UNICEF recrute un consultant national pour soutenir l’institutionnalisation de l’enregistrement des naissances dans le secteur de la santé, Malawi

 

 

 

Job no : 539698

Contract type : Consultancy

Level : Consultancy

Location : Malawi

Categories : Health

 

 

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, good health!

 

Background :

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy, and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias, or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic, and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

The overall goal of the UNICEF Malawi Country Programme of Cooperation, 2019-2023, is to contribute to the Government of Malawi’s efforts to implement and decentralize policies related to children, focusing on the most disadvantaged and deprived, to have their rights progressively respected and fulfilled so they can survive, grow and develop to their full potential in an inclusive and protective society. The country program is aligned with country and UNICEF regional and global priorities and expected to contribute to the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) III, 2018-2022, and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), 2019-2023, while concurrently working toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Birth registration is key in securing the right to life, freedom, and protection as well as exercising basic rights, claiming entitlements, and accessing a range of governmental services. Strengthened identification and authentication can establish a basis for a more effective, inclusive, and accountable social protection system. There are an estimated over 8.4 million children under the age of 16 in Malawi that are not registered and much more that do not have a birth certificate. Birth registration is a key national priority for UNICEF’s country program and a key component under Goal Area 3 of UNICEF’s Global Strategic Plan. UNICEF and UNDP have embarked on a joint project to “reduce the gap” in birth registration. Closing this gap through the registration of children with a unique identifier presents an opportunity for Malawi not only to increase the birth registration coverage but also to improve service delivery and evidence-based policymaking and programming to realize children’s rights to survival, development, and protection. In addition, it offers great opportunities to strengthen services in health, nutrition, child protection, social protection, and education.

 

Justification :

Universal birth registration provides every child with a birth certificate, an essential legal document required to secure basic human rights to the name, identity, and nationality. A birth registration certificate is the first step in securing recognition of individuals before the law and safeguarding their human rights and access to basic social services. Having a birth certificate has a number of benefits :

  1. As a legal document and proof of age, helps to prevent violations of rights of a child, including child marriage, trafficking, child labor, and the use of child soldiers, particularly among vulnerable and marginalized populations ;
  2. The birth certificate also facilitates access to school, health services, and social protection benefits, which reduces the vulnerability of children to poverty and the risk of exploitation.

Ninety percent (90%) of births take place in over 570 health facilities in 28 districts but only about 25% of the live births were notified with the NRB system in 2019. Currently, it is only about 30 percent of under-five children are registered and much less have a birth registration certificate. Lack of a birth certificate which is a legal document and proof of age renders the children unseen, uncounted, and excluded. This affects children’s ability to enjoy universal human rights and their right to birth registration and to a name, legal identity, and nationality as enshrined in several international human rights laws/instruments and conventions and treaties as well as our National Registration Act of 2010.

UNICEF Malawi is therefore seeking to engage a CRVS (birth registration) consultant to provide technical support for the Ministry of Health (MoH) to institutionalize birth registration so that it is a permanent practice in the routine business processes of health facilities and the sector in general. The goal is that every live birth is notified with the civil registration authority which is NRB (National Registration Bureau) as required by the National Registration Act of 2010. The CRVS consultant is an advocate for every child and provides technical and operational support to the Ministry of Health to develop an institutionalization action plan. In addition to this, the CRVS consultant will support the National Registration Bureau (NRB) in the implementation of the UNICEF-supported activities to ensure timely execution, achievement of targets, and reporting.

 

Purpose of the assignment :

The CRVS consultant will conduct a readiness assessment for the MoH to institutionalize birth registration and develop a birth registration institutionalization action plan for the MoH based on proven, scalable, and sustainable interventions.

 

How can you make a difference?

The CRVS consultant shall perform the services under the overall guidance and direction of the Child Protection Specialist (Civil Registration and Vital Statistics) in the UNICEF Malawi Health Section.

