Background & Rationale
The United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities (the Commission) is working to make 13 essential commodities for women’s and children’s health more widely available and better used in high burden countries, to help end preventable women and children deaths. In its 2012 report to the United Nations Secretary-General, the Commission made ten recommendations for overcoming obstacles in the supply chain, strengthening demand for these essential commodities, and ensuring their quality and proper use.
Nine expert groups – or Technical Resource Teams (TRTs) – have been implementing the Commission’s recommendations, each a consortium of global experts from United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, government partners and academic institutions.[1] The RMNCH Strategy and Coordination Team (RMNCH SCT), a multi-agency team supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and housed in UNICEF is following up on the Commission’s recommendations and coordinating the work of the TRTs.
Three years on, the Commission’s recommendations have had impacts both at the global level, where the availability and use of these life-saving commodities has improved, and at the country level, where distribution systems are stronger, demand for the products greater, and knowledge about their use more comprehensive. The TRTs have developed a wide array of resources – from quantification algorithms to job aids and advocacy documents – and accumulated knowhow to remove market barriers for the 13 life-saving commodities.
What remains to be done is to apply this knowledge: put this global knowledge and expertise into action to support countries in implementing their RMNCH strategies under the new Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents Health 2016-2030. The RMNCH SCT proposes to support this shift by transitioning the current TRT set up and knowledge library into an integrated knowledge platform.
Purpose
This consultancy aims to wrap up the communication of the Commission as the TRTs are completing their activities, and integrate the knowledge and expertise that the TRTs have developed over the past three years into a comprehensive resource for countries that are developing RMNCH strategies under the new Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents Health 2016-2030.
- Integrate the knowledge resources and expertise developed by the TRTs in one cohesive knowledge platform to support countries in the RMNCH strategies.
These resources include:
Global knowledge resources developed by TRTs or compiled during the Landscape Synthesis : currently hosted in the knowledge library on the Life-Saving Commodities website
Network of 450+RMNCH experts, from 83 organizations, organized in nine TRTs
Perform the day-to-day internal and external communication work around the Commission, as the TRTs are completing their activities, using the existing Commission communication channels and tools
SCOPE OF WORK
1. Creation of a knowledge platform:
The current TRT set up, with experts joining a dedicated, funded, structured TRT as part of the work of their organizations will become obsolete as the TRT wrap up their activities; in order to capitalize on the knowledge and expertise of the TRT members, those members should engage in their own capacity in a less structured network, serving two distinct functions: Internally – a community of practice (COP), serving primarily the needs of its members for knowledge and experience sharing, peer collaboration and learning; Externally – an “ask the experts” service making this expertise available to countries ‘on demand’, and serving primarily national, programmatic needs. The Consultant will:
a. Design:
· Community of practice: the consultant’s role with the COP will be essentially to enable the experts’ collaboration and exchange. The consultant will:
Expand the existing collaboration tool used by the TRTs (Huddle) to include discussions, and maintain it, or provide a similar collaboration platform, working directly with a web firm
Integrate the collaboration tool with the existing knowledge library (currently on the Life-Saving Commodities website) and upcoming ‘Ask the experts’ feature
Start and manage discussions between experts in the collaboration tool
Post content relevant to all members: announcements, conference dates, training opportunities
Troubleshoot
· ‘Ask the experts’: this is a new feature of the expert network which will require the consultant to:
Design the interface for this public facing feature of the expert network, as part of the current Life-Saving Commodities website and linking to the collaboration platform and the knowledge library
Develop information materials about this feature, e.g. Q&A, incentives to become a member
Develop expert profiles
Direct broad non expert-specific requests to the relevant experts and consolidate their answers, as needed
· Knowledge library: the consultant will:
Add to the current 600+resources developed by the TRTs or under the RMNCH SCT Landscape Synthesis, until the TRT have completed their work, and ensure the knowledge library resources are relevant, properly tagged and categorized. These resources are currently on the Life-Saving Commodities website
Serve as a clearing house for expert members to post their resources, with a view of expanding the knowledge library beyond commodity-focused resources
Link the knowledge library to other RMNCH knowledge libraries
b. Engage
The consultant will:
Reach out to the TRT members, initiate individual membership of experts
Develop collaterals to promote the knowledge platform and encourage use of its services by countries (e.g. presentations to be used during country trips, tutorials, one pager)
Pave the way for the knowledge platform to be adopted by an RMNCH organization whose mandate goes beyond commodities.
