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Qualifications

Purpose of consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide epidemiological and quantitative technical expertise supporting the portfolio on measurement & monitoring of sexual & reproductive health, including maternal outcomes. This will involve reviewing and interpreting the scientific literature, drafting scientific/technical summaries/reports; statistical analyses including, including data management work on the input datasets, running the Bayesian models used to produce global, regional and country estimates of maternal mortality, fixing program bugs which may arise from updates etc., providing technical inputs to support responses to queries and requests from Member States or other stakeholders.

Background

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH) includes the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP). Located in Geneva, HRP is the main instrument within the United Nations system for identifying research priorities on sexual and reproductive health and rights; for promoting, conducting, evaluating and coordinating related interdisciplinary research; for collaborating with countries to build national capacity to conduct research; and for promoting the use of research results in policy making and sexual and reproductive health programmes. The Department draws on research and global expertise to set norms and standards and develop global guidelines on sexual and reproductive health and rights. More information about SRH and HRP can be found at https://www.who.int/teams/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research-(srh)/overview. SRH/HRP conducts other measurement & monitoring work relevant to the technical area including domains of maternal mortality, maternal morbidities, sexual health, including within humanitarian settings.

WHO leads the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Interagency Group (MMEIG) composed of WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Division, and the World Bank Group; this work sits within SRH/HRP Department. The MMEIG is tasked with generating internationally comparable estimates of maternal mortality (MMR) for the purposes of global monitoring. To build upon the momentum generated by the Millennium Development Goals agenda a transformative new agenda for maternal health has been laid out as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 per 100 000 live births by 2030 (SDG 3.1). WHO is the custodian agency for maternal mortality and leads the production of UN estimates monitoring levels and trends within the SDG framework. The most recent set of MMR estimates were published in February 2023 and have been integrated into Member States maternal mortality reduction plans, as well as programmatic uptake by a wide range of other actors including other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, donors and funders, academics, and others. The next MMR update is planned to be published towards the end of Q1 2025.

Deliverables

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Experience

Skills/Knowledge:

Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):

Location

Travel

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

Not applicable

Expected duration of contract (Maximum contract duration is 11 months per calendar year):

Additional Information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.
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• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
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