Individual National Consultant: WASH in Emergencies

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.

UNICEF Viet Nam is one of more than 190 offices of the United Nations Children’s Fund globally and part of the United Nations system in Viet Nam working in close collaboration with all UN agencies in the country. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF has a universal mandate to promote and protect the rights of all children, everywhere – especially those hardest to serve and most at risk.

UNICEF’s mission in Viet Nam is to make sure every child in the country is healthy, educated and safe from harm, therefore having the best start in life and a fair chance to reach her or his full potential and benefit from the country’s prosperity. We believe children have a right to live in a more equitable society, where their voices are heard and needs met as a matter of priority in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. More information on what we do in Viet Nam is available at https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/ [1]

Background:

Viet Nam, as a lower middle income country since 2010, is at critical juncture in its development journey, especially under the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework which provides a strengthened partnership platform for supporting Viet Nam’s efforts towards achieving key national priorities. With the increasing national capacity to invest its own resource for the development programs, UNICEF is increasing its role in upstream advocacy and technical assistance to eliminate barriers and bottlenecks across sectors including in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Since 6 October, the Central region of Viet Nam has been hit by consecutive storms and tropical depressions which have brought unprecedented heavy rains resulting in landslides and cascading floods. The Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA) has recorded 335 deaths and missing people as of 4 November.  The Government of Viet Nam organized rapid assessments to the most affected provinces and released a call for emergency relief and support. The project aims to address immediate needs of water and sanitation, health and nutrition and child protection supplies and services, reducing the risk of water-related diseases, micronutrient deficiency and severe acute malnutrition of children under five; reduce the risk of abuse, exploitation and violence against children and women in affected communities.  

The assessments found that the landslides and floods have deprived communities' access to safe water supplies and sanitation facilities, as systems have been damaged or destroyed. The affected populations urgently require safe and equitable access to a sufficient quantity and quality of water and sanitation services. The project aims to reach the affected communities and families with improved water supply systems and sanitation facilities in affected households, schools and health centers. The interventions include provision of WASH supplies including water filters, and improving water treatment services, safe storage facilities, strengthening water quality monitoring, improving access to hygienic latrines particularly in schools and health centres and safe excreta management;

In response to the floods and storms and following requests from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for supporting impacted provinces, as part of UN joint wide efforts, UNICEF has been providing critical support to the government of Viet Nam to prepare for, take early action, and respond to both emergency situations. At the request of the government, UNICEF is providing water storage facilities, and delivering key messages for the targeted communities on WASH, Health and Nutrition, Education, Child Protection. The emergency response aims to address immediate needs for water and sanitation, health and nutrition and child protection supplies and services, reducing the risk of water-related diseases, micronutrient deficiency and severe acute malnutrition of children under five; reduce the risk of abuse, exploitation and violence against children and women in affected communities.  

The incumbent Emergency WASH Consultant is expected to bring in critical inputs to the emergency component of WASH programming to meet to the UNlCEF’s core commitment for children (CCC) in emergency with the overall supervision of CSD Section Chief. The position further aims to provide technical assistance for the recovery component of WASH programming with special focus on risk informed programming and humanitarian — development continuum. This in turn will help UNICEF to demonstrate DRR/CCA incorporated into the overall rural development programs in selected provinces and help scale up across the country.

Purpose:

The Consultants will support CSD to effectively carry out planned WASH interventions thought leading the information, coordination, implementation, monitoring and support of WASH emergency response at national and local levers in central provinces such as Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai including supply distribution planning and monitoring at provincial, district and commune levels.

The Consultant will be required for 6 months in the period from December 2020 to May 2021. 

