2 – 30 September 2026
- 2.1 Support communications for and organization of the global climate–health actions’ economic assessments launch
- 2.2 Assist with the technical writing of the three systematic review protocols
- 2.3 Prepare materials for establishing working groups of individual experts to produce the three systematic reviews
Deliverable 3 – 31 October 2026
- 3.1 Support the establishment and launch of expert working groups to produce the three systematic reviews
- 3.2 Contribute to the finalization and publication of the protocols for the three systematic reviews
- 3.3 Prepare establishment of expert working groups on climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation
Deliverable 4 – 30 November 2026
- 4.1 Support the operation of the expert working groups to produce the three systematic reviews
- 4.2 Assist with establishment of expert working groups on climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation
- 4.3 Contribute to conduct of third and fourth country case study of economic analyses of climate–health actions
Deliverable 5 – 31 December 2026
- 5.1 Support operation of the expert working groups to produce the three climate–health actions systematic reviews
- 5.2 Contribute to operation of the climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation expert working groups
Deliverable 6–31 January 2027
- 6.1 Provide support for operation of the five expert working groups
- 6.2 Assist with evidence synthesis on climate–health actions’ effectiveness to expand the global economic assessments
- 6.3 Contribute to conduct of fifth and sixth country case study of economic analyses of climate–health actions
- 6.4 Contribute to developing technical guidance on climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation
Deliverable 7 – 28 February 2027
- 7.1 Provide support for operating the five expert working groups
- 7.2 Support economic value evidence syntheses to expand the global economic assessments
- 7.3 Contribute to the conduct of seventh country case study of economic analyses of climate–health actions
- 7.4 Support climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation guidance development
Deliverable 8 – 31 March 2027
- 8.1 Support the operating of the five expert working groups
- 8.2 Support evidence syntheses for the expanded global climate–health action economic assessment
- 8.3 Based on the evidence syntheses, develop or newly build databases for the expanded global assessment
- 8.4 Contribute to climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation guidance development
Deliverable 9 – 30 April 2027
- 9.1 Support the five expert working groups’ operation
- 9.2 Contribute to synthesising evidence and databases for the expanded global climate–health action economic assessment
- 9.3 Review and update communications materials and content on climate-health epidemiology and economics
- 9.4 Contribute to climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation guidance development
Deliverable 10 – 31 May 2027
- 10.1 Contribute to supporting the five expert working groups’ operation
- 10.2 Contribute to finalization of databases for the expanded global climate–health action economic assessment
- 10.3 Contribute to climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation guidance development
Deliverable 11 – 30 June 2027
- 11.1 Support the five expert working groups’ operation
- 11.2 Contribute to publication of the five country case studies
- 11.3 Contribute to climate–health economic evidence synthesis and valuation guidance development
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications
Essential: Advanced university degree in epidemiology, public health, health economics, environmental economics, or a related discipline.
Experience
The work requires a minimum of 7 – 10 years’ experience with epidemiology, public health, and health or environmental economics. Experience in the technical writing and editing of corporate and external publications in climate-health economics according to WHO Style Guide. Practical experience in modelling scale-up, health effects, costs, benefits, cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of climate–health actions, including knowledge of the relevant data sources and methods. Practical experience developing methods for and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses in health, environment, and climate change.
Skills/Knowledge
- Excellent organizational and analytical skills
- Excellent knowledge of epidemiology
- Understanding of health and environmental economics
- Knowledge of economic evaluation and analysis of climate–health actions
- Ability to move forward in a changing environment
- Good writing and editing skills, with a track record of WHO and external publications
- Good data management skills and ability to clean and manage complex, global datasets
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Languages
Expert knowledge of English
Technical supervision
Dr Frank Pega, pegaf@who.int
Location
Off site: Home-based
Travel
Travel may be required.
Remuneration
Remuneration: USD 7,000/month – 9,980/month
Working schedule: 0.80 FTE
Duration
11 months (1 August 2026 to 30 June 2027)
Application
If you are interested, please send your CV, cover letter and a proven record of publications related to climate-health economics and epidemiology by 15 June 2026 to pegaf@who.int and add "Consultancy – Climate-Health, Economics and Epidemiology " to the email's subject.