Technical Assistance for Nutrition (TAN)

Transcription

1 PAK-04- Designing and Operationalizing National Advocacy Strategy for Nutrition Terms of Reference (ToRs) Nutrition International (NI) is committed to the fundamental principles of equal employment opportunity. Women are encouraged to apply. Background Technical Assistance for Nutrition (TAN) is a project supported by UK aid from the UK government, and seeks to improve the capacity of countries who have joined the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement to design, deliver, and track the progress of nutrition programs and to generate, learn from and adopt knowledge of what works. NI is contributing to TAN by coordinating the provision of technical assistance (TA) to help national SUN Focal Points (SUN FPs) in select countries to overcome gaps in capacity for the design and delivery of multi-sectoral national nutrition plans, tapping into its global hub to source and deploy the expertise needed. Undernutrition in Pakistan is widespread among all ages, and progress to address social determinants over the last several decades has been very slow. According to the National Nutrition Survey 2011, one-third of all children are underweight, nearly 44% are stunted, 15% are wasted, and half of them are anemic. Pakistan is also witnessing the double burden of malnutrition where rampant undernutrition is co-existing with steady increase in overweight and obesity in the country, particularly among women of reproductive age (WRA). While on one hand 14% of WRA are wasted and 50.4% anemic, 21.1% are overweight and 9.5% obese. Nutrition, as a multi-sectoral development concern, was institutionalized as a subject, rather than a sector, in the National Planning Commission (NPC) in Although the NPC had a mandate to mainstream nutrition across different sectors, operationalization was based in the nutrition wing of the Ministry of Health. This meant that nutrition projects and operational plans were conceived as a sub-set of health, and remained confined to the health sector 1. A significant move forward, however, came in 2011 with Pakistan Integrated Nutrition Strategy (PINS), which set out an incremental plan for implementation of a host of nutrition-related interventions. During the same time, results of the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2011 were presented. The high incidence of undernutrition reported by NNS, together with the shocking fact that the rates had not changed much over the last decade, garnered both media and policy attention. PINS and NNS 2011 had both put nutrition on the map of policymakers 2. Also, with Government of Pakistan (GoP) joining the SUN Movement in January 2013, the country witnessed increased coordination between governments and donors, UN agencies and other 1 Punjab Province Report: Nutrition Political Economy, Pakistan; August The political economy of undernutrition national report: Pakistan; Institute of Development Studies & Aga Khan University; March 2013

2 development partners. A high level National Nutrition Committee headed by Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms (MoPD&R) was established to oversee nutrition planning and implementation across sectors and ensure multi-sectoral implementation of nutrition interventions. 3 In line with the government s devolution context of 2011, wherein 17 ministries were devolved from the centre to the provincial level, SUN Secretariats have been established at the provincial level to lead efforts of scaling-up nutrition in their respective provinces 4. Although nutrition has been prioritized in the Pakistan Vision 2025, 11 th Five Year National Development documents and MoPD&R s PC-1 for nutrition, with substantial allocations in the federal and provincial level annual plans, most of the communication and advocacy efforts for prioritizing and scaling-up of nutrition interventions is being supported and led by the Development Partners for Nutrition Group s (DPNG) member organizations. In recent past, several research studies including Cost of Diet, Nutrition in Cities, Economic consequences of malnutrition, Fill the Nutrient Gap Analysis etc., focusing on nutrition and related matters, were conducted by the SUN Secretariat in collaboration with WFP and other partners. However, there is no formal advocacy strategy for nutrition in the country which could be used with relevant stakeholders to highlight the magnitude of nutrition problems and socio-economic costs associated with malnutrition among children and population at large, and create political commitment in taking a pro-nutrition agenda forward. In this context, the SUN FP of Pakistan has sought TA from NI under the TAN project to support the formulation and operationalization of National Advocacy Strategy for Scaling Up Nutrition (NASSUN) that would support the national and sub-national governments in strongly presenting the case of nutrition to policymakers and service providers. Objectives Overall objective Support the formulation and operationalization of evidence-based NASSUN to facilitate enabling policies and interventions for improving nutrition in Pakistan Specific objectives 1. Identify gaps and key thrust areas for nutrition advocacy for inputs into development of NASSUN 2. Develop and finalize a robust national advocacy strategy that provides a framework for strengthening Scaling Up Nutrition in Pakistan 3. Technically support national and sub-national governments for operationalization of NASSUN 4. Assist the SUN Movement Secretariat for implementation of advocacy, media and communication activities planned under PC-1 to raise awareness about nutrition and related issues 3 SUN Movement Compendium 2014; Pakistan 4

