Consultancy – Consultant to support salt iodization in Honduras Req.#568736

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Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Consultancy – Consultant to support salt iodization in Honduras

Station: Nutrition – Programme Group – NYHQ

Duration: 1 February 2024 – 30 September 2024

Home/ office Based: REMOTE

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

To undertake a review of the salt iodization programme in Honduras including a mapping of the salt sector and leverage this information to drive specific engagements with stakeholders to draw attention to iodine deficiency prevention efforts.

Scope of Work:

More specifically the assignment’s objectives would be to provide technical support to update salt iodization regulations, identify and support actions that improve practices to improve efficiency of salt producers to iodize salt and advocate to the Government to undertake monitoring of population iodine intake as well as sustain attention to the salt iodization programme.  This would be achieved through undertaking a landscape analysis and convening stakeholder engagements, workshops and training opportunities.

Honduras has had public health programs for food fortification since the 1960’s; however, they were not active all the time and in the 1990s, they were reactivated. Currently, the country mandates iodization of salt through a Presidential Agreement and salt iodization law dating from 1961 which stipulates salt must contain less than 67ppm I but does not indicate a minimum requirement. A more recent USAID-FeedtheFuture report dated April 2023 reports 86% of salt samples (n=71) contained iodine above 5ppm I with an average ranging from 13ppm in the Eastern Region (lowest) and 52ppm I in the Northwest Region (highest). There is no recent population wide data on iodine intake. The report further recommends monitoring urinary iodine excretion (indicator for iodine intake) within the population; sensitizing the Ministry of Health to update the salt iodization regulation; and reinforce good practices and awareness within the salt sector to sustain iodization.

USAID FeedtheFuture produced a report on Monitoring of Fortified Food Programs at Sales Sites in Honduras and published this in April 2023. According to this report, 78 salt samples were taken, of which 26.9% were coarse and wet, and 73.1% were dry and ground. The national average for iodine was 35.6 mg/kg ± 34.2 mg/kg (mean ± SD). The average iodine in the regions was between 28.8 mg/kg in the Central East-ern region and 51.8 mg/kg in the Northwestern region, except in the Western region where the average was 13.3 mg/kg. Despite the fact that the average iodine per region is above 20 mg/kg and that it provides enough iodine to meet the daily requirements for this nutrient, the percentage of samples with levels below 20 mg/kg in each region was between 25 % in the Southern region and 91.7% in the Western region. Only 14.3 % of the wet and coarse salt samples contained iodine levels above 20 mg/kg, compared to 71.9 % of the dry and ground salt samples. This is an indication of the need to review the iodization process, with emphasis on coarse, wet salt.

The sampling carried out for salt has the limitation that the results reflect the situation of salt that has a sanitary registry and that is sold in formal outlets such as warehouses, supermarkets and grocery stores. In an interview with the Association of Salt Producers of Honduras (ASOPROSALH), it was indicated that a problem with salt iodization is informal trade, because there are trucks that go directly to the salt mines to stock up on salt to distribute in markets and it is unknown if it is iodized. The producers have indicated that there is no updated regulation and that the iodization levels to be met are not clear. The lack of clarity that exists is reflected in the iodization levels declared on the sample labels which are inconsistent between various brands in the market.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Landscape analysis and review of the salt iodization programme in the country including consolidate the latest data on iodine nutrition and the salt sector, using specific template provided by UNICEF (see Annex)

By 31 May 2024

Deliverable 2: Technical report and recommendations to update salt iodization regulations and standards and dissemination meeting

By 30 June 2024

Deliverable 3: One capacity building workshop with the salt sector

By 31 August 2024

Deliverable 4: Three bilateral meetings to sensitize key Government officials and other stakeholders

By 31 October 2024

Qualifications

Education:

• Masters degree/ Public Health, Nutrition, or related discipline

Work experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience with 1) conducting landscape analyses of national salt iodization programmes, 2) child nutrition in LMICs, 3) iodine deficiency prevention, 4) report writing, and 5) planning and facilitating technical workshops in-person 

Language:

• Fluent Spanish language is required

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect:
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

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UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check

Remarks:  Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.