Consultancy: Legal Technical Global Health and Nutrition Consultancy – Req.#560498

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, hope.

Vacancy Announcement: Consultant

Consultancy Title: Legal technical global health and nutrition consultancy

Section/Division/Duty Station: Nutrition and Child Development – New York HQ

Duration: 15 May 2023 to 14 May 2024 – Home Based

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 supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. 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

UNICEF is active in more than 190 countries and territories through country programmes and national committees. UNICEF works with governments, civil society organizations, and other organizations around the world to advance children’s rights to survival, growth, development, protection and participation and is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Improving the nutritional status of children and their mothers is a core part of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan.

Breastfeeding is crucial for child health and development during the first 1,000 days of their life, yet global exclusive breastfeeding rates for infants under six months are only at 43%. One of the main challenges to scaling up breastfeeding is the aggressive and unethical marketing tactics of breastmilk substitutes, feeding bottles, and teats. To address this, the World Health Assembly adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in 1981. However, few countries have substantially aligned legal measures with the Code. UNICEF advocates for Code implementation and strong maternity protection and policies to support breastfeeding in the workplace. Strong policies and regulation can help protect, promote and support breastfeeding and complementary feeding, and better prepare regions and countries for emergencies.

Unhealthy diets are causing a global rise in overweight and obesity, with over three quarters of affected children under 5 living in middle income countries. Globally, 1 in 5 children aged 5 to 19 are overweight, and the issue is impacting urban, rural, and poor communities. Overweight and obesity lead to stigma and can result in diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, burdening health systems with preventable diseases. Aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods to children, inadequate labelling, and obesogenic food environments have shifted children’s diets towards highly processed foods high in fat, sugar, and salt. Governments have been slow to adopt and enforce legislation to control the sale and marketing of unhealthy food and drinks. UNICEF has prioritized overweight and obesity prevention and recommends policy and regulatory actions to improve children’s food environments, including policies and standards on food and physical activity in schools, implementation of WHO recommendations on food marketing to children, health-related food taxes, and front-of-pack nutrition labelling requirements.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: 

Legal technical support on the regulation of the marketing of breastmilk substitutes and prevention of overweight and obesity.

Scope of Work:

Provide technical legal advice to support HQ, RO and CO office work with governments on the development of measures to address overweight/obesity and to implement the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes, maternity protection regulations, monitoring and enforcement systems, including capacity-building and resource development.

1. Legal technical support on draft legal measures and policies to three countries in related to Code implementation and/or overweight and obesity.
   1. Collate internal and external resources on Code implementation, legal drafting of Code provisions and monitoring and enforcement guidelines, in consultation with PG-Nutrition Legal Specialist.

For each country:

2. 2. Advise on and develop a detailed legal analysis, in consultation with a local lawyer, of the current legal framework related to Code implementation and/or overweight and obesity.
   3. Develop recommendations for legal measures and policies that could be implemented to address Code obligations and/or overweight and obesity prepared for discussion with country office teams or government stakeholders, in consultation with PG-Nutrition Legal Specialist.
   4. Advise on and oversee a detailed review of draft legal measures upon request of government and/or country office teams, in consultation with PG-Nutrition Legal Specialist.
3. Development of legal resources to support Code implementation and overweight and obesity policies
   1. Identify the specific legal technical resources that are needed based on UNICEF global surveys and RO/CO priority needs, including by reviewing the survey results, consulting with internal and external stakeholders, and conducting additional research as needed.
   2. Develop a detailed plan for creating each of the identified legal technical resources. This plan should include specific steps for researching, writing, editing, and reviewing each resource, and identify key experts that should be consulted.
   3. Develop the research and first draft the legal technical resources based on legal research, reviewing relevant policy documents, and consulting with experts in the field and PG-Nutrition Legal Specialist and overweight/obesity lead.
   4. Edit and finalize the legal technical resources in consultation with PG-Nutrition Legal Specialist and overweight/obesity lead. This will involve reviewing drafts of the resources, incorporating feedback from stakeholders, and ensuring that the resources are accurate, comprehensive, and easy to understand.
   5. Develop 2-4 presentations for workshops and meetings on training and capacity building related to Code implementation and/or overweight and obesity measures. This could involve creating slide decks, handouts, and other materials to support the presentations, as well as identifying key messages and talking points for each presentation.
4. Development of resources on Food and Beverage Industry interference in policy-making; supporting UNICEF responses and positions on engaging with the this sector.
   1. Based on existing resources and consultant with internal and external partners, identify best practice examples of avoiding conflict of interests with the Food and Beverage Industry, both in policy-making and by UN agencies.
   2. Identify whether any gaps exist and based on this propose a resource that could address this gap, such as a set of principles and guidelines for government stakeholders on how to protect policies from Food and Beverage Industry interference.
   3. Develop a set of resources and tools to support UNICEF country offices on navigating engagement with the Food and Beverage Industry based on existing UNICEF guidance and external evidence, and in consultation with UNICEF HQ, RO and CO staff.
   4. Develop a set of materials for training and capacity-building activities for UNICEF staff and partners on engaging with the Food and Beverage Industry.
5. Support PG-Nutrition colleagues engage with Codex Alimentarius
   1. Review work across relevant Codex committees that relates to PG-Nutrition work priorities.
   2. Consult with PG-Nutrition staff to identify issues of importance to monitor at Codex across different thematic areas.
   3. Identify specific committees and working groups for UNICEF to engage in, and prepare relevant documents for input.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

1. Legal technical support on draft legal measures and policies to three countries in related to Code implementation and/or overweight and obesity.
2. Development of legal resources to support Code implementation and overweight and obesity policies
3. Development of resources on Food and Beverage Industry interference in policy-making; supporting UNICEF responses and positions on engaging with the this sector.
4. Support PG-Nutrition colleagues engage with Codex Alimentarius 

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Advanced University degree in Law, with specialization in Public Health Law or Global Health Law 

2) Work experience

• • Experience in the application of international legal standards in global health law to different national contexts.
  • A minimum of 5 years working experience in relevant area of expertise, including:

o    Provision of legal advice and support in the context of public health

o    Advocacy for strengthened public health policy frameworks

o    Capacity building of policy makers and/or health professionals

• • Proven experience in analysis of public health legislation in different countries
  • Proven experience in drafting of legal products
  • Experience with developing training seminars and programs for government lawyers and local advocates on public health legal issues.

3) Competencies

• Excellent communication, legal analysis, legal drafting and writing skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment. 

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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 is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Consultants and individual contractors 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.