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For every child, the right to health

How can you make a difference? 

Background / Purpose of the Assignment

The hostilities of 1992–1993, along with the subsequent prolonged isolation, have had enduring negative impacts on the economic and social well-being of people living in Abkhazia, Georgia. Over the past three decades, the protracted nature of the conflict has hindered development and continues to affect human rights and the living conditions of conflict-affected communities, including their access to essential social services, human security, and opportunities for sustainable peace.

The healthcare system in Abkhazia remains rooted in an outdated, inpatient-oriented model. Services are delivered across central, district/urban, and rural levels; however, primary healthcare (PHC) facilities, including antenatal care clinics, are often under-equipped and face shortages of qualified personnel. These gaps lead to frequent referrals to higher levels of care. Significant disparities in the distribution of healthcare workers further constrain service availability, with urban areas comparatively better staffed than rural and remote regions.

Only around 19 percent of doctors work in PHC, and opportunities for continuing professional development are extremely limited. Many health workers were trained outside Abkhazia region and lack access to ongoing medical education. At the same time, nurses’ skills remain underutilized, contributing to low public confidence in nursing services.

Additional systemic challenges, including limited supplies of essential medicines, outdated medical equipment, deteriorated WASH infrastructure, and high out-of-pocket costs, further undermine the quality and accessibility of healthcare and discourage timely care-seeking.

Despite the sustained efforts of UNICEF and other international development partners, notable gaps persist across the health sector. Limited availability of essential medicines, shortages of trained personnel, inadequate health data, and constrained capacities for planning and managing health interventions continue to affect access to essential services.

These challenges are especially evident in maternal and child health, an essential pillar of public health. In Abkhazia region perinatal services are delivered through one republican maternity hospital in Sukhumi and maternity wards within seven district hospitals (Gagra, Gudauta, Gulrypshi, Gali, Tkuarcheli, and Ochamchyre). However, several facilities operate at reduced capacity due to low delivery numbers and resource constraints.

Seven women’s consultation (antenatal) clinics operate in the same locations, but coordination between primary and secondary levels of care (antenatal clinic – maternity – PHC) remains limited, with many services following vertical structures and not sufficiently integrated.

UNICEF, as a leading advocate for children’s rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and guided by the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, implements strategic interventions across health, education, and child protection in Abkhazia, Georgia. UNICEF Georgia has maintained a Field Office in Abkhazia since October 2005.

Since 2011, UNICEF has supported the Extended Programme on Immunization (EPI) and has worked with health workers to adopt internationally recognized maternal and child health (MCH) and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) standards.

UNICEF has further contributed to the development of clinical guidelines and the provision of specialized equipment for safe neonatal transport across the administrative boundary line (ABL). A network of health professionals has also been established to support guideline development, trainings, and supportive supervision, particularly within PHC and MCH services.

Addressing maternal and child health challenges in low-resource settings requires a comprehensive, lifecycle-based approach. In Abkhazia region, the shortage of trained personnel, limited use or absence of evidence-based clinical standards, and lack of targeted public health interventions pose significant risks to maternal, newborn, and child health.

Health workers require strengthened knowledge and skills, supportive supervision — which to date has been implemented only on a pilot basis — and availability of reliable health data.

To address these challenges, and within the EU-funded UNICEF/WHO joint initiative “Support provision of basic health services for conflict-affected people living in Abkhazia, Georgia,” UNICEF will support the strengthening of risk-appropriate maternal and neonatal care in the region.

The planned interventions will be informed by a comprehensive assessment of the quality of neonatal and obstetric care in Abkhazia, using a methodology that includes analysis of medical documentation, facility inspections, and interviews with medical staff.

The assessment will be conducted with the Integrated quality of hospital care assessment and improvement tool for maternal and neonatal health (WHO, 2024).