The CRVS consultant is expected to provide technical guidance, operational and coordination support by conducting a readiness assessment for the MoH to fully institutionalize birth registration processes in the system. The CRVS consultant will also support monitoring and supportive supervision of birth registration in the health facilities and provide technical support to the director of health and social services (DHSS) on monitoring and utilization of vital statistics for program planning and budgeting. The CRVS consultant will also explore links between the health sector and CRVS/ID systems such use of unique ID in health and interoperability between the CRVS system and HMISHMISM.

The CRVS  consultants an advocate for every child and provides technical and operational support to the Ministry of Health which is the civil authority in administering, executing, and implementing a variety of tasks to notify births in health facilities and support innovations to accelerate birth registration. The consultant will also work with the National Registration Bureau (NRB) in order to strengthen the collaboration and working arrangements with MoH including ensuring MoH active participation in the CRVS TWG and Steering Committees. The consultant will also support the National Registration Bureau (NRB) in the implementation of the UNICEF-supported activities to ensure timely execution, achievement of targets, and reporting.

The CRVS consultant will provide strategic information to support MCO’s engagement in strategic advocacy with MoH, NRB, and partners and donors to identify challenges, solutions, and incentives for birth registration and birth certificates.

 

Reporting requirements :

To whom will the consultant report (supervisory and any other reporting/communication lines) : The CRVS consultant shall report to the UNICEF Malawi Child Protection Specialist (CRVS) and a  copy of each completed deliverable with the Ministry of Health and a copy to the National Registration Bureau.

What type of reporting will be expected from the consultant and in what format/style will the submissions of reports/outputs be done : The consultant shall report as per the agreed work plan and deliverables for the assignment which are in the form of reports and other indicated products. Any changes or modifications to the reporting requirements deemed necessary shall be communicated by the Child Protection Specialist (CRVS).

How will the consultant consult and deliver work and when will reporting be done : The consultant will work with the Ministry of Health in the Department of Nursing Services and the Central Monitoring and Evaluation Division (CMED) and its partners who will support the review of deliverables while reports on other products shall be submitted to the Child Protection Specialist (CRVS) as per the assignment deliverables and submission timelines indicated in the expected deliverables section.

 

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

  • A Master’s Degree in Demography, Economics, Social Statistics, Public Health, Development Studies or related discipline with an emphasis on evidence-based systems strengthening health information management, and research, is required ;
  • Five years of progressively responsible professional work experience and proven track record in the theory and practice of strategic CRVS interventions at the national and district level ;
  • Proven experience of support to governments to develop CRVS strategy interventions ;
  • Excellent analytical and writing skills are necessary ;
  • Excellent communication, advocacy, and people skills ;
  • Demonstrated experience in supporting Government and its stakeholders and capacity building is essential ;
  • Familiarity with UN systems and UNICEF is considered an asset ;
  • Demonstrated experience working national Government structures and ability to foster and maintain strong professional relationships at national and district levels ;
  • Demonstrated experience working with multiple stakeholders (e.g. Government, UN, NGOs, etc) and building capacity is essential ;
  • Hands-on experience in the theory and practice of strategic CRVS interventions at the national and district level with a focus on birth registration ;
  • Ability to communicate with various stakeholders and to express concisely and clearly ideas and concepts in written and oral form ;
  • Good understanding of health system at national and district level and its governance structures ;
  • Knowledge of global developments in child protection, particularly in the area of birth registration, including the application of the equity lens and human rights perspectives to programming ;
  • Ability to harmonize CRVS-generated data with Malawi’s existing Health Information System and working with HMIS/DHIS to strengthen the information system ;
  • Technical support to the monitoring and assessment activities: qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis and interpretation, program quality assurance and control, financial management ;
  • Knowledge of and experience in the application of innovation for health information systems ;
  • Excellent knowledge and experience in the methods of communication to clearly and concisely express ideas and concepts in written and oral form and to listen to and acknowledge others’ perspectives and views ;
  • Computer knowledge, skills, and practical experience, including internet navigation, network, telecommunications, and various office applications ;
  • Fluency in English and the local language in Malawi is required.

 

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

For further details about the assignment, attached are the ToRs :  TORs for CRVS Consultant.pdf

Use this template to submit your financial proposal :  Template for Financial Proposal.xlsx

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 credentials (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.

Deadline : 30 Apr 2021 South Africa Standard Time.

Apply here