Post:CONSULTANT: RESEARCH GAPS IN ADDRESSING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, Johanneburg / Addis Ababa
Location :Johanneburg / Addis Ababa
Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :International Consultant
Languages Required :English French
Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)03-Jun-2013
Duration of Initial Contract :6 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :6 months
Application Deadline :26-May-13
Background
The global economic architecture is changing. The global financial crisis, the rapidly increasing role of emerging political powers in development, strong economic growth in many African countries and fragile national ownership of largely externally-funded development agendas are giving impetus for a new system of global cooperation for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. This way, addressing AIDS is a shared responsibility, one that relies on the engagement of all countries and all sectors - according to their differentiated capacity to do so.
Just as many African countries are expected to assume greater responsibility for addressing an unfinished AIDS epidemic amidst flat lining and in some cases declining international assistance, an even larger challenge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is emerging and already starting to place a double burden on health and development. This has consequences for health systems, nascent social protection mechanisms, household expenditures and labor productivity. Recent assessments point to the reality that the burden of NCDs will only increase over time and soon overtake communicable disease in terms of morbidity and mortality.
NCDs, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases are expected to be the leading cause of death in Africa by 2030. Africa will also suffer a ‘double disease’ burden as the interactions between communicable diseases such as HIV and these NCDs compound the problem. For example, a study of over 7,000 workers in Namibia in 2009-10 concluded that the greatest cause of absenteeism was high blood glucose and diabetes. This is in a context where health sector costs have been rapidly escalating due to HIV and AIDS . Studies have shown that the causes of NCDs include: poor diets, inactivity, tobacco consumption and excessive alcohol consumption. NCDs are a development issue, not just a health one. For example, a study of seven Sub-Saharan African countries showed that the prevalence of overweight/obesity among women in urban areas increased by nearly 35% during the 10 years covered, with the increase greatest amongst least educated women. The social and economic costs of NCDs are staggering as are the costs of managing disease. Total health system costs for cardiovascular disease alone shows $7 billion lost in the WHO Africa Region in 2010. Prevention is, therefore, a much more effective route in Africa, and this mainly involves tackling social behaviours such as tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, diet and exercise. Studies show that a 10% increase in tax on tobacco, for example, results in a 7% reduction in smoking (and also an increase in revenue).
The Rio+20 Declaration and the UN 2011 Political Declaration on NCDs, reflect the importance the international community is placing on NCDs in recent times. The global health and development challenge of NCDs has been recognized at the highest global political levels. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC: 2003) is the world’s only health treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO, calling for whole-of-government responses to one of the key risk factors for NCDs.
UNDP, a solution-oriented and knowledge-based development organization, has increasingly been called on to support the global NCD response. The UN SG’s ad hoc Interagency Task Force on Tobacco and the World Health Organization, for example have requested UNDP’s engagement in a number of areas, leveraging UNDP’s experience in AIDS to address the social determinants of NCDs and facilitate whole-of-government responses.
UNDP is currently engaged in developing its Resilience Strategy, which is likely to feature as part of a broader corporate strategy from 2014-2018. Building resilience to long-wave health shocks, such as AIDS and NCDs are critical components. This involves aspects of analysis and early detection, such as understanding social and economic dynamics driving these epidemics and their development consequences. It also involves prevention through institutional capacity building and good governance rooted in multi-sectoral coordination and whole-of-government responses.
Additionally, it involves strengthening social protection mechanisms to make them sensitive to AIDS and NCD burdens, especially among the vulnerable groups that they most affect (e.g., women, the poorest), so that households and communities can cope with these shocks when they occur without being driven into or deeper into poverty. There is significant opportunity for UNDP to link its comparative strengths in HIV, TB and malaria and its strengths in economic advisory services in the Africa region. This will respond to increasing demand from Country Offices and from RECs and Member states for support in domesticating AIDS financing and for costing social protection and health insurance instruments. It will also respond to demand from the African Union Commission (AUC) for support in generating evidence on the economic and social benefits of investing in health. In addition, it will place UNDP support squarely within standard national planning, budgeting and macroeconomic frameworks which impact health and vice versa.
