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Area of expertise
Roster of consultants – Community Protection (CP) for Emergencies
Purpose of consultancy:
The CPI unit of the WHE department of WHO SEARO is creating a roaster of qualified consultants to support the unit in community protection. The consultant(s) will support implementation of the Strategic Action Framework for Strengthening Community Engagement and Resilience in the WHO South-East Asia Region (2025 - 2029) aligned with the WHO SEA Regional Strategic Roadmap on Health Security and Health System Resilience for Emergencies (2023 – 2027) through projects or specific technical tasks of moderate or high level specialization that demand mid or advanced level knowledge and skills.
Background
The WHO SEAR is faced with a range of complex health emergencies, including infectious diseases, natural disasters and conflicts. Although Member States in the region have made progress in strengthening health security systems, recent major crises including the COVID-19 pandemic have provided valuable lesons and highlighted the need to increase investment for effectively managing and mitigating health threats. Central to the advancement of health and improving community resilience to acute public health threats is the involvement of communities for public health action.
The role of engaging and involving communities in public health action is well recognised within global and regional strategies and frameworks for health emergency mitigation and management. Under IHR (2005), Member States are required to establish and sustain core public health capacities, including systems, processes and investment for effective risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) [Capacity 10] including Infodemic Management, Social & Behavioural Insights and strengthening of community systems and workforces, all covered under the community protection sub-pillar of the WHO HEPR framework. Suitable candidates will be engaged to strengthen the human resource capacity of the CPI/WHE/SEARO unit and provide critical technical assistance to WHO country offices and member states of the region in the following key functional areas:
· Overall CER/RCCE -IM Technical Oversight, Coordination and Partnerships
· Socio-Behavioural Insights
· Community Engagement and Empowerment including workforce development
· Risk Communication and Infodemic Management
Deliverables
Technical Oversight, Coordination and Partnerships – Community Protection (CP)
· Strategize, provide technical oversight, coordinate and implement CP related activities.
· Anchor CP partners engagement through the Asia Pacific regional mechanisms.
· Build partnerships with a range of stakeholders to support coordinated CP activities.
· Consultative development and joint implementation of CP interventions for prevention, mitigation and response to acute public health threats with MoH and key partners.
· Liaise for the integration of CP-activities across various technical and disease control programmes.
· Provide technical guidance, assessment and operational support to MoH to strengthen national CP systems, processes and workforce.
· Anchor the overall operational CP response under WHO IMS, including coordinating other CP personnel during emergenices.
Socio-Behavioural Insights (SBI)
· Identify, design and implement studies, surveys, and research to generate SB evidence and insights for priority public health programming.
· Build partnerships with academia and research institutes and conduct targeted SBI studies.
· Advocate and support the collection and analysis of SBI data for event-based risk assessment and response planning.
· Work to strengthen national social listening and community feedback mechanisms with national counterparts and partners.
· Conduct multi-source social listening and community feedback, including social media analytics, online search trends, offline mechanisms.
· Generate and share social listening and community feedback reports with various preparedness and response coordination mechanisms and technical programmes.
· Advocate and support the integration and mainstreaming of SBI data into prevention and response-based health decision-making.
Community Engagement and Empowerment Including Workforce Development (CE-WD)
· Map and form partnerships with community stakeholders at subnational levels.
· Assist national authorities to establish and strengthen community-based joint health risk mapping and co-design of local solutions by mapped community partners.
· Establish communities of practice involving community-based networks, civil society organizations, trusted influencers, and other relevant stakeholders.
· Design and deliver training and technical resources to community-based partners and networks including through development and management of digital platforms.
· Train, support, and coordinate establishment and strengthening of community workforces and volunteer networks enabled by digital rostering and learning platforms.
Risk Communication and Infodemic Management (RC-IM)
· Formulate guidelines and SoPs for the transparent and timely dissemination of health advice and information, including expedited processes for message testing and release by national authorities.
· Map key audiences and channels to optimize the reach of information sharing and engagement via trusted channels and messengers by national authorities.
· Identify and train national spokespersons in risk and crisis communication.
· Engage with national authorities and key CP stakeholders to establish/strengthen national social listening and community feedback mechanisms to support the rapid detection of emerging issues, mis/disinformation, and information voids.
· Design and deliver technical guidance and capacity building on the use of online social listening tools to support rapid detection of emerging issues and mis/disinformation.
· Support the response and management to rumours, mis/disinformation including via fact-checking and other strategies.
· Anchor the infodemic management function under national or regional IMS, including generation of infodemic insights reports and operational response.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications: