Consultant for Development of national plan to accelerate progress on Child Survival Action, Maputo,

The purpose of this assignment is to develop a national roadmap and costed action plan, to accelerate progress on Child Survival action in Mozambique (2025-2030), in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) “Good health and well-being” and the Mozambican government's commitment to ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years. PROGRAMME AREA AND SPECIFIC PROJECT AREA: The objective of the Child Survival Action Plan is to support Mozambique's targets for reducing under-five mortality, improve core indicators, expand coverage, and enhance the quality of high-impact MNCH interventions to manage morbidity and mortality, while strengthening primary healthcare platforms. The focus will be on operationalizing and scaling up quality MNCH interventions currently limited across the service delivery spectrum.

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BACKGROUND / RATIONALE

Mozambique has made great progress in our last years with a reduction in childhood and no increase in access to basic services, and as a result we noted a reduction in the progression of infant mortality since 1990. Mortality of children under five years is estimated at 201 in 1997, 178 in 2003 (IDS) and 138 in 1000 lives in 2008 (MICS). Recent IDS 2022/23 births for five-year-olds, the death rate is currently estimated at 60 per 1,000 births, infant mortality at 39 per 1,000 LB and neonatal mortality estimated at 24 per 1,000 LB. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015 by the country, represent a commitment to achieve target 3 SDG – achieving good health and well-being for all and ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five. This compromise is translated into reducing the neonatal mortality tax to 12 per 1,000 and to 60 per 1,000 for under five mortality rates, for children living in 2030.

Despite the novel reduction in infant mortality achieved in recent years, available data indicate that progress in coverage with an essential package of cost-effective maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) interventions has been limited over the past few years.

Given the above targets, the country needs to increase its pace and accelerate its interventions in order to achieve the SDG targets by 2030.

At the second Global Pneumonia Forum in Madrid and the World Health Assembly roundtable in Geneva on accelerating action for child survival towards the SDGs by 2030, Mozambique was among national governments who committed to developing a harmonized framework and roadmap on child survival action plans as well strengthen primary health care to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). Based on the above background the Ministry of Health in collaboration with UNICEF is seeking the services of a resident (national or international) consultant with proven experience and expertise to support the development of a national roadmap and operational plan to accelerate progress on Child Survival Action for Mozambique. The proposed national roadmap and action plan are expected to be costed and with an addendum to bring all existing documents together to address mortality and morbidity rather than a stand-alone document, it will align and build on the exiting strategies and policies. While analyzing various information sources to identify strategic priorities to improve childhood survival rates. The national roadmap and action plan will have annual priorities and targets that encompass clear coverage objectives for the Ministry of Health across prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services, delivered at household, community, and health facility levels, as well a national and sub-national advocacy child survival framework.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is to develop a national roadmap and costed action plan, to accelerate progress on Child Survival action in Mozambique (2025-2030), in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) “Good health and well-being” and the Mozambican government's commitment to ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years.

PROGRAMME AREA AND SPECIFIC PROJECT AREA:

The objective of the Child Survival Action Plan is to support Mozambique's targets for reducing under-five mortality, improve core indicators, expand coverage, and enhance the quality of high-impact MNCH interventions to manage morbidity and mortality, while strengthening primary healthcare platforms. The focus will be on operationalizing and scaling up quality MNCH interventions currently limited across the service delivery spectrum.

The assignment requires a senior consultant to:

1. Develop a workplan and consultation materials for workshop(s) or interviews with national and sub-national line ministries, UN agencies, national and international NGOs, CSOs and the donor community in Mozambique in relation to identified child survival priorities.

2. Conduct a desk review of existing strategies, relevant normative and guidance documents, key data sources including with respect to WASH, Nutrition, and social behavior change. Additionally, conduct a risk analysis for childhood illnesses and related morbidity and mortality and identify priorities emerging from the current evidence base.

3. Conduct a risk-analysis for Mozambique, describing environmental and societal risk factors related to the health and survival of pregnant women, newborn and under-5 children , by type (e.g., violence, natural disasters, migration flows), geographic location, seasonality , urban/rural settings, socioeconomic status, and others; their impact on the provision of maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services, including supply and demand bottlenecks; and what best practices exist to ensure the continuation of those services during shocks and stresses

4. Conduct virtual and in-person consultation workshop(s) and/or key informant interviews with identified stakeholders, documenting findings, and triangulating information to identify bottlenecks and priorities for the child survival action plans.

5. Develop a draft of the national child survival action plan (that will inform province level child survival action plans) and a Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation framework based on the desk review, consultation workshops and key informant interviews.

6. Draft a national child survival action plan with Monitoring, learning and evaluation framework with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and their Child Health Technical Working Group, UNICEF, WHO, USAID for review and comments. Address comments received and shared final drafts with Ministry of Health for validation and finalization.

7. Support the in-person/virtual dissemination of national child survival action plan to key stakeholders in Mozambique.

METHODOLOGY

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Health Specialist (Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health) guided by Health Manager (UNICEF) in close collaboration with other UNICEF sections and Field offices staff.