Responsibilities and Specific Tasks: 

• Provide direct technical support to the MARD/NCERWASS, MoET, VIHEMA and other national counterparts and target provinces in implementation and management of emergency WASH interventions as per agreed workplan and budget;
• Work with NCERWASS, VIHEMA, MoET and targeted provinces for the emergency supply distribution planning, implementation and reporting by partners at all levels to support timely completion of key deliverables complying with good quality and accountability standards. Contribute to the WASH reporting in accordance with UNICEF’s CCC based humanitarian performance monitoring criteria;
• Coordinate with logistics supply to ensure timely local distribution planning, and distribution reporting. Ensure proper and timely accountability against policies and procedures, including feedback mechanisms and complaint management;
• Monitor progress and outputs of trainings on WASH, BCC campaign messages organized by MARD and PCERWASS for provincial, district and commune health workers, teachers to foster timely and quality delivery of capacity building component and follow up of training courses;
• Collaborate effectively with national and provincial partners in implementation of a monitoring plan to follow up the UNlCEF’s response in WASH sector, incorporating required changes into planned activities with special attention to specific needs of women, children and people with disabilities, as well as other cross-cutting areas;
• “Undertake field visits to monitor programme implementation and provide technical assistance to target provinces as requested and collect and report disaggregated data on beneficiaries and the use of WASH supplies;
• Liaise with relevant local authorities and community leaders to ensure community participation, local ownership of the WASH problems and solutions;
• Support in promotion the organization goals of UNICEF through active engagement in communication, networking, participation inside and outside UNICEF, leveraging strengths of UNICEF missions, goals, programmes on emergency, recovery and resilience strategy development for WASH sector;
• Provide inputs for join WASH in emergency working groups to coordinate, share and update response plan and implementation, results and assessments if any;
• Contribute to development and update of SitRep, UNICEF, One UN and WASH Sector response plans, funding proposal and donor reports. 

Expected Deliverables: 

1. WASH-related contingency planning for flood and storm ensured;
2. Effective management of procurement and distribution of WASH supplies for floods, emergencies ensured;
3. WASH-related emergency programming effectively implemented, monitored and adjusted in close cooperation with relevant programme and communications sections;
4. WASH Specialist effectively supported in convening and conducting WASH Sector co-ordination meetings as required;
5. EMT, DRMT and WASH sector partners are kept regularly briefed on WASH updates in a timely manner and inputs provided to SitReps in a timely manner;
6. WASH-specific inputs provided to funding proposals for floods and storm emergencies;
7. WASH in emergencies programming effectively reported on response plan implementation and results to donors. 

Reporting:

The Consultant will be supervised by WASH Specialist, UNICEF Viet Nam. The Consultant will however work on a regular basis with relevant UNICEF Sections, MOH, MOET and MARD Departments, UN Agencies, as well partners in the WASH in Emergencies Sector Working Group. 

Performance indicators for evaluation:

Timeliness, services rendered. Frequency of evaluation i.e. weekly, midterm, end of assignment.

Payment mechanism:

Payment will be made on monthly basis with monthly evaluation made by the supervisor on the deliverable tasks. 

Qualification/Specialized Knowledge and Experience:

• Advance university degree or equivalent experience in Public Health, Environmental Science, Water and Sanitation Engineering, Emergency Programme Management, and other related fields;
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible professional work experience in the UN or any other international development organization, national government or the private sector. Background/ familiarity with emergency WASH (preparedness or response) and the Emergency WASH Working Group and cluster approach is preferred. Field work experience including community mobilization approaches on WASH is needed;
• Knowledge on the theories, principles and methods in the following areas: Sanitation and Hygiene, School WASH, water supply project management, integrated water resource management, communication for behavioral change, monitoring and evaluation. Knowledge of UNICEF policies and strategies to address WASH issues, including those relating to natural disasters, disaster risk reduction and environment is essential;
• Excellent inter-personal communication skills to be able to work closely with team members from a wide range of cultural and social context is desired;
• Experience of working in the UN or other international development organizations is most preferable;
• Good written and communication skills;
• Good computer knowledge;
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Submission of applications

Interested candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents to the assigned requisition in UNICEF Vacancies: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/ [2]

1. Letter of interest, confirmation of availability, to explain how to deliver the tasks and deliverables;
2. Performance evaluation reports or references of similar consultancy assignments (if available);
3. Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee and any other costs for this assignment.
4. CV/P11 form (UN Personal History Form [3])

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf [4]

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.

Remarks:

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