The assessment will place particular emphasis on:

• organization of care for sick newborns
• availability of effective referral and transport pathways
• functionality of intensive care units
• structured handover and continuity of care with PHC upon neonatal discharge

It will also focus on the development and integration of priority clinical care protocols and the continued analysis of quality of care to inform a plan of action at both maternity/local and regional levels.

Scope of Work

To address the critical needs in peri- and neonatal care in Abkhazia region, UNICEF is recruiting international consultants:

1. Obstetrician/Gynaecologist (Team Leader)
2. Neonatologist
3. Midwife

The consultants will work as a team to conduct an Assessment of the quality of neonatal and obstetric care in Abkhazia using the WHO integrated quality assessment tool.

Guided by the team leader, consultants will complete all modules of the tool on-site at:

• Republican Maternity Hospital in Sukhumi
• Seven district hospitals
• Seven women’s consultation clinics

The completion of modules will be allocated among team members according to professional expertise.

Assessment Dimensions

1. Hospital Resources

• Physical infrastructure and amenities
• Health management information systems
• Human resources for health
• Availability and management of medicines, equipment and supplies
• Laboratory services

2. Hospital-Level Policies and Organization of Services

• Hospital policies and implementation
• Infection prevention and control
• Continuous quality improvement
• Organization of maternal and newborn care
• Access and continuity of care
• Protection of mother and newborn rights

3. Provision of Health Care

Maternal health:

• pregnancy
• intrapartum care
• postpartum care

Newborn health:

• readiness to manage newborns at birth
• care for healthy and sick newborns
• facility preparedness for advanced newborn care

Additional areas:

• monitoring of obstetric complications
• monitoring of sick newborns

4. Experience of Care

Interviews with mothers and caretakers focusing on:

• experience of care
• perceptions of quality and respectfulness

5. Motivation and Perspectives of Human Resources

Assessment through staff interviews including:

• availability of physical resources
• hospital policies on professional development
• organization of services

6. Feedback and Action Planning

Supporting a standards-based audit process to:

• analyse quality of care at facility level
• develop action plans for improvement

Including:

a) Referral and transport pathways
b) Maternal-neonatal intensive care units (ICU) requirements
c) Discharge handover and neonatal follow-up
d) Development of five prioritized clinical care protocols

Interested experts should apply for the Midwife role indicating the lump sum fee in the cover letter.

Duration

Start: 1 June 2026
End: 30 November 2026
Working days: 43

Work modality

Hybrid  with international trips to the duty station anticipated.

Work Assignment Overview

The consultation will include both online and hybrid modalities.

Tasks / Milestones for Midwife

1. Assessment Preparation

Provide technical expertise on maternity and immediate newborn care, focusing on:

• patient rights
• human resource motivation
• tool adaptation
• facility assessments
• report preparation
• protocol development
• workshops

Timeline: June 2026
14 in-country working days (Tbilisi)

2. Facility Assessments

Lead maternity and immediate newborn care assessments across all sites.

Outputs:

• Completed facility assessment tools
• Facility gap summaries

Timeline: June 2026
7 in-country days (Sukhumi)

3. Assessment Report

Draft maternity and newborn sections of the report and recommendations.

Timeline: July 2026
7 online days

4. Clinical Protocol Development

Draft maternity-related elements of five clinical protocols.

Timeline: July 2026
3 online days

5. Protocol Workshops

Co-facilitate workshops and update protocols.

Timeline: October 2026
7 in-country days

6. Final Technical Inputs

Provide final technical inputs and presentation slides.

Timeline: October 2026
5 online days

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

Knowledge / Expertise / Skills

• Professional degree, Bachelor’s Degree in Midwifery
• Minimum 10 years clinical experience
• Experience with WHO quality assessment tool
• Experience in developing clinical protocols
• Training experience
• Experience with UNICEF and WHO
• Experience in fragile contexts (advantage)
• Fluency in English and Russian

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

[add the 8^th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

 

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

 

 

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

 

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.