In the region, this requires a mechanism to link UNDP’s wealth of programmatic and policy experience in AIDS with its economic advisory services and with Regional Practices and projects that cover gender, poverty, MDGs etc. with an eye on the incoming ‘shock’ of NCDs and the post 2015 agenda. In this context, the HIV, Health and Development Practice intends to hire an institution to undertake secondary and primary research on the social and economic determinants of NCDs in the region as a basis of determining UNDP’s support in advocating and promoting action on NCD prevention and management in the region.
Duties and Responsibilities
Design of data collection strategy and analysis plan aimed at:
Competencies
Core competencies
Operational competencies
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced degree in public health, health economics, research, health promotion, development planning, medicine or any other related field
Work experience:
Language
Fluency in English (both written and spoken)
Fluency in French (advantage)
Selection Criteria
The candidates will be evaluated through Cumulative Analysis method. In using the weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should 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.
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% in technical evaluation will be considered eligible for financial evaluation
Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 70 marks)
Academic (20 marks)
Technical / Experience (50 marks)
Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks)
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
http://unjobs.org/vacancies/1368724330170http://unjobs.org/vacancies/1368724330170
Location :Johanneburg / Addis Ababa
Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :International Consultant
Languages Required :English French
Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)03-Jun-2013
Duration of Initial Contract :6 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :6 months
Application Deadline :26-May-13
Background
The global economic architecture is changing. The global financial crisis, the rapidly increasing role of emerging political powers in development, strong economic growth in many African countries and fragile national ownership of largely externally-funded development agendas are giving impetus for a new system of global cooperation for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. This way, addressing AIDS is a shared responsibility, one that relies on the engagement of all countries and all sectors - according to their differentiated capacity to do so.
Just as many African countries are expected to assume greater responsibility for addressing an unfinished AIDS epidemic amidst flat lining and in some cases declining international assistance, an even larger challenge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is emerging and already starting to place a double burden on health and development. This has consequences for health systems, nascent social protection mechanisms, household expenditures and labor productivity. Recent assessments point to the reality that the burden of NCDs will only increase over time and soon overtake communicable disease in terms of morbidity and mortality.
NCDs, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases are expected to be the leading cause of death in Africa by 2030. Africa will also suffer a ‘double disease’ burden as the interactions between communicable diseases such as HIV and these NCDs compound the problem. For example, a study of over 7,000 workers in Namibia in 2009-10 concluded that the greatest cause of absenteeism was high blood glucose and diabetes. This is in a context where health sector costs have been rapidly escalating due to HIV and AIDS . Studies have shown that the causes of NCDs include: poor diets, inactivity, tobacco consumption and excessive alcohol consumption. NCDs are a development issue, not just a health one. For example, a study of seven Sub-Saharan African countries showed that the prevalence of overweight/obesity among women in urban areas increased by nearly 35% during the 10 years covered, with the increase greatest amongst least educated women. The social and economic costs of NCDs are staggering as are the costs of managing disease. Total health system costs for cardiovascular disease alone shows $7 billion lost in the WHO Africa Region in 2010. Prevention is, therefore, a much more effective route in Africa, and this mainly involves tackling social behaviours such as tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, diet and exercise. Studies show that a 10% increase in tax on tobacco, for example, results in a 7% reduction in smoking (and also an increase in revenue).
The Rio+20 Declaration and the UN 2011 Political Declaration on NCDs, reflect the importance the international community is placing on NCDs in recent times. The global health and development challenge of NCDs has been recognized at the highest global political levels. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC: 2003) is the world’s only health treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO, calling for whole-of-government responses to one of the key risk factors for NCDs.
UNDP, a solution-oriented and knowledge-based development organization, has increasingly been called on to support the global NCD response. The UN SG’s ad hoc Interagency Task Force on Tobacco and the World Health Organization, for example have requested UNDP’s engagement in a number of areas, leveraging UNDP’s experience in AIDS to address the social determinants of NCDs and facilitate whole-of-government responses.
UNDP is currently engaged in developing its Resilience Strategy, which is likely to feature as part of a broader corporate strategy from 2014-2018. Building resilience to long-wave health shocks, such as AIDS and NCDs are critical components. This involves aspects of analysis and early detection, such as understanding social and economic dynamics driving these epidemics and their development consequences. It also involves prevention through institutional capacity building and good governance rooted in multi-sectoral coordination and whole-of-government responses.
