Background & Rationale
UNICEF Brazil is committed to continuing to deliver assistance to children across the areas affected by COVID-19 and will continue working with governments (Department of Social Development, Education, Health and WASH) at State and City levels and partners to ensure children, parents, care givers, communities in informal settlements, poor townships, rural indigenous areas and in need receive humanitarian assistance that is framed in longer term private and public alliances and adjusted sector and intersectoral public policies. The work of UNICEF contributes both to outbreak control and to mitigating the collateral socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, through adequate Risk Communication and, supporting the continuity of essential social services for children, women and vulnerable populations, among which access to water, sanitation and hygiene services are critical.
In order to ensure a timely response envisioning large scale and sustained impact for the most vulnerable groups in urban slums and rural areas, UNICEF Brazil, in alignment with its COVID-19 response plan, will focus its efforts on outcome on strenghtening the water and sanitation sector coordination at States and Cities level in Amazonas and Para.
UNICEF, as highlighted in its Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, is fully committed to support Government-led coordinaton efforts and interagency humanitarian action through provision of leadership and participation in assigned clusters and sectors.
Purpose
On behalf of UNICEF, and in support of the States and Cities authorities, as well as other Governmental institutions (E.g. ANA, FUNASA), the purpose of this consultancy is to reinforce the WASH sector coordination in the States of Amazonas and Para, as well as in the Cities of Manaus and Belem, with particular emphasis on the coordination of immediate interventions being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and on the development of sustainable strategies seeking to engage the private sector and all relevant actors (E.g. academia, civil society) in joint programs of actions dedicated to secure WASH access to vulnerable communities and specific groups, schools and health care facilities, and strengthen the resilience of the sector to future crises.
Expected results:
The following key end results will be supported by the consultant during the six-month contract:
- Government-led coordination of COVID-19 related WASH-IPC response, including hygiene promotion, is operational, effective and includes multisectoral and private partners in the states of Amazonas and Pará, and the cities of Manaus and Belém.
- Key hygiene practices, including handwashing with soap, are improved, reinforced and sustained, particularly among vulnerable populations in at-risk countries.
- Gains on improved hygiene behaviours are sustained and systems and community resilience strengthened to prevent and withstand shocks from future disease outbreaks or other emergencies.
- WASH team coordinated and delivering the results on time and with quality.
MAIN ACTIVITIES
The Coordinator as described in this term, will supervise the State and City Coordinators and the information managers, giving coherence and presenting the results as a team. The consultancy holder is expected to have responsibilities as a Cluster coordinator encompassing the following:
Advocacy and coordination
- Overall accountability for quality and timely implementation of the project.
- Technical leadership and quality assurance of overall project activities ensuring the application of technical standards, in line with technical guidance to deliver project results.
- Project management leadership, coordinating a team of 6 consultants working at State and Municipal levels, ensuring timely deliverables and implementation issues identified and addressed with UNICEF management.
- Final documentation of the experience with policy and programme results achieved, lessons learned and further application as well as final donor report.
- Coordinate and support all the advocacy strategies and other activities of the State and City coordinators related to the expected results among States and municipals actors.
WASH Sector strenghtening
- Support the leadership of States, Cities and Governmental institutions in charge of the WASH sector coordination in a way that contribute to the implementation and monitoring the PlanSaB’s goals achievements in both States as regard the four main areas of programs (abastecimento de água potável, esgotamento sanitário, manejo de resíduos sólidos e drenagem das águas pluviais urbanas)
- Support the WASH sector coordinators in their function at State and City level.
- Facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response by all WASH Sector partners.
- Support the estimation of spatial and temporal gaps, overlaps and coverage of Sector activities and projects.
- Develop and strengthen information management capacity: assist sector lead for collecting, analysing and reporting sector activities against sector development plan using existing monitoring system (Sistema Nacional de Informações sobre Saneamento)
- Respond to the Sector participants’ needs for information.
- Ensure an effective communication, reporting, engagement and coordination between the Federal, States and Cities sector levels
- Develop long-term strategies to engage with private sector actors, facilitate and report their contribution to the sector’s goals achievements
COVID-19, humanitarian response and emergency preparedness
- Establish and maintain information databases that consolidate, analyze and report/disseminate information critical to decision making regarding the progress and implementation of the four key COVID-19 areas of response: Preserve the health and well-being of all people, including the most vulnerable, by meeting their basic water, sanitation and hygiene needs, Intensify awareness-raising campaigns for infection prevention and control (IPC) and the efficient use of water in the home and in public spaces, Ensure the continuity and safety of water and sanitation services, Provide technical and financial support to utilities.
- Ensure monthly reporting from Sector participants regarding COVID-19 related activities and, in collaboration with the R4V coordination platform on the migrant’s crisis, integrate humanitarian response data into an adapted 5Ws (‘Who does What, Where, When and for Whom?’ databases).
- In coordination with the Education departments, Support sector lead institutions in developing and implementing a back to safe school strategies in the States of Amazonas and Para, including the development of new approaches to engage the private sector in committing to provide long-term well-defined support to the Education sector
- In coordination with the Health departments, and close collaboration with FUNASA, coordinate the implementation of activities dedicated to improving infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities in small towns, rural areas, indigenous populations
- In coordination with the Social departments and Chamber of Commerce, identify private sector actors having social responsibility policies in place or willing to strengthen and implement social responsibility programs to engage them in COVID-19 related risk communication and innovative hygiene promotion strategies (E.g. social marketing approaches for sustaining hand washing practices).
