Background:
Around 3 billion people worldwide use inefficient sources of energy and technology that produce high levels of household air pollution. These emissions include a range of health-damaging pollutants that lead to the premature death of around 3.8 million people every year, including through pneumonia, stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Energy access challenges also affect health care delivery. Around 25 per cent of health care facilities in 11 sub-Saharan African countries have no access to electricity. Beyond basic lighting, health care facilities need a sustainable and reliable source of electricity to respond to emergencies (e.g. communications), prevent disease (e.g. cold-chain vaccine storage), as well treat disease and injury.
Policies designed to meet SDG 7 targets on energy access, energy efficiency and renewables have the potential to also provide vast benefits for human health (SDG 3), and spur progress across the entire Sustainable Development Agenda. However, to realize this opportunity, closer cooperation is needed at all levels between actors and decision makers, and especially between health and energy sectors.
The Air Quality and Health (AQH) team, of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, objective is to promote health sector intervention for air pollution, as well as interventions in economic sectors (e.g housing, transport, energy) that reduce environmental health risks, promote better health, and optimize the health co-benefits of sustainable development /climate change mitigation policies.
As part of the Health and Energy programme of work, AQH’s activities seek to improve health in low- and middle-income countries through the sustained adoption of clean and sustainable energy in households and health care facilities, including through activities aimed to:
- Increase awareness and build support among policy-makers, implementing partners and the public about the importance of clean energy and the role that it plays in improving health and equity of the poorest populations, and reducing air pollution.
- Leverage the health argument, to strengthen the political and technical commitment and cooperation between the health, energy and other related sectors to accelerate access to clean and sustainable energy.
- Build the capacity of countries to develop, implement and monitor ‘health-wise’ policies related to the energy transition through the development and application of relevant tools and information resources.
Currently, WHO is seeking to project support for specific activities related to the development of policy briefs, producing several technical and communication products, as well as hosting a set of webinars or online tools to support countries and policy-makers in achieving a healthy sustainable energy transition to support countries.
1. Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)
ESTIMATED TIME NECESSARY: 8 MONTHS / 100% with possibility of extension based on available resources and performance
ESTIMATED DURATION/PERIOD: OCTOBER 2021 TO JUNE 2022
2. Work to be performed
Working closely with WHO staff, the incumbent will support the implementation of ongoing and planned activities of the Health and Energy team, as outlined below:
- Prepare and format terms of reference and draft contracts related to communications and productions aspects of key products for the Health and Energy Platform of Action, the High-level Coalition on Energy and Health, the Clean Household Energy Solutions Toolkit and other related technical unit activities on energy and health.
- Provide inputs and editorial support for the design and layout of technical products, including searching for relevant images for production, verifying any copyright issues with images or figures used and other publication related issues.
- Support the preparation of reports to donors on health and energy activities by elaborating technical text, and formatting in alignment with reporting specifications, and ensuring other reporting requirements are met.
- Support correspondence and administrative arrangements associated with the preparation of a global video on health, energy and air pollution.
- Support correspondence and participation in main or side events for the High-level dialogue on Energy, the High-Level Political Forum, COP26 and other events.
- Facilitate administrative arrangements for unit webinars on energy and health linkages. Responsibilities would include setting up the platform, ensuring registration of participants and other logistical aspects of webinar hosting (e.g., recording, break-out groups etc.), slide preparing and compilation as well as note-taking as needed.
- Provide administrative and coordination support for the launch of a report on health care facility electrification and related communication materials.
- Provide administrative support for country and regional clearance of statistics for SDG and other monitoring activities.
3. Specific requirements
Qualifications required:
- First-level University degree
Experience required
- Minimum of 3 years of work experience in the position of a project officer or similar administrative function
- Experience in proposal preparation and donor reporting
- Experience in supporting documentation production processes (i.e., editing, layout) and publication coordination
- Experience in planning and coordinating meetings, conferences and/or workshops involving international stakeholders, both virtual and face to face
- Extensive experience in proposal preparation and donor reporting, including associated administrative processes
- Desirable: experience working for an international organization (i.e., UN or related organization) and/or health research projects
Skills / Technical skills and knowledge
- Excellent project management and administrative skills
- Excellent intercultural skills
- Excellent writing and communication skills
- Good MS-Office and web publishing skills
- Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines
- Coordinate and liaise effectively with team members and external stakeholders
- Desirable: Experience working on issues related to environmental public health, particularly on air quality or energy
Language requirements:
Fluency in English is required. Fluency in French and additional languages is an asset.
4. Place of assignment
All work will be completed remotely.
5. Travel / post
The incumbent may be required to travel, upon request at the Organization’s expense.
6. Compensation
Payment will be aligned to the WHO P2 or P3 consultancy pay band at headquarters level and will be commensurate based on experience.
7. Application procedure
Applicants should send their CVs, a covering email describing their motivation for application and highlighting any specific skill or experience relevant to the position, as well as some relevant writing samples to hepa@who.int by 13 October, 2021, 18h CEST.
Interviews will be held during the second half of September with an expected start date in first-half of October.