Additionally, it involves strengthening social protection mechanisms to make them sensitive to AIDS and NCD burdens, especially among the vulnerable groups that they most affect (e.g., women, the poorest), so that households and communities can cope with these shocks when they occur without being driven into or deeper into poverty. There is significant opportunity for UNDP to link its comparative strengths in HIV, TB and malaria and its strengths in economic advisory services in the Africa region. This will respond to increasing demand from Country Offices and from RECs and Member states for support in domesticating AIDS financing and for costing social protection and health insurance instruments. It will also respond to demand from the African Union Commission (AUC) for support in generating evidence on the economic and social benefits of investing in health. In addition, it will place UNDP support squarely within standard national planning, budgeting and macroeconomic frameworks which impact health and vice versa.
In the region, this requires a mechanism to link UNDP’s wealth of programmatic and policy experience in AIDS with its economic advisory services and with Regional Practices and projects that cover gender, poverty, MDGs etc. with an eye on the incoming ‘shock’ of NCDs and the post 2015 agenda. In this context, the HIV, Health and Development Practice intends to hire an institution to undertake secondary and primary research on the social and economic determinants of NCDs in the region as a basis of determining UNDP’s support in advocating and promoting action on NCD prevention and management in the region.
Duties and Responsibilities
- With support from UNDP staff and reporting to the Team Leader: HIV, Health and Development Practice, the consultant will be responsible for the following:
- Conduct secondary research on NCDs in the region through:
- Gathering/collection of key relevant and credible research on NCDs from the region explicitly looking at the burden of NCDs; causes and drivers of NCDs; consequences; on-going interventions
- Analysis and synthesis of available data on NCDs in the region
- Determination of the gaps in existing data and evidence particularly on social and economic determinants
- In close collaboration with UNDP regional centre and other practices, elaborate UNDP’s added value in NCD in line with the UN Division of Labour on NCDs.
- Develop and submit comprehensive NCDs situational analyses report that include but not limited to.
- Comprehensive overview of the regions NCD situation
- Broad perspective of the social and economic determinants of NCDs in the region
- Summary of on-going initiatives by key stakeholders, status and gaps
- Linkages of HIV & AIDS and NCDs and other health issues
- Analysis of innovative and sustainable financing models for NCDs
- Further areas of research required to place NCDs on national development agenda and paragraph 3 of the political declaration on NCDs.
Design of data collection strategy and analysis plan aimed at:
- Collecting additional information based on gaps identified in phase 1 in 3 selected countries in the region
- Producing a comprehensive report that combines phases 1 and 2 for study by UNDP and partners
- Draft report on UNDPs strategic areas of intervention on NCDs in Africa
- Required Outputs
- The main outputs expected from the consultant are:
- Inception Report
- Minutes and recommendations of meetings/consultations.
- Draft situation analysis report clearly stating recommendations on existing data gaps
- Data collection strategy/plan
- Second draft report that includes findings from phase 3 for internal discussions
- Final report that will incorporate the comments of key stakeholders at national/regional levels
Competencies
Core competencies
- In-depth practical knowledge of emerging pandemics including NDCs
- Excellent understanding of social and economic determinants of NCDs and their linkages to HIV, gender etc.
- Understanding of the UN division of labour on NCDs
- Impeccable ability to design and conduct research on socio economic determinants of NCDs in Africa
- Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting processes
Operational competencies
- Builds strong relationships with clients, focus on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
- Ability to manage complexities
- Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills
- Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
- Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure
- Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced degree in public health, health economics, research, health promotion, development planning, medicine or any other related field
Work experience:
- At least 10 years’ experience on NCDs, its social and economic determinants and management
- Experience with quantitative and/or qualitative research techniques
- Demonstrated familiarity with national planning, budgeting and financing mechanisms in developing country contexts
- Experience with current NCDs strategies and management in Africa
- Experience with macroeconomic frameworks
- Knowledge of AIDS and its links with NCDs
- Experience in working with WHO and ministries of health, finance in the region
Language
Fluency in English (both written and spoken)
Fluency in French (advantage)
Selection Criteria
The candidates will be evaluated through Cumulative Analysis method. In using the weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should 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.
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% in technical evaluation will be considered eligible for financial evaluation
Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 70 marks)
Academic (20 marks)
Technical / Experience (50 marks)
Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks)
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
http://unjobs.org/vacancies/1368724330170http://unjobs.org/vacancies/1368724330170