Deliverables:
Deliverable 01:
Monthly report detailing: (1) situation of children and adolescents in WASH and Covid-19 pandemic contexts with data variables as specified by UNICEF; (2) advances in the coordinated response; (3) challenges encountered; (4) priority actions for the subsequent month; (5) regular project meetings held and notes shared with UNICEF management.
- Concept Note and strategy to stablish coordinated mechanism for response in WASH and Covid-19 Pandemic
Duration: 30 days
Deadline: 01 month from the date of contract signature
Deliverable 02:
Monthly report detailing: (1) situation of children and adolescents in WASH and Covid-19 pandemic contexts with data variables as specified by UNICEF; (2) advances in the coordinated response; (3) challenges encountered; (4) priority actions for the subsequent month; 5) promote and ensure the realization of regular project meetings held and notes shared with UNICEF management.
Design and implementation of back to safe school strategies in the States of Amazonas and Para, including the development of new approaches to engage the private sector in committing to provide long-term well-defined support to the Education sector
Duration: 30 days
Deadline: 02 months from the date of contract signature
Deliverable 03:
Monthly report detailing: (1) situation of children and adolescents in WASH and Covid-19 pandemic contexts with data variables as specified by UNICEF; (2) advances in the coordinated response; (3) challenges encountered; (4) priority actions for the subsequent month; 5) regular project meetings held and notes shared with UNICEF management.
Paper with strategies to advance in PlanSaB’s goals achievements in both States as regard the four main areas of programs (abastecimento de água potável, esgotamento sanitário, manejo de resíduos sólidos e drenagem das águas pluviais urbanas)
Duration: 30 days
Deadline: 03 months from the date of contract signature
Deliverable 04:
Monthly report detailing: (1) situation of children and adolescents in WASH and Covid-19 pandemic contexts with data variables as specified by UNICEF; (2) advances in the coordinated response; (3) challenges encountered; (4) priority actions for the subsequent month; 5) regular project meetings held and notes shared with UNICEF management.
Duration: 30 days
Deadline: 04 months from the date of contract signature
Deliverable 05:
- Monthly report detailing: (1) situation of children and adolescents in WASH and Covid-19 pandemic contexts with data variables as specified by UNICEF; (2) advances in the coordinated response; (3) challenges encountered; (4) priority actions for the subsequent month; 5) regular project meetings held and notes shared with UNICEF management.
- Draft of lessons learned document to share with regional office and other partners.
Duration: 30 days
Deadline: 05 months from the date of contract signature
Deliverable 06:
- Summary end of consultancy report detailing: Situation of children and adolescents in WASH and Covid-19 pandemic contexts with data variables as specified by UNICEF; (2) summary of accomplishments achieved during the consultancy; (3) summary of remaining challenges; (4) summary of recommended next steps for institutional partners and UNICEF’s consideration; 5) regular project meetings held and notes shared with UNICEF management.
- Draft of donor report developed, per UNICEF guidelines.
Duration: 30 days
Deadline: 05 months from the date of contract signature
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
- In accordance with UNICEF priorities, the supervisor and consultant will discuss and consolidate the Work Plan, establishing the products and competencies, which will be evaluated during and at the end of the consulting process. The monthly reports shall be subject to review and approval by UNICEF after delivery by the Consultant. If needed, revisions and alterations may be requested by UNICEF related to quality and technical depth parameters. Only after final clearance from the UNICEF Brazil, will the payment be processed.
- Activity reports should be submitted with frequency lists of meetings and / or events, minutes of meetings with referrals agreed, photographic record with permission to use image according to UNICEF standard and life histories;
- If the product’s delivery date is at the weekend or on a public holiday, it must be delivered on the next following business day;
- UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics and procedures of UNICEF and the partners are not followed, the performance is unsatisfactory, or work/deliverables are incomplete, not delivered or fail to meet the deadlines.
Key competences, technical background, and experience required Deadline
- Understands key water, sanitation and hygiene technical issues to be able to: engage with sector participants; make full use of their experience and knowledge; guide strategy and plans; communicate and advocate on important issues.
- Have a technical expertise in social policy ideally related to the water and sanitation sector (E.g. social water management, water utilities management, social marketing strategies, entrepreneurs’ social and environmental responsility) to be able to engage with a wide range of actors, including primarily the private sector, but also the academia and civil society organizations.
Qualifications
- University degree, preferably at an advanced level, in a subject area relevant to the sector: water and sanitation program management, environmental and social policy, public policy etc.
- Extensive work experience relevant to this consultancy may be considered as a replacement for formal qualifications.
Experience
- At least 10 years on position requiring multipartners coordination, networking, monitoring and evaluation.
- Extensive work experience outside the humanitarian sector which is relevant to this consultancy may be considered as a replacement for humanitarian experience, such as water and sanitation utilities management, public policy, public private partnership, social marketing programs related to human health etc.
- Experience of emergency humanitarian response an asset.
General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics
- No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant or individual Contractor
- Consultants / ICs will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
- Any type of transportation that might be needed, except for the day-today dislocation, shall be provided by the UNICEF (for example, internal flight/road dislocation. Such movement shall be object of authorization by the contract supervisor in the UNICEF.
Financial Proposal
Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.
A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants and individual contractors are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.
The payment will be based on submission of agreed 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.
Restrictions
In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government, or unless on leave without pay.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious and ethnic backgrounds, representing the diversity of Brazil, such as black and indigenous people, to apply to become a part of our organization. Candidates will be equally considered regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, social and HIV/aids status.
Opening Date Thu Jul 09 2020 08:00:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) E. South America Standard Time
Closing Date Wed Jul 15 2020 22:55:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time