3 Expectations This TA is expected to bring a significant contribution to the national and sub-national government s ability to present the case of nutrition to high-level decision-makers for increased commitments. This strategy is intended to guide and promote effective engagement and dialogue with policy and decision makers on nutrition for sustainable solutions. It is expected that this consultancy will lead to the following results: Nutrition advocacy needs identified in coordination and consultation with relevant incountry stakeholders NASSUN agreed upon by the government and other relevant stakeholders National and sub-national action plans agreed upon by the government and other relevant stakeholders, and review mechanism established Advocacy & communication activities planned under PC-1 are effectively implemented Nutrition International is committed to gender equality. Consultant(s) are required to indicate how they will ensure that gender equality considerations are included in the provision of TA. Scope of Work The purpose of the TA is to support the design of NASSUN and its operationalization at national and sub-national levels to bolster efforts of the governments to confer increased focus on nutrition in their agenda. Expected duration of the assignment is for a period of 22 months. The team of consultants will be expected to undertake the following activities and produce the listed deliverables. Under objective 1: Identify gaps and key thrust areas for nutrition advocacy for inputs into development of NASSUN Activity 1 Analyze nutrition policies, plans, guidelines, legislative frameworks, existing knowledge evidence and current advocacy initiatives to identify gaps and key thrust areas that could be addressed through advocacy Desk review report/situation analysis report Activity 2 Conduct consultations with key stakeholders including national and sub-national level decision makers, potential partners, key influencers and service providers to identify advocacy capacity gaps and priority areas for advocacy and share key recommendations Summary report on consultations including key recommendations

4 Under objective 2: Develop and finalize a robust national advocacy strategy that provides a framework for strengthening Scaling Up Nutrition in Pakistan Activity 1 Based on desk review/situation analysis and inputs from stakeholder consultations, formulate NASSUN outlining clear objectives, targets, activities, deliverables and indicators Draft NASSUN including: Advocacy issues/needs Advocacy messages for identified target audience Roadmap along with the budget plan Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework Activity 2 Organize multi-stakeholder workshop to garner consensus for validation and finalization of NASSUN Validation workshop conducted and report shared Under objective 3: Technically support national and sub-national governments for operationalization of NASSUN Activity 1 Facilitate dissemination of the national strategy among relevant national and subnational level stakeholders Dissemination workshop conducted and report shared Activity 2 Facilitate formation of national and sub-national committees/working groups for nutrition advocacy National and sub-national committees/working groups formed and ToRs developed Activity 3 Support roll-out of NASSUN by facilitating development of well-costed prioritized national and provincial annual action plans through consultative process, engaging relevant stakeholders Deliverables: Consultations/meetings held and reports/updates shared Prioritized annual action plans developed and finalized Activity 4 Assist development of advocacy messages/materials and translation into national and regional languages Communication messages/materials developed and translated

