International Consultant for CIP Family Planning Nationwide at unfpa

Beşiktaş, Marmara Region, Turkey -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

19 Jul, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

20 Apr, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Public health, Family planning, Costed implementation plans, SRHR financing, Policy development, Stakeholder consultation, Data analysis, Strategic planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and evaluation, Project management, Report writing, Resource mobilization, Technical advocacy, Reproductive health

Industry

International Affairs

Description

The Position: Papua New Guinea is ethnically diverse, with approximately 839 language groups, subgroups and clans. It is an island country with an area of 178,700 square miles spread over 600 islands. The estimated population in 2021 was 11.78 million, 87 per cent of which live in rural areas; 57.3 per cent are estimated to be below the age of 25 and 42.8 per cent below the age of 18. Currently a lower-middle-income country, Papua New Guinea aspires to upper-middle-income status by 2030. The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita declined between 2019 and 2020, from $2,829 to $2,636, due to the economic contraction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Public finances have deteriorated due to declining tax revenue, resulting in a debt-to-GDP ratio of 52 per cent in 2022. The latest estimates of the maternal mortality ratio are 192 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, which is underestimated. Skilled birth attendance is at 55 per cent. Most women are not delivering in health facilities primarily due to: (a) the absence of skilled birth attendants in rural areas; (b) the high cost of transportation to health facilities for mothers in the lowest income quintile; (c) low literacy levels: only 31 per cent of births were delivered in a health facility for mothers with no education and 95 per cent for mothers with a higher education; (d) poor quality of health infrastructure and services; and (e) lack of life-saving commodities. The scale of maternal death is unknown as the maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response system is at a rudimentary stage and does not fully capture deaths at community levels. The risk of dying in childbirth for women living in rural areas is four to eight times higher compared to urban areas. Child marriage and adolescent pregnancy lead to high maternal mortality and morbidity, including obstetric fistula. Anecdotal evidence shows that the number of obstetric fistula cases ranges from 4,600 to 16,000 among women in the Highlands region of the country. Current health expenditure as a per cent of GDP for 2021 was 2.53 per cent, compared with 1.8 per cent in 2015 and a maximum of 3.3 per cent in 2014. The world average in 2020, based on 179 countries, is 7.04 per cent. The per capita health expenditure has increased since 2015 to $65 in 2019. The highest expenditure per capita per year was $96 in 2014. One of the core issues is the need for more funding streams for health services. Primary healthcare services are publicly funded and should be free at points of service. The government subsidises some specialised public hospital services and a portion of church-provided health services, but overall financial management within the health sector could be more robust. This inefficiency limits the allocation and mobilisation of funds at provincial and facility levels, compounding the effects of lower health budgets. Financing gaps were noted including underfunded provincial Annual Implementation Plans with late arrival of funds and district health infrastructure funds often not allocated. Some sources indicate that from 2010 to 2013, there was an increase in health budgets/funding. However, this growth plateaued, and health financing declined by 2016-2017 due to fiscal constraints and reductions in external donor support. There has been an increase in the health budget again from 2022 onward. The UNFPA Papua New Guinea Country Office is the UN’s lead technical agency in SRHR, GBV and SARV response, prevention & risk mitigation (including working with men and boys) and population data and dynamics in Papua New Guinea. UNFPA is a Co-convenor of RMNCAH Working Group, RH & GBV Sub-Clusters nationally and in some 7th CP roll-out sites (e.g. Enga Province and Eastern Highlands Province). It is a proactive member of the UN Health Group with WHO and UNICEF working in support of NDOH. It is the leading UN agency in supporting youth and people with disability in PNG. It has in-house technical expertise in National Census preparation, Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence prevention and response, Communications, Innovation, Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers, and Finance. Among its comparative advantages are its resource mobilization capacity, field experience; strong and unique partnerships with civil society organizations especially faith-based organizations, academia, research institutions and media; and leadership in population data such as its support to the PNG National Census of Population. The key challenge that limits UNFPA’s ability to deliver on MNH are limited resources. As such, the PNG CO will use its existing health investment case, health platforms (existing and new) and prepare a package to advocate for national and sub-national financing for SRHR, especially on maternal health (including support to emergency obstetric and newborn care, skilled birth attendance, and maternal and perinatal death surveillance response), adolescent and youth SRHR and family planning. On the Costed Implementation Plan for Family Planning in PNG, this will guide FP programming across all sectors, donors/development partners, and implementing partners. FP-CIPs provide details on the necessary programme activities and costs associated with achieving national goals, providing clear programme-level information on the resources the country must raise domestically and from partners to reach FP targets. The plan gives crucial direction to PNG’s FP programme, ensuring that all components of a successful programme are addressed and budgeted for in government and partner programming. In 2022, a provincial Costed Implementation Plan for Eastern Highlands Province was prepared with UNFPA PNG CO’s support. This will also need to be reviewed and updated for presentation to the remaining 7th CP initial roll-out sites for replication. These are: NCD, Central Province, Western Province, Morobe Province, Enga Province, Eastern Highlands Province, East New Britain Province and Autonomous Region of Bougainville. How you can make a difference: UNFPA is the leading United Nations (UN) agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan 2026-2029 reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. 