BACKGROUND

The WHO Division of Pacific Technical Support (DPS) is based in Suva, Fiji and was established to coordinate and provide timely, tailored support and backstopping to 21 Pacific island countries and areas (PICs).

The Division also covers six other offices in the Pacific; the Country Offices in Samoa and the Solomon Islands and Country Liaison Offices in Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga and Vanuatu. Working together as a Division, these offices provide support to: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.

The Division’s work is delivered in close collaboration with Pacific governments, other UN agencies, development partners, donors, and nongovernmental organisations to achieve better health outcomes for Pacific island communities.

Every two years, the Pacific Health Ministers Meeting (PHMM) is an opportunity for ministers of health and partners to come together to review progress, share lessons learned and catalyze collective action to deliver better health for people across the Pacific. The 14th PHMM, to be hosted by Tuvalu, is scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2022.

A consistent drumbeat of communications and advocacy is required in the lead up to the PHMM to cut through the current noise and fatigue, and to ensure that the event results in concrete action on the behalf of health ministries and partner organizations over the next two years.

While the agenda topics for the 14th PHMM are currently undergoing a consultation and consensus-building process, the PHMM is likely to focus on:

• • Leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic to build sustainable systems and advance universal health coverage
• • Putting health at the centre of the climate change discussion
• • Accelerating action on non-communicable diseases

These are issues of great significance to Pacific island countries and areas, and further action in these areas will result in better health and lives saved.

Furthermore, under WHO’s vision for the Western Pacific, For the Future: Towards the Healthiest and Safest Region, the Organization is seeking to scale up use of the Communications for Health (C4H) approach. Explained simply, C4H is ‘communications for impact’, inspiring policy and/or behavioural change. This consultancy will harness this C4H approach to increase understanding of the need for urgent action on the PHMM agenda topics and drive commitment to that action.

This consultancy will therefore contribute to the achievement of the For the Future vision and through that, WHO’s global Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019-2023 (GPW-13) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Planned timelines

The consultant will work during the following period:

• Start date:  1 November 2021
• End date: 31 December 2021

Note that the consultancy has been split into two to account for the end of the biennium. However, the plan is for the consultancy to continue with the same terms of reference until at least 28 February 2022.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES TO BE CARRIED OUT

Output 1: Communications in the lead up to the 14th Pacific Health Ministers Meeting

• • Deliverable 1.1: Proactive communications and advocacy on PHMM agenda topics
• • Deliverable 1.2: Support for communications to meeting participants
• • Deliverable 1.3: Inputs to a monthly dashboard tracking communications activities and their impact

Output 2: Support for the planning of the 14th Pacific Health Ministers Meeting

• • Deliverable 2.1: Contribute to planning and logistical arrangements for the 14th PHMM (e.g. a side event, seating plans, identification and planning of IT support, procurement of stationary, name tags etc)

Technical supervision

In collaboration with relevant technical teams within DPS --- the Pacific Health Systems and Policy (PHS) unit; the Pacific Noncommunicable Diseases and Health through the Life-Course (PNH) unit; the Pacific Health Security and Communicable Diseases (PSC) unit; and the Pacific Climate Change and Environment (PCE) unit --- and other communications colleagues within DPS and the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the selected consultant will work on the supervision of:

• Responsible Officer: Lauren O’Connor, Technical Officer (Communications, Resource Mobilization & External Relations)           
• Email: [email protected]
•  
• Manager: Akeem Ali, acting WHO Representative            
• Email: [email protected]

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education

• • Relevant first university degree in communications, journalism, media, public health, health promotion, international relations or related fields from a recognized university.
• • A Master’s degree is desirable.

 Experience

• • Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience at a national and international level, in communications, media, journalism, public relations, public health, health promotion or related fields.
• • Demonstrated experience with strategic communications designed to lead to policy or behaviour change.
• • Demonstrated experience supporting international meetings and/or events.
• • Previous experience working with WHO and/or in Pacific island countries is desirable.

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge

• • Excellent writing skills (including media content writing and presentation skills) and knowledge of public health issues.
• • Knowledge of communications strategy and practice, with an emphasis on creating policy or behaviour change.
• • Project management and meeting planning skills.
• • Proficiency in standard MS Office software applications.

Language requirements

Written and spoken fluency in English is essential. Fluency in French would be an advantage.

Competencies

• • Teamwork
• • Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• • Communication

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Place of assignment

Suva, Fiji, noting that the consultancy may initially be undertaken remotely until pandemic-related travel restrictions are lifted. Travel to Tuvalu may also be possible, subject to travel restrictions.

Medical clearance

The selected Consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work.

All travel arrangements will be made by WHO – WHO will not be responsible for tickets purchased by the Consultant without the express, prior authorization of WHO.

APPLICATIONS

Qualified and interested specialists should submit their CV and cover letter to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < [email protected] > by 31 August 2021. 

The cover letter should outline how their experience and qualifications make them a suitable candidate for this position and should include their proposed daily consultancy fee and availability.

Please use Tender Notice No. 138772 in the email’s subject line. Only successful candidates will be contacted.