Climate and Disaster Resilient Healthcare Facility Specialist

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is a voluntary-funded international organization with a presence in over 150 countries, including Nepal. UNFPA is guided by the Programme of Action of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals. Its mission is to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

The work of UNFPA is based on the premise that all human beings are entitled to equal rights and protections. We focus on women and young people because these are groups whose ability to exercise their right to sexual and reproductive health is often compromised. Our work is informed by an understanding of population dynamics, human rights and cultural sensitivity.

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s goal is to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, realize reproductive rights, and reduce maternal mortality to accelerate progress on the ICPD agenda, to improve the lives of adolescents and youth, and women, enabled by population dynamics, human rights, and gender equality.

UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction. UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

UNV will provide technical support to the UNFPA Nepal Country Office's Humanitarian unit and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right unit, with a primary focus on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and establishment of model climate and disaster adaptive health care facilities which anticipate, respond to, and adapt to climate-related shocks, ensuring sustained provision of life saving services despite climate instability.
Key responsibilities include:
● Work with local experts and support development of comprehensive health care facility assessment tools.
● Support conducting health facility assessment and identification of adaptive capacity gaps related to health systems in crisis and emergencies especially related to climate change and earthquake.
● Identify and make detailed recommendations with required infrastructure retrofitting including energy efficient equipment, solar power, water and waste management based on national and global standards.
● Work with local experts and monitor the retrofitting and rehabilitation of 10 maternal healthcare facilities in Jajarkot and Rautahat districts, including the integration of energy-efficient equipment, solar power systems, and water/waste management solutions, in compliance with disaster and climate-resilient standards.
● Ensure that the project health facilities resilience interventions align with global and national guidelines and standard construction practices.
● Foster experience sharing and collaborations with Japanese partners and other stakeholders to support the establishment of standards and guidelines for climate-friendly and climate-resilient health infrastructure.
● Development of knowledge products, including reports, case studies, and lessons learned, documenting best practices and insights from UNFPA's DRR and climate resilience initiatives.
● Collaborates with team members, programme partners, and sub-grantees to ensure safe implementation of programmes at the community level, applying the Do No Harm approach.
Expected outputs/deliverables of the consultancy are:
The UNV shall ensure:
● Comprehensive health facility needs assessment tool focusing infrastructure, energy source and efficiency, water and waste management practices.
● Assessment report on health facility adaptive capacity gaps especially related to climate change and earthquake with recommendations and improvement plans
● Monthly monitoring and progress report on the retrofitting and rehabilitation of 10 maternal healthcare facilities in Jajarkot and Rautahat districts.