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 who transform, inspire and deliver high-impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, and exceptional in managing the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results. Job Purpose: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Office in Papua New Guinea seeks the service of experienced international and national consultant to support a consultative process towards development of national FP costed implementation plan (CIP) in Papua New Guinea and a provincial costed IP for Eastern highlands Province. In 2022-2023, UNFPA supported the development of provincial-owned, broad- based FP costed implementation plans (CIP) in Eastern Highlands Province aligned to Papua New Guinea's goal to achieve a CPR of 45% by 2024. FP costed implementation plans (CIPs) are concrete and detailed plans for achieving the goals of a family planning program over a set number of years. A CIP details the program activities necessary to meet FP goals and the costs associated with the activities. A costed implementation plan is critical to give direction to a FP program within the context of the National population and family planning policies with the goal to reduce maternal deaths. This process of developing the CIP will lead to greater local ownership and aligns with ongoing government planning and coordination efforts within a relatively short development process. In addition, UNFPA needs a comprehensive report about the fiscal space for SRHR financing in Papua New Guinea in the broader context of health financing. The analysis of the fiscal space for SRHR financing is an imperative to direct policymakers in PNG on realistic changes that need to be made to increase domestic resources. More specifically, the two consultants will be responsible for: (a) developing a Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) for Family Planning (FP) for Papua New Guinea, (b) updating the CIP-FP for Eastern Highlands Province as a model to be presented to other provincial CIPs in the remaining 7th CP initial roll-out sites in a workshop; and (c) preparing a report on the country’s fiscal space for SRHR financing including key findings with figures, conclusions and recommendations. You would be responsible for: The Consultancy will include: * Preparatory work. * Consultations in Port Moresby with UNFPA, government counterparts (i.e., NDOH) and Civil society organizations (e.g. Marie Stopes) to prepare the national costed implementation plan for family planning and a report on national SRHR financing in PNG – key findings, conclusions and recommendations. * Travel to Eastern Highlands: lead/facilitate 2-day stakeholder consultation meeting to a) validate and update the costed implementation plan including development of targets, key strategies, actions and strategies, implementation, monitoring and evaluation approaches, b) update costing of the proposed activities and secure buy-in of Eastern Highlands Province for budget support in succeeding years; c) finalize Eastern province FP-CIP for presentation in a workshop with the CEOs of the PHAs of the other 7th CP initial roll-out sites for possible replication: and d) prepare a final report of the FP-CIP development process and executive brief of the FP-CIP process; and * Debrief with UNFPA and the National Department of Health. Supervisory Arrangements: The Consultant will be under the overall supervision of the UNFPA Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Representative and Head of Programme and in close collaboration with the RHCS Analyst and other members of the SRHR Unit and the Programme Team, Communications Team and Operations Team. Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience: * Advanced degree in Public Health, Social Work, or any social science field related to reproductive health, demography and sociology. * At least seven years of relevant experience in the area of reproductive health would be desirable * Minimum of five years’ experience in preparing Costed Implementation Plans, especially in Family Planning and SRHR Financing Reports is essential * Familiarity with UN policies and principles and PNG government planning and processes will be an advantage; * Willingness to travel; and * Proficiency in current office software applications. Languages: * Proficiency in English Required Competencies: Values: * Exemplifying integrity, * Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, * Embracing cultural diversity, * Embracing change Core Competencies: * Integrity, commitment, cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity; * Developing people/Coaching and Mentoring; * Building and managing relationships; and * Personal leadership and effectiveness. Functional Competencies: * Business acumen; * Implementing management systems; * Innovation and marketing of new approaches; * Client orientation; * Organizational awareness; * Strategic alignment of human resource practices; * Promoting organizational change and development; * Impact and influence; and * Job knowledge/technical expertise Compensation and Benefits: This position offers an attractive remuneration package as per UNFPA IC policy. UNFPA Work Environment: UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here [https://www.unfpa.org/diversity-equity-inclusion] to learn more. Disclaimer: Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.

Responsibilities

The consultant will develop a national Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) for Family Planning and update the provincial CIP for the Eastern Highlands. Additionally, they will prepare a comprehensive report on the fiscal space for SRHR financing in Papua New Guinea.