Organizational Setting
The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) is responsible for leading FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of focused, multi-disciplinary projects and programmes. It identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the Region, in collaboration with departments and divisions at headquarters, and promotes the value and deliverables of the FAO’s New Strategic Framework within the context and outputs of work to help our Members achieve Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life for all – leaving no one behind.
The Asia and Pacific region is home to nearly 60% of the global human population, the largest global poultry and swine populations, millions of farmed wildlife, an increasing regional demand for livestock-based protein, and a hotspot for transboundary diseases and zoonotic disease spill over including the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the Asia and Pacific region hosts a wide diversity of livestock production systems ranging from smallholders to intensive commercial production systems, and is connected to local, regional and global food systems and value chains. With the ongoing Triple Planetary Crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution), more than 70 million smallholders in the Southeast Asia region alone who depend on livestock for their livelihood, income, food and nutrition security, and the variable national infrastructure and capacity to support safe livestock-based food production, technical interventions are crucial to support better production, better nutrition, a better environment and better lives.
The technical emphasis of the Animal Health and Production Module at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is focused on: 1) Improved Sustainable livestock production, good husbandry and farming practices including supporting the Animal Production and Health Commission for Asia and Pacific (APHCA); 2) Improved risk management, prevention and control of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR); 3) Prevention and control of zoonotic (emerging, endemic and food-borne) and transboundary animal diseases; and 4) Expanding One Health (OH) beyond animal and public health stakeholders, to be inclusive of the forestry, wildlife, natural resource management and environment sectors.
These One Health areas of work require close coordination with other technical modules/experts within FAO at headquarters, the FAO regional office and at FAO country offices, and close coordination and collaboration with strategic partners. This work is also aligned closely with the RAP Regional Priorities (Agrifood systems transformation, and Climate Action, Biodiversity and Natural Resources Management) and the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 - Priority Programme Areas (PPAs) on One Health, Agriculture and Food Emergencies, and Resilient Agrifood Systems.
The purpose of the Regional Call is to attract expertise for the Consultant and PSA assignments as they become available in the Animal Health and Production Module at regional or country level in the region. Depending on the task to be undertaken, the appointment will be on a short-term contract, lasting from several weeks up to 11 months, renewable subject to satisfactory performance, resource availability, and needs of the Organization.
Regional positions will be based at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, while country positions will be in the country of need.
Reporting Lines
The incumbent will work under supervision of the Senior Animal Health and Production Officer (and APHCA Secretary) in the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), in close consultation with the Livestock Development Officer, and in consultation with team members of the Animal Health and Production Module team members.
Technical Focus
The Animal Health and Production Module is seeking to recruit profiles in the various technical areas related to programmes covering FAO’s mandate, priorities and strategic framework, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The incumbents will work to support strategy and policy development, governance, One Health, inter-sectoral (human-livestock-wildlife-environment) collaboration and coordination mechanisms, capacity development at the human-animal-environment interfaces, field response, surveillance and lab strengthening, One Health, transboundary animal and zoonotic disease risk assessments, investment planning, prevention, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery including wildlife and environment sectors.
Tasks and responsibilities
The assigned tasks and responsibilities related to the various profiles include but are not limited to the following elements:
• Support the Regional Animal Health and Production Module, OH Programme Priority Area, One Health in Agrifood Systems, cross-sectoral programming and implementation of One Health training programmes and tools
• Support technical areas of projects and programming linked to balanced approaches for livestock sector development and sustainable environmental practices including natural resource management, surveillance and outbreak response programmes inclusive of the wildlife and environment, Pandemic Fund project priority areas, and One Health Investment Planning
• For relevant One Health or Animal Health and Production Module projects in the RAP region, provide reviews, feedback and inputs to project documents (concept notes, draft reports, veterinary products specifications)
• Support and serve as the FAO project coordinator and focal point for regional components of One Health-Animal Health-Disease-AMR projects with the Regional Quadripartite and the Regional Quadripartite Secretariat the Coordination and Management Groups including delivery of programming to support Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical (BIMSTEC) and Pacific Community (SPC) (formerly South Pacific Commission)
• Lead advocacy, awareness, country and regional engagement and the roll out of the Field Training Programme for Wildlife, Environment Biodiversity and Ecosystem (FTP-WEBE) professionals and relevant One Health-Animal Health, Disease-AMR FAO or Quadripartite tools, trainings, policies or programmes in Asia and the Pacific Region
• Support the role out of the OH Joint Plan of Action in countries of the RAP region, utilizing FAO and joint tools or approaches to develop national OH strategies or action plans, national pandemic fund proposals, and/or national OH investment cases, or livestock sector development investment plans
• Lead coordination, planning and implementation of FAO led and Quadripartite workshops on behalf of FAO, including awareness, capacity development, implementation of tools in Asia and the Pacific Region
• Ensure close coordination among FAO Country offices, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and FAO headquarters in relation to all One Health-Animal Health-Disease (transboundary animal and zoonotic)-AMR global programmes being delivered at country level in the RAP region
• Develop an FAO RAP Regional One Health Strategy in coordination with Member Countries, ongoing Regional and Global FAO initiatives, programmes and projects, and keeping in mind relevant partner initiatives
• Prepare monthly FAO OH updates that can be posted or included in newsletters or other locations to increase awareness of FAO OH initiatives in Asia and the Pacific Region
• Perform other related duties, as requested
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in sustainable livestock production, animal science, veterinary medicine, agriculture development, environmental sciences, public health, One Health, Animal Health, Transboundary Animal or Zoonotic Diseases prevention and control, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), international relations, or a similar specialization
• For level C (Consultants/PSA): at least 1 (one) year of relevant experience in sustainable livestock production, animal science, veterinary medicine, agriculture development, environmental sciences, public health, One Health, Animal Health, Transboundary Animal or Zoonotic Diseases prevention and control, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), international relations
• For level B (Consultants/PSA): at least 5 (five) years of relevant experience
• For level A (Consultants/PSA): at least 10 (ten) years of relevant experience
• Full proficiency/Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or technical areas of work is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of experience in a technical area of assignment.
• Extent and relevance of experience in providing technical support at local, national, or regional levels.
• Extent and relevance of knowledge in the implementation of international or regional instruments related to pertinent fields of expertise.
• Extent and relevance of professional experience in project and/or programme coordination, formulation and implementation.
• Familiarity and/or ability to support national or regional coordination mechanisms, inter-sectoral collaboration, work planning, and implementation.
• Familiarity with and understanding the work of international organizations, regional entities, and national governments.
• Ability to support resource mobilization efforts.
• Ability to organize and conduct technical meetings, conferences, and capacity building workshops, when applicable.