Communications Officer

In Seychelles, the United Nations has set up a Strategic Partnership Framework with the Government to plan for and coordinate the implementation of UN activities in support of Seychelles’ development priorities within the long-term objectives of realizing the sustainable development goals, as well as meeting internationally agreed commitments and obligations.

WHO Country Office programming is in the process of transition as together with MoH, the Country Cooperation Strategy (2016 – 2021) is to be evaluated and a new one developed. This will inform the work of WHO in Seychelles. Work which goes beyond health emergencies to ensure support to MoH in attaining and maintaining equal access to Universal Health Coverage, and further promotes wellness and better health.

A UN National Volunteer would be instrumental in capturing the joint work of the UN in Seychelles in particular WHO and MoH and other health development partners. Someone who can maneuver around social media, journalist press releases, human interest stories, and information capturing to draw on lessons learned in the implementation of WHO and MoH activities, would be an immense asset to the team.

Be responsible for the technical efficiency and effectiveness of communications and advocacy priorities, strategies, and products for WCO’s overall activities.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive communications action plan for the WHO Country Office in Seychelles in close coordination with the Regional Strategic Communications for Health team at WHO/AFRO
• Draft meeting reports, concept notes, and opening remarks for the events organized by the Country Office
• Identify subjects of interest and contribute to the conceptualization and development of content for communications products including but not limited to audio-visual and printed materials, multimedia presentations, media releases, success stories from the field, advocacy and corporate communications materials, etc., reflecting the health situation and WHO’s work in an effective manner
• Develop regular bulletins/newsletters, internal talking points, web and feature stories/messages, and updates where appropriate to support the WHO Country Office’s projects, showing the human face of WHO, including profiles of WHO staff and healthcare professionals
• Update and mainstream the WCO Communications Plan into the UNCT joint communication strategy. Participate in UN Joint Communications Group meetings with UNRCO in Mauritius and work closely with Communication teams at regional and headquarters levels.
• Maintain and update a database of photographs and multimedia content for WCO, in various health fields including but not limited to health emergency subjects covering affected populations, health situations, WHO health response on the ground, and human-interest stories with consent forms attached and archived for use in reporting and visibility products
• Develop content, monitor, and update WCO’s websites and social media accounts per guidelines and standards used throughout the Organization to ensure consistency of approach; liaise with AFRO and HQ to ensure maximum visibility on global and regional social media channels
• Work with the various units and clusters of the Country Office for the identification of communication needs, the preparation of communication messages and materials, and branding WHO with communications products and visibility items
• Coordinate and collaborate with all relevant counterparts in the Ministry of Health, the UN agencies, and the External Relations Officer in building partnerships with all relevant actors by identifying and creating communication opportunities and designing communication and advocacy campaigns and material on specific topics
• Provide support in conducting communications capacity-building workshops for WCO, Ministry of Health, and relevant partners
• Establish and maintain a network of contacts with the media institutions to ensure the dissemination of information on WHO’s regular activities and emergency response; arrange for interviews and filming opportunities to support high visibility of WHO humanitarian work through television, radio, and newspaper exposure; provide support to broadcast media and journalists and facilitate their access to related information, as appropriate
• Facilitate establishing and maintaining contacts, with relevant communications suppliers including video/photographers, graphic designers, multimedia producers, social media specialists, etc., and establish a roster of such professionals for WCO’s communications needs
• Complete any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the functional supervisor