The overall objective of the consultancy is to take stock of the situation of adolescent nutrition and related policies and programmes in Tajikistan through a landscape analysis and to understand adolescents’ lived experience with food environments, diets and physical activity.
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For every child, Nutrition
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
Tajikistan is a young country with 61 per cent of the population under 30 years and 20 per cent in adolescence (10-19 years). Adolescence is a period of rapid growth and development and a critical time for the acquisition of health-related behaviours, such as food preferences and physical activity. Adolescents are nutritionally vulnerable due to increased nutrients requirements for physical growth, cognitive development and menstruation (for girls).
Tajik adolescents between 15-19 years also face multiple nutrition challenges, including thinness (16 per cent), overweight and obesity (10 per cent) and anemia (33 per cent); showcasing the triple burden of malnutrition in which undernutrition, overweight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies coexist in the same individuals, households and populations. Evidence suggests that poor dietary habits are common among Tajik adolescent girls, characterized by low consumption of vitamin A rich food and high consumption of fatty foods, sugary foods and beverages, with one in five not meeting the minimum dietary diversity.
Globally, there is ample evidence that poor habits on eating and physical activity established during childhood and adolescence continue into adulthood and may contribute to nutrition-related chronic diseases in later life. In Tajikistan, however, there is a dearth of information on the nutritional status and practices of adolescents. Further, these children have not had the chance to benefit from proven, high-impact nutrition services, programmes and policies. The adolescence period offers a second window of opportunity for catch-up growth for those who suffered early childhood malnutrition and breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.
It is imperative to urgently design and implement an effective nutrition programme to address the key underlying determinants of malnutrition in this important age group. Against this backdrop, UNICEF Tajikistan is seeking a national consultant to conduct a landscape analysis on adolescent nutrition in Tajikistan.
How can you make a difference?
The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct a landscape analysis of the nutrition situation of adolescent girls and boys, existing policies and programmes that aim to address adolescent nutrition, and stakeholders mapping. It also aims to document adolescents’ lived experiences of their food environment, eating and diets, and their active lifestyle.
DUTY STATION/DURATION:
Duration: 70 working days between 8 April 2024 – 30 September 2024
Supervisor: Nutrition Officer, UNICEF Tajikistan
Key objectives
The overall objective of the consultancy is to take stock of the situation of adolescent nutrition and related policies and programmes in Tajikistan through a landscape analysis and to understand adolescents’ lived experience with food environments, diets and physical activity. Specific objectives of the consultancy are as follows:
- To understand the nutritional status of adolescent girls and boys in Tajikistan, the main forms of malnutrition common among Tajik adolescents, and trends over time.
- To examine the determinants and drivers that affect the nutrition of adolescents in Tajikistan.
- To assess existing policies and programmes across various systems that directly or indirectly impact the nutrition situation of adolescents in Tajikistan.
- To map stakeholders in promoting/hindering adolescent nutrition and their roles.
- To learn from adolescents their own lived experiences and perspectives of food systems, food sustainability and food security to gain an in-depth understanding of how they position themselves within their food systems and environments.
- To provide recommendations on prioritized interventions to improve adolescent nutrition based on the urgency, frequency, scale and consequences of the burden of malnutrition.
The consultant will work and consult closely with UNICEF’s nutrition team and engage with key government stakeholders. Detailed methodology and tools for this analysis will be developed by the consultant in consultation with UNICEF and based on available resources (such as those already used and published by other researchers). Briefly, the assignment will consist of three phases.
Phase 1: Desk review of existing literature, survey data and policy and programme documents
The consultant will conduct a desk review of existing literature on adolescent nutrition and its determinants and drivers through online searches of published and grey literature, survey data as well as policy and programme documents developed to address adolescent nutrition or that indirectly affect adolescent nutrition in Tajikistan. Such literature may include those published in English or Russian and should be identified through a systematic, scientific approach. Data from surveys and other sources should also be sought on the nutritional status of adolescents, disaggregated by gender, age subgroups, geographies and other intersectionalities as much as possible, and over time. Examples of available datapoints include demographic health surveys, micronutrient/nutrition surveys, Health Behaviours in School-age Children by WHO, Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiatives and others. Existing policies and programmes should also be searched systematically through a web search and through references of key government and non-government partners. For the purpose of this assignment, nutrition policy may be defined as courses of actions (or inactions) that affect the set of institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements related to nutrition and will include policy documents with a stated focus on nutrition, addressing the immediate determinants of malnutrition (‘nutrition specific policies’) as well as policies from other sectors that include nutrition objectives (‘nutrition sensitive policies’). These policies may include strategic plans, laws, regulations and guidelines for implementation at national and subnational levels. Policy and programme analysis should be done with a clear study framework used for nutrition policy analyses.
