Switzerland: Community Engagement Consultant (WHO Urban Health Initiative and BreatheLife)

1. Purpose of the Consultancy

This consultancy is required to provide expertise and support for the development of tools and methods on community engagement under the WHO Urban Health Initiative (UHI) pilot projects. These projects aim to strengthen the capacity of the health sector in developing countries and cities to address the health impacts of air pollution and its sources and to mobilize action against air pollution towards healthier urban environments. This position additionally supports the further development of the BreatheLife Action Platform, aiming at connecting key stakeholders around the globe, informing about the health effects of air pollution. With support of the consultant, BreatheLife will be expanded into a more action oriented platform.

2. Background

The WHO Urban Health Initiative is implemented in response to WHA Resolution 68.8 from May 2015, which requests WHO to build health sector capacity to work with other sectors, and support countries to identify effective interventions and track progress, while continuing to update the evidence for health impacts of air pollution.

As one of the responses to the resolution, WHO is implementing two pilot projects (one each in Accra, Ghana, and Kathmandu, Nepal) to address air pollution and related health effects in cities in low- and middle income countries (LMIC). The rationale of the project is to empower the health sector to realize its potential to support scaling up policy actions to mitigate air pollutants at the urban level. The desired impact of the project is to reduce deaths and diseases associated with air pollutants, as well as to realize climate and other health benefits (e.g. less injuries, better diets, safe physical activity), associated with policies and measures to tackle air pollution.

A key component of the UHI model process relates to development of guidance and support for the engagement and outreach of key stakeholders, including the communities, health professionals and other relevant groups (e.g. community and religious leaders, youth, schoolchildren, grassroots movements), which is critical to secure support on community level. Work with local communities includes the engagement of the local population in activities that allow for the enhancement of available data (e.g. localized pollution levels and geolocation of vulnerable groups), benefitting from a local perspective. Through the implementation of the pilot projects in Accra and Kathmandu, the consultant will work to derive the tools and methods necessary for informing the scaling of this component of the UHI model process to other cities and regions, including on aspects such as citizen science, placemaking, tactical urbanism, and building on existing ‘platforms’, such as people’s dialogues and knowledge sharing networks.

Community engagement activities under the Urban Health Initiative also inform aspects of BreatheLife, which is a platform jointly led by WHO, UN Environment and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to connect countries, cities, communities and individuals to share good practices that promote the reduction of emissions of air and short-term climate pollutants (SLCP). Following several years of successful global implementation, BreatheLife will be further developed to allow for increased engagement between BreatheLife members. In addition to the activities under the Urban Health Initiative outlined above, the incumbent will work closely with BreatheLife partners to support the development of BreatheLife into a more interactive platform.

3. Planned timelines (subject to confirmation):

Start date: 02/09/2019

End date: 31/07/2020

4. Work to be performed

Output 1: Provide support for the planning and implementation of community outreach activities to engage target populations in the ongoing UHI pilot projects in Accra (Ghana) and Kathmandu (Nepal):

• In close collaboration with the WHO project team in Geneva and Accra, review and support the development of a set of community engagement strategies for selected communities in the Greater Accra Region, taking into account the specific contexts of neighbourhood structures and events, and considering the utilization of local community mobilizers and influencers through various channels.
• In close collaboration with the WHO team in Accra, support and document the implementation of community engagement activities, remotely and on the ground, as required.
• In close collaboration with the WHO project team in Geneva and Kathmandu, support and document the development of a set of community engagement strategies for selected communities in the Kathmandu Valley, taking into account the peculiarities of individual neighbourhood structures and events, taking into account the specific contexts of neighbourhood structures and events, and considering the utilization of local community mobilizers and influencers through various channels.
• In close collaboration with the WHO team in Kathmandu, support and document the implementation of community engagement activities, remotely and on the ground, as required. Deliverable 1.e: Contribute and review technical deliverables from UHI pilot projects as regards to community engagement and outreach activities.

Output 2: Coordinate the development of community engagement and technical guidance material focusing on the health and economic effects of air pollution as well as specific sector-specific risks and opportunities, building on the results of analytical work in the two pilot projects:

• In collaboration with WHO technical experts, support the development of guidance material for health professionals on the health effects of air pollution, tailored to the specific contexts of Accra and Kathmandu, including results from sector and disease specific analyses in Accra and Kathmandu.
• In collaboration with the WHO project team, support the development of sector- and disease specific guidance material, tailored to the specific contexts of Accra and Kathmandu, including results from sector and disease specific analyses in Accra and Kathmandu.
• Support the review of the evidence and experiences on the effectiveness of interventions and strategies for community mobilization and outreach of urban health-related issues, with a focus on air pollution.

Output 3: Building on the existing experience of implementing BreatheLife, support the further development of a more interactive BreatheLife Action Platform to increase engagement of its members, focusing on exchange of good practices and success stories.

• In close collaboration with BreatheLife implementing partners, develop a concept of an interactive action platform that is building on the existing BreatheLife experiences.
• Building on the agreed concept, support the development and daily management of the BreatheLife Action Platform through liaison with partners and coordination of service providers.
• Support the preparation and delivery of activities related to the BreatheLife Action Platform, for capacity building and knowledge exchange and specific events to promote activities related to solutions to reduce air and climate pollutants in countries and cities.

5.Specific requirements

Qualifications required: Bachelor’s degree in science, social science, public health or a related field

Experience required: 5 years of work experience in conceptualizing and implementing training and capacity building activities. Experience with health and wellbeing-related grassroots work, including with fostering action-oriented social networks.

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

• Functional knowledge of how people-centered policies and interventions can address health problems in urban environments, including through citizen-science, community knowledge, placemaking and other forms of citizen-led urbanism.
• Functional knowledge in qualitative methods, including research, analysis and interpreting and communicating related results.
• Excellent interpersonal, networking and communication skills.
• Ability to manage many tasks concurrently and prioritize workload, in a pressured environment with competing demands and high expectations.
• Self-manager, including ability to demonstrate initiative and work on her/his own.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to promote cohesive action and engage with governments and stakeholders with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to write in a clear and concise manner, and to present factual, data-driven information.

Language requirements: Excellent written and spoken English; fluency in French or Spanish would be an advantage.

6.Place of assignment

The consultant will be expected to conduct most of this work in Geneva, Switzerland. The consultant will be expected to travel to project sites in Ghana and Nepal, upon request, at cost of WHO.

7.Medical clearance

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

People interested in applying for this consultancy should send their CVs and a covering email highlighting any relevant experience(s) to Michael Hinsch (hinschm@who.int), copied to Dorcas Appiah Agbogla (appiahagboglad@who.int) by 4 August 2019 (23:59 CEST). Please include the subject line "Application for consultancy - Community Engagement Consultant"