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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, results

UNICEF has been working in Cameroon since 1975 to allow women and children to fully realize their rights to development without restriction, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF provides financial and technical support to Cameroon across seven areas to fully realize the rights of women and children. These areas include Health, HIV/AIDS, Water-sanitation-Hygiene, nutrition, education, child protection, and social inclusion. UNICEF focuses mainly on children and the most vulnerable and excluded families. Cameroon’s 2020 population is estimated at 26,545,863 people according to UN data. The population is young and generates strong socioeconomic demand. In rural areas, limited access to basic social services and the effects of climate change lead to household impoverishment and severe child deprivations. The task is immense but not insurmountable; it requires the energy of all stakeholders in Cameroon and outside of Cameroon: also, women, men, youth and children, government, technical and financial partners, donors, civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians, and communities. Everyone is invited to participate in the struggle to meet the challenges ahead. Together, we will act for Cameroon, a country that summarizes the challenges and hopes of Africa.

To learn more about UNICEF Cameroon, use the below link

https://unicef.sharepoint.com/sites/CMR/SitePages/AboutUs.aspx

How can you make a difference? 

Background: 

Climate change and environmental degradation threaten to reverse progress on child and adolescent survival, health and well-being. Children worldwide face a host of environmental hazards, like polluted air, water and food; exposure to toxic chemicals; unsafe infrastructure; and threats related to climate change. Urgent investments, attention, political will and action is needed to address these increasing threats.

Globally, 850 million children – 1 in 4 – are exposed to at least four climate and environmental hazards, shocks or stresses[1]. All children, but especially indigenous children, internally displaced children, girls and young women, children with disabilities and children living in poverty, are the most vulnerable to environmental risks and climate change. Children are physically, physiologically, socially and economically more vulnerable and less able to survive shocks from floods, droughts, heatwaves, severe weather and exposure to toxic substances. Children are also more at risk of death, compared with adults, from diseases that are likely to be exacerbated by pollution and climate change, such as pneumonia, malaria and diarrhea. Any deprivation caused by climate and environmental degradation at a young age can result in a lifetime of lost opportunity. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 26 per cent of deaths in children can be prevented by addressing environmental risks.

In 2021, UNICEF established the Healthy Environments for Healthy Children framework[2], which identifies the key hazards affecting child health and development globally and aims to support country offices in addressing them through UNICEF’s health programmes, complementary to the organization’s WASH strategy, food system approach, and the organization’s overall policy on climate change and environment. The framework additionally emphasizes the dangers of lead poisoning in children, as highlighted initially in the 2020 UNICEF report on children’s exposure to lead pollution[3] and its subsequent neurological, cognitive and physical consequences; evidence demonstrates that not only climate but also environmental hazards – from lead poisoning to plastic pollution - pose a greater threat to children than previously understood.

For more details, see  CEHA Consultant TOR 2025_.docx

Scope of Work:

The consultant will be supporting the WASH Section at UNICEF Cameroon Country Office (CCO).  Using the technical note of the Country Assessment on Children’s Environmental Health as a guide, the scope of the consultancy includes:

1. Work closely with relevant departments of the Ministry of Health (e.g. Department of Preventative Medicine, National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, National Maternal and Child Health Centre), Ministry of Environment, and relevant national institutions and research bodies, in designing and carrying out an in-depth country assessment on a range of environmental and climate hazards and risk factors to child health, including heat stress, vector-borne diseases, air pollution, lead poisoning, toxic metals and chemicals, e-waste, pesticides, and other key pollutants. This includes desk review of existing data, conducting stakeholder consultations and a landscape exercise, supporting data collection, analysis and report writing.
2. Support the Government in partner and stakeholder coordination on environmental health issues, including technical support to the organisation and documentation of meetings and workshops. This includes supporting evidence-based advocacy and facilitating national and sub-national stakeholder meetings and consultations with experts, program focal persons from various organisations and Ministries as required.
3. Support the Government to conduct a capacity needs assessment and develop a plan to provide health workers and managers on training related to environmental health. This includes identifying training priorities, entry points to integrate into current health worker training curriculums, etc.
4. Support communications and awareness on environmental health issues affecting children, in collaboration with UNICEF Communications and WASH/climate change teams, including technical support to the integration of messages and materials into national planned campaigns, building upon HEHC materials that UNICEF has developed globally.

The consultant/contractor will be specifically required to address these following topics during the duration of the contract as well as in the deliverables. The UNICEF CO team will be able to support the consultant in accessing necessary and existing documents and data, to avoid redundancy in research.

• Analysis of the country’s health systems: This includes leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children, relevant sectoral capacities, and both existing policies and gaps in national frameworks, monitoring tools and technologies, health infrastructure, health budget and expenditure necessary to treat climate and environmental hazards adequately. This can also include a summary of existing CEH programmes in the country
• Exposure of children to environmental and climate hazards: This will include assessing the child-specific health impacts of a range of hazards that are environmental (heavy metals, toxic chemicals, hazardous waste, other environmental hazards), climactic (excessive flooding, heat stress, drought, changing vector-born disease patterns) and a combination of the two (air pollution).
• Stakeholder and partner mapping in the environmental and climate health space: This includes partners ranging from the public to the private
• National and global environmental governance
• Analysis for prioritizing key topics in the country based on the research and consultations

Duration:

The consultancy will run from 01/04/2025 to 30/06/2025. The consultancy is Home-based for 75 days and 15 workdays in country.

Deliverables:

To achieve the objectives of the consultancy, the following deliverables are expected:

Payment details and further considerations:

Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant. 

Submission of applications:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents:

• Letter of Interest (cover letter), CV or Resume
• Performance evaluation reports or references of similar consultancy assignments (if available)
• Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including medical insurance with medivac, travel and accommodation cost for this assignment as per work assignment. Cf.  Consultancy Financial Proposal Template.xlsx
• Technical Proposal: A detailed methodological note for the conduct of this mission, with an indicative schedule of the different stages of the consultation and the expected products or deliverables as well as the relative costs.
• A copy of the diplomas.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Environmental Health, Public Health, Medical Sciences, Epidemiology, Health research or any other related disciplines 
• A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in the areas of public health, environmental health
• Demonstrated experience in design of studies and assessments, and conducting research related to the environment, environmental health, child’s health, pollutants and/or toxic metals
• Experience in capacity building, government relationship building, training and/or facilitation an asset
• Good knowledge of French and English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset. 
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. 

Assessment Criteria: the selection criteria will be assessed as follows:

General Terms and Conditions:

Please review UNICEF's General Terms and Conditions for Consultants here for important information regarding contract obligations, including medical insurance, SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) vaccination, and income tax requirements.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).   

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.