5 Activity 5 Support multi-partner review of annual action plans at national and provincial levels in line with the M&E framework Quarterly review meetings completed and reports shared Under objective 4: Assist the SUN Movement Secretariat for implementation of advocacy, media and communication activities planned under PC-1 to raise awareness about nutrition and related issues Activity 1 Review PC-1 and prioritize advocacy, media and communication activities to be implemented Priority actions identified in line with PC-1 milestones Activity 2 Based on key advocacy messages, develop and field test appropriate communication material Communication material developed and field tested Activity 3 Build capacity of provincial SUN Secretariats for effective use of social media Capacity building sessions completed and report shared Activity 4 Support SUN Secretariat in implementation of advocacy, media and communication related activities Deliverables: Press release for different events produced and published ToR for hiring media and communication firms developed and circulated Scripts for different media products including documentaries, public service announcements developed E-newsletters for SUN Secretariat developed Social media accounts created and updated Content for SUN website finalized and uploaded SUN Networks success stories, progress and challenges documented Other relevant tasks needed by the GoP to support the advancements of the stated objectives, as agreed to by NI may be incorporated in the due course of the assignment. The TA will be provided by a team of 2-4 consultants including lead consultant and member consultant(s). The lead consultant will share the list of consulting team members with NI for agreement on roles and responsibilities of each team member. The team will work in close collaboration with the GoP and NI, and with other relevant in-country key stakeholders.

6 The lead consultant will be assigned the overall role of managing this assignment and be responsible for the work completed by other team members and all resulting deliverables. Duty Station/Location This is a full-time consultancy for a period of 22 months provided by a team of 2-4 consultants. All/some of the team members will be based out of Pakistan for this assignment. The national and provincial Department of Planning Development & Reforms (DoPD&R) would provide official work space to the team to hold joint discussions, meetings and reviews. The team members are expected to undertake some domestic travel within the country. All travels required under this consultancy will be provided for by NI/GoP. Timeline This support to the GoP would be for a period of 22 months from 1 st March 2018 to 31 st December Management and Reporting/Coordination mechanism 1. The consultants will report to the Chief Nutrition, MoPD&R, Pakistan who is also the Government Federal SUN Focal Point. The consultants will also work closely with other officials in Pakistan SUN Secretariat, specific divisions of MPDR and NI team members. 2. The national/provincial DoPD&R will facilitate the operational linkages with all the other relevant sectors and stakeholders under this TA. 3. The consultants are expected to work in close coordination and harmony with other consultants/development partners working with the national/provincial DoPD&R. 4. NI will provide the funding for the assignment, and payment will be subject to performance and reaching deliverables as agreed upon at the moment of contract signing. 5. NI will provide technical input into the assignment and is responsible for assuring the quality of the work being delivered by the consultants. Profile/qualifications of consultant The lead consultant will be selected following a competitive recruitment process. The consultants will possess expertise in the fields of health and/or nutrition advocacy/ programming/costing/communications/media engagement. The lead consultant would be responsible for work completed by the team members. The profile of the lead consultant/team has been presented below. Education: Post-graduate level qualification in relevant discipline with prior experience and understanding of health and nutrition advocacy, Scaling Up Nutrition Movement Strategy and SUN country networks

7 Qualification in Nutrition would be an advantage Language Skills: Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory Knowledge of Urdu language is mandatory Experience: The team should possess the below mentioned experience: Relevant experience in the fields of advocacy/communication/public affairs/media relations related to nutrition/health Excellent knowledge of Pakistan s national/provincial nutrition and health policies and programs Proven experience of supporting the national/sub-national government(s) in developing and implementing advocacy and communication strategies or field based advocacy initiatives, preferable in the area of nutrition and health Excellent analytical and communication skills Proven experience of engaging and working with multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral working groups in national and/or sub-national settings Proven experience of developing and/ or strengthening of monitoring and review mechanisms Experience of working in a multi-cultural environment is an asset Application Process Interested consultants are invited to submit the following by to TechnicalAssistance@ before 10 th January Up-to-date curriculum vitaes of all the team members. Technical proposal: not exceeding five pages, describing the consultant understanding of the task, proposed methodology, roles and responsibilities of each team member (clearly linking their expertise to the profile required) and detailed work plan that breaks down activities and outputs as per timeline. Financial proposal: including monthly/ daily fee rate for each team member, suggested number of trips/days to the country/provinces and any other expenses required to fulfill the terms of the consultancy (meetings, materials, etc.). Kindly mention Application for PAK-04 - National Advocacy Strategy for Nutrition in the subject line of the .