The consultant will work with the Child Health Technical Working Group to engage stakeholders in consultations for developing the Child Survival Roadmap/Action Plan. This assignment requires presence in Mozambique to conduct consultations and review the action plan's development with relevant stakeholders, including government institutions, NGOs, community organizations, professional associations, UN agencies, the World Bank, and donors. For stakeholders unable to attend in person, the consultant will reach out virtually. Feedback sessions will be organized with various stakeholders, with updates provided in Mozambique consultation forums at key stages to build consensus and validate findings. Most in-country travel to engage the states will be managed by the national consultant alongside UNICEF and partners.

Methodology includes:

I. Consultation with the Child Health Technical Working Group (TWG)

 Engage with the existing TWG/task forces led by the Ministry of Health (MoH), involving USAID, UN agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

 Conduct key informant interviews with MoH staff, related ministries, UN agencies, NGOs, and community leaders to identify gaps and expectations within existing strategies and areas needing development.

 Meet with experts in social behavior change, nutrition, social policy, gender, education, and WASH to incorporate their insights into the child survival operational plan.

 Gather feedback from communities through focus group discussions to understand their needs.

 Provide regular updates in consultation forums on priority areas from field data, ensuring alignment with the plan and fostering a shared vision.

II. Desk Review to Identify Gaps for the Child Survival Action Plan (CSA)

 Collect baseline information and review child health literature, including risk analyses and mapping of current initiatives, to document best practices for evidence-based decisions.

 Analyze current child health challenges and strategic priorities in national documents and reports by local and international organizations.

 Review the national strategic health plan and relevant policies in nutrition, WASH, and social behavior change, especially the RMNCAH provisions impacting child health.

 Study key national plans (e.g., Mozambique, Case Study of Child Health – WHO, Mozambique Essential Package of Health Services, Malaria Action Plan, HIV/Syphilis/Hepatitis B elimination, immunization recovery, newborn action plan) to identify gaps and strategic priorities for improving child survival.

III. Reporting and Finalization of the National Child Survival Action Plan

 Draft the national child survival Action plan to guide the 11 provincial-level action plans, with input from government counterparts and TWG/stakeholders, including a summary report of the process.

 Disseminate findings for stakeholder feedback.

 Consolidate and share the final action plan, along with the Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation framework, for validation by the Ministry of Health.

 Provide a costed action plan.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

Develop a workplan and materials for consultation meeting(s)/focused group discussion and submit to UNICEF and Ministry of Health for approval

Deliverables/Outputs:

Draft of Inception report and detailed workplan with timeframes developed. M&E tools as well that will be used, data collection process, it is analysis and validation shared with UNICEF, partners, and the Ministry of Health for review and comments

Timeline

3 days

 Tasks/Milestone:

Address the comments on the inception report.

Deliverables/Outputs:

Final inception report submitted.

Timeline

3 days

Tasks/Milestone:

Conduct a desk review of existing strategies, and other relevant documents pertaining to child health in Health and identify bottlenecks, gaps and priorities emerging from the current evidence base

Deliverables/Outputs:

Desk Review of electronic copy shared with UNICEF, partners and MoH to analyze and document key finds to guide the next step

Timeline

5 days

Tasks/Milestone:

Conduct in country consultation workshop(s) and/or key informant interviews with key stakeholders, documenting findings, and triangulating information to identify bottlenecks and priorities for the child survival action plans

Deliverables/Outputs:

Meeting minutes, Interview notes and recordings shared with UNICEF and MoH

Timeline

10 days

Tasks/Milestone:

Draft a national child survival roadmap and guidance for 11 Provincial level child survival action plans with Monitoring and evaluation framework based on the desk review and consultation workshops and interviews with key stakeholders.

Deliverables/Outputs:

The draft of national child survival roadmap and action plans with Monitoring and evaluation framework

Timeline

8 days

Tasks/Milestone:

Address comments received from stakeholders and share final draft with UNICEF, partners and the Ministry of Health

Deliverables/Outputs:

Final national child survival roadmap and national action/operational plan for validation and finalization

Timeline

3 days

Tasks/Milestone:

Costing the national action plan

Deliverables/Outputs:

Costing the final national child survival Action Plan

Timeline

15 days

Tasks/Milestone:

Conduct in-country Dissemination meeting and conduct policy dialogue with policy makers and donor community.

Deliverables/Outputs:

Final national child survival Roadmap and Action Plan

Timeline

7 days

 Tasks/Milestone:

Support the review and development of provincial level Child Survival Operational plans with all partners.

Deliverables/Outputs:

Provincial operational plans reviewed

Timeline

3 days

Applicants are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable

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

Degree in Medicine, Master's or PhD in Public Health or related areas

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Experience in developing strategic plans and guidelines for the health sector at national or international level, including strategic plans for child age groups;

 Experience in costing

 Excellent skills in critical analysis, identifying solutions and writing reports in Portuguese and English.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks:  

Applicants are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable

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. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.