Phase 2: Key informant interviews with government partners and other stakeholders in adolescent nutrition
The desk review will be supplemented by in-depth interviews with key informants, including government officials and development partners. These interviews will aim to gather additional information on how national policies are translated into programmatic actions and the extent to which these are being implemented and to identify opportunities and challenges associated with adolescent nutrition as described in the objectives of the policies/programmes. Other gaps identified in the desk review will also be filled through interviews. The consultant is expected to develop tools such as semistructured interview guidelines and a matrix to collate information from the interviews.
Phase 3: Focus group discussions with adolescent girls and boys to learn from their experiences and perspectives of food systems and environments
The landscape analysis on adolescent nutrition will be strengthened by engaging with adolescents themselves to understand their lived experiences of food systems and environments, including food availability, accessibility, affordability, preferences and consumption. Focus group discussions with various groups of adolescents (age, gender, locations etc) will be conducted based on predefined questionnaires and activities in existing platforms where adolescents can be accessed (e.g. UNICEF has created a number of platforms and channels through which adolescents gather to learn, share their views and participate in decision making). This phase of the assignment may be conducted in partnership with a civil society organization to ensure optimal logistical and administrative preparations for engagement with adolescents (to be determined).
| Work Assignment |
| Tasks/Milestone: (in line with the scope elaborated in section- III) | Deliverables/Outputs: | Anticipated Timeline | % of payment (maximum up to 5 payments) |
| Develop an inception report with detailed methodology and workplan with timelines | An inception report | 5 days (8-17th April) | 10% |
| Conduct desk review of existing literature, survey data and policy and programme documents on adolescent nutrition | - A filled matrix to record identified documents and extract information
- A short report on the desk review findings, including knowledge gaps
| 20 days (18th April – 24th May) | 20% |
| Conduct key informant interviews with government partners and other stakeholders in adolescent nutrition | • Semi-structured interview guidelines • A matrix to record interview answers by themes • A short report on the interview findings | 20 days (25th May – 19th July)) | 20% |
| Conduct focus group discussions with adolescent girls and boys to learn from their experiences and perspectives of food systems and environments | • Protocol, questionnaires and activity guides for the focus group discussions • A matrix to record focus group discussions by themes • A short report on the focus group discussions findings | 20 days (22nd July – 30th August) | 20% |
| Develop a final report on the landscape analysis on adolescent nutrition and its policies and programmes | • A final report synthesizing the findings from the assignment and with clear policy and programme priorities and recommendations | 5 days (2-20th September) | 30% |
| Total | | 70 days | 100% |
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- Education: Advanced degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Health Policy, Public Policy, or other related social sciences fields
- Work experience: At least 3 years of experience in nutrition, adolescent nutrition or another relevant field.
- Expertise and skills in conducting both quantitative and qualitative research on health and nutrition topics.
- Experience working closely with national government counterparts.
- Good knowledge of health and education systems in Tajikistan
- Knowledge and experience in conducting policy analysis on nutrition-related topics.
- Languages: Excellent analytical skills and writing skills in English. Fluency in Tajik/Russian and English required.
Qualified candidates are requested to submit:
- Cover letter/application/CV.
- A technical proposal with proposed approach to managing the consultancy deliverables, showing understanding of tasks.
- Financial proposal specifying consultancy fee, per day of work, requested for the tasks described in the Terms of Reference in TJS as well as travel and subsistence costs: 4 trips. DSA for 3 days.
- 2 samples of previously delivered similar assignments.
- Applications without technical and financial proposals will not be considered.
Applications must be received in the system by 25 March 2024 on UNICEF website.
Deadline extended – 21 April 2024.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
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UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
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:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract 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 and Individual Contractors. 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. 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.