Organization: UN Children"s Fund
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 17 Jun 2015
Background & Rationale
In the last five years, global attention to, and investment in, improving nutrition has increased. At global and national levels, stakeholders are being brought together to work more effectively across different sectors, with efforts to establish coherent policy and legal frameworks and mobilize resources to support nutrition actions. Budgetary commitment for nutrition is increasing and efforts are underway to better tracking financial commitments for accountability. In 2013, signatories to the Nutrition 4 Growth (N4G) Compact in London in 2013 pledged more than US$4 billion in extra financing to support scaling up nutrition until 2020.
Yet, compared to other global health issues, nutrition remains underfunded. As the 2014 Global Nutrition Report states, significant funding gaps to support the scale-up of proven interventions to address stunting and other forms of malnutrition exist. With such limited resources, this raises the explicit need for priority setting in nutrition: making specific decisions about who gets what, when and how and at what expense.
Policymakers and technocrats have expertise in assessing epidemiological, economic, political, policy, and programme information to inform resource allocation for improving maternal and child nutrition. While they are concerned with the equitable distribution of resources and intended results, they may be less familiar with how to reconcile their rationing choices with objective of doing so fairly. In order to legitimize rationing decisions, there needs to be a deliberative process for priority-setting in nutrition which explicitly brings forth the ethical dimensions to decision-making.
Such resource allocation decisions are complicated further by the increasingly challenging environment for nutrition programming. As populations progress through the nutrition transition, several low- and middle-income countries are grappling with the dual burden of undernutrition and overweight and obesity. Moreover, shifts in urbanization, population growth, climate change, humanitarian crises and poverty contribute to complex and evolving patterns of nutritional status and changing patterns of inequalities between different groups. How can we meeting competing nutrition needs fairly under our current resource constraints? Balancing the needs and rights of different groups equitably requires a fair, deliberative process.
Objectives
This consultancy seeks to add to the literature by drawing on the more established work in priority-setting and ethics in global health (especially those relating to distributive justice) to explore some of the ethical issues around the key rationing problems in field of nutrition both globally and nationally.
This Discussion Paper should develop thinking in line with the following objectives:
· Describing the ethical considerations for priority-setting in nutrition. Through a desk review of the existing literature, this will present some of the key ethical considerations and questions for priority-setting in nutrition for stakeholders working in nutrition. This could address questions such as: When there are widening inequalities, should our obligation and priorities be to focus on minimizing undernutrition, or preventing future overweight and obesity? How should we trade off the needs of the most disadvantaged today (burdened with undernutrition) with their needs in the future (burdened with overweight and its complications)? How should we decide on our priorities among different interventions, e.g. between nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive approaches and between different forms of malnutrition affecting different groups? What should be the process for meeting the different needs of children with malnutrition fairly?
· Developing some recommendations for the fair process of resource allocation in nutrition. Based on the above literature assessment and analysis, this piece will involve the tentative development of recommendations to support policymakers and technical experts to develop systems and processes for allocation decisions in nutrition.
Specific activities to be completed to achieve the objectives:
The consultancy includes the following activities:
a) To conduct a systematic literature review on ethical issues in priority-setting and resource allocation in nutrition (academic and grey literature), and analysis of the literature (including identification of gaps). To provide a short synopsis and table of literature reviewed and reference library. To draw on relevant literature from global health ethics to guide and strengthen this review and analysis.
b) To draft a Discussion Paper outline and revise with inputs received from the UNICEF team, and other reviewers identified by the UNICEF team.
c) To prepare the final manuscript (standard UNICEF Discussion Paper template to be provided) and a 2-page summary for a general audience.
d) To prepare submission of the adapted to a peer-reviewed journal in conjunction with the UNICEF team.
e) To participate in phone conferences with UNICEF staff as needed throughout the research process. To participate in a face-to-face meetings if required. To present the findings in person or virtually.
Duty Station
The consultant will work remotely and will consult with UNICEF staff on a regular basis. Travel may be required (TBD).
Duration
The consultant will be working for 35 working days during the period from 1 July 2015 to 1 November 2015.
Timeframe: Start date:1 July 2015 (approx.)**End date:**1 November 2015
Key skills, technical background, and experience required:
· Advanced doctoral level degree in public health ethics, philosophy, global heath, public policy, development studies or a related technical field. Knowledge of social science research methodologies required.
· At least 8 years of Mid-level work experience required.
· Demonstrated skill in writing research papers and reports.
· Previous academic work in global health ethics and priority setting strongly preferred.
· Previous experience in nutrition desirable.
· Strong research, analytical and organizational skills.
· Ability to work independently, flexibly and under pressure, utilizing initiative and sound judgment.
· Good interpersonal and communications skills.
*Please see deliverables in attached chart.
How to apply:
How to Apply
Applicants are requested to send their submissions to <**pdconsultants@unicef.org>with subject line: **“(Re-advertisement) Priority Setting for Nutrition: Making Resource Allocation Decisions Fairly, Consultancy”by 17 June 2015, (by midnight EDT). (Those who previously applied need not re-apply.)
Applications must include:
· Cover letter
· CV
· P-11 form(http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc)
· Writing Sample
Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.
UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
EmoticonEmoticon