Involve key global partners in the development of the knowledge platform (e.g. Every Woman Every Child, PMNCH, H4+, A promise Renewed, the Pneumonia and Diarrhea Working Group) and update them on progress, by taking part in the various communication and advocacy groups convened by these partners.
2. Ensure the day-to-day internal and external communication work around the Commission
The consultant will continue implementing the current Commission communication strategy, until the TRTs have completed their activities. This includes:
Internal communication between TRTs: through Huddle, dissemination task forces calls as required
Coordinate the dissemination of the Commission’s knowledge products through: conference-specific packages, organization of TRT resources into online toolkits as per TRT request, social media
External communication: develop and maintain the knowledge library, monthly e-resources as well as targeted ones for specific events/days
Conduct quality control of TRT products in the pre-publishing phase, as required
Include a commodity perspective in global RMNCH communication or advocacy activities, e.g. by joining EWEC advocacy calls, joint social media campaigns around specific events/events and event-specific communication groups
Expected results: (measurable results)
An integrated knowledge platform bringing together the Commission’s knowledge library and the expertise of individual RMNCH experts
Up-to-date Commission’s communication materials, including website, information materials (fliers, brochures, results leaflet) and timely send out of monthly e-resources
Archival/handing over of all the Commission’s communication assets to the RMNCH SCT
Dissemination of Commission’s materials at key conferences/events and on special days (TBD)
Duty Station
Preferably New York City.
Timeframe
Start date: 1 February 2016 End date: 30 June 2016
Full-time: 5 months, approx. 107 working days (may include holidays and weekends)
Deliverables
Duration
(Estimated # of Days)
Deadline
Revised website integrating the current Commission’s knowledge library, access to experts’ collaboration platform and new “ask the experts” feature
Consultant to work full-time, delivering collectively to achieve these results.
To be paid monthly based on submission of invoice certifying deliverables and number of days worked.
30 June 2016
A set of materials promoting the knowledge platform: (requires the knowledge platform to be live even in beta form)
one pager
presentation
tutorial
15 April 2016
15 April2016
15 June 216
Monthly e-resources sent out to the Commission’s mailing list for February, March, April, May and June 2016
End of February, March, April, May and June
Up-to-date Commission’s communication materials information materials:
fliers,
brochures
results leaflet
1 March, 2016
Current and comprehensive Commission’s knowledge library, to include:
Throughout, but final library with all TRT products on 30 June 2016
Dissemination package for Commission’s products, for specific events/days TBD with RMNCH SCT
Throughout
Compile a list of all the Commission’s communication assets and tools, and transfer administrative rights a designated person in the RMNCH SCT
Share rights by 1 June, transfer by 30 June 2016
total
Approx. 107 days
30 June 2016
Key competences, technical background, and experience required Deadline
· Master degree in communication, social sciences, political science or a related field and at least 7 years of experience, at the senior level, in developing and implementing strategies for programme communication and either knowledge sharing or collaboration at a senior level.
· Demonstrated experience in developing the architecture for online platforms and in enabling COPs
· Good understanding of the RMNCH Global architecture and key players
· Experience with working with international organizations
· English required. French an asset.
[1] The TRTs focus on commodities related to family planning; newborn health; maternal health; child health; as well as on demand, access and performance; global markets, quality and regulation; supply chain; digital health; and advocacy
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