Purpose of consultancy
Facilitate the management of the Strategic Planning Group (SPG) of the Healthy Diet Monitoring Initiative, including the organization of meetings and related documents in close collaboration with the technical staff from the WHO, UNICEF and FAO.
Background
Unhealthy diets contribute to morbidity and mortality from several non-communicable diseases and are a direct cause of several forms of malnutrition that impede growth and development. The burden of diseases associated with unhealthy diets is a worldwide concern, particularly health issues caused by co-existing undernutrition and overweight and obesity. Healthy diets are critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the World Health Assembly global nutrition targets. Yet there are no dietary intake indicators that can be used for global monitoring.
Robust data on what people eat should be the foundation for the design and implementation of targeted actions, policies, and messaging to address how to achieve healthy diets. However, there are lack of data and consensus on valid indicators to measure healthy diets across settings and population groups. This lack of consensus limits the willingness of countries and donors to invest in this area and impedes the ability to track progress to improve diets.
In collective recognition of this challenge and the need for action, WHO and UNICEF, through their Technical Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition Monitoring (TEAM), have joined forces with FAO to resolve these issues and chart a way forward through the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative. The Initiative is guided by a Strategic Planning Group (SPG) that includes the Nutrition Division Directors from the three UN agencies, as well as TEAM co-Chairs and Secretariat, and key donors. The SPG is responsible for overall strategic guidance, planning, and coordination to advance assessment of healthy diets for global monitoring and to oversee the activities of the TEAM Diet Quality Working Group, which includes representation from several key organizations with relevant expertise and is tasked to provide technical inputs and recommendations to the SPG.
The overall objective of the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative is to enable national and global monitoring of the diet quality to inform policies and programmes across a wide range of sectors. Specifically, the Initiative will determine how best to measure healthy diets for different purposes, build consensus, and promote uptake and use of healthy diet measures and indicators among national and global stakeholders.
The work of the Initiative will be phased over three to five years, with the initial planning and priority-setting occurring during summer 2022 and a first technical consultation in late 2022, with further work to follow in 2023-24.
Deliverables
- Facilitate the management of the Strategic Planning Group (SPG), including the organization and preparation of concept notes, agendas, and meeting notes for distribution and records.
- Provide necessary liaisons between SPG and the TEAM Diet Quality Working Group.
- Facilitate the development of an overall workplan of the SPG.
- Facilitate the coordination of meetings and consultations led by the SPG and the TEAM Diet Quality Working Group.
- Prepare the main documentations, e.g., meeting notes, reports, technical documents etc. from the work of the SPG and the TEAM Diet Quality Working Group.
- Track progress of the activities under different workstreams and ensure timely technical coordination amongst different technical groups/commissioned consultancies.
- Facilitate communications with stakeholders and other key audiences per decision and guidance of the SPG and the TEAM Diet Quality Working Group.
- Align deliverables (outputs) to objectives and intended outcomes of the work of the initiative.
Qualification, experience, skills and languages
Education
Essential: First university degree in nutrition, public health, nutritional epidemiology, or food science.
Desirable: Advanced university degree in any relevant discipline.
Work experience
Essential: 5 to 10 years of experience of working in nutrition area with experience of working in dietary assessment.
Desirable: Familiarity of dietary data collection and processing and diet quality measurement.
Technical skills and knowledge
- Good understanding developing and validation of measurement tools and indicators.
- Ability to work closely with multiple stakeholders, including WHO, UNICEF, FAO, USAID, national government stakeholders, academia, and possibly others.
- Experience of dealing and working with strategic planning groups, task forces, and/or technical advisory groups.
- Proficient in existing virtual meeting tools.
- Excellent communication skills.
Languages and level required
Essential: Expert knowledge of English
Location
Offsite: home based
Travel
Limited travel will be required
Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded)
- Remuneration: Payband level B – USD USD 7,000-9,980 per month
- Expected duration of contract: 11 months
- Target start date: 1 October 2022
This consultancy will be full time (100%).
How to prepare and submit a proposal in reply to this tender?
- Content of proposal
- A cover letter explaining the bidder’s motivation for applying to this position.
- A copy, in .pdf format, of the bidder’s updated WHO CV or Personal History Form (detailed instructions on how to do this through the following link: http://www.who.int/careers/process/instructions-for-candidates.pdf?ua=1).
PLEASE NOTE: The selected candidate(s) will be asked to produce copies of all degrees/diplomas/certificates as mentioned in their CVs or Personal History Forms, as well as a copy of their passport and other documents as appropriate. - Full contact details
- Description and contact details of at least two recent references (the references shall be related to the present Terms of Reference).
Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
- Questions during preparation of proposal
A prospective bidder requiring any clarification on technical, contractual or commercial matters may notify WHO via email (nfs@who.int) no later than 12 September 2022. - Deadline for submission of proposal
The deadline for final submissions of proposals is 13 September 2022 at 16h00, Geneva time. - Email address for submission of proposal
Final duly completed proposals should be submitted in electronic format by email to: nfs@who.int.
Please include "Consultant – WHO Healthy Diet Monitoring Initiative " in the subject matter of your email application. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.