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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, 

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

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. 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 diarrhoea. 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, 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 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.

Eswatini is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to a combination of political, geographic, and social factors, ranking 137^th out of 181 countries in the 2020 ND-GAIN Index. A lower ranking indicates a country’s greater vulnerability, while a higher score reflects greater preparedness to improve resilience.   The Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC) conducted by UNICEF in Eswatini in 2023, offers a baseline for understanding climate and environmental risks but needs further refinement to align with child health and pollution-related challenges.

While under-five mortality rates have declined significantly from over 100 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 41 per 1,000 in 2022 this progress has been largely driven by interventions in maternal and newborn care, immunization programs, and efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.   However, while communicable diseases remain prevalent, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and environmental risks are becoming significant public health threats. The most dangerous contaminants to health in Eswatini include several types of pesticides used in agriculture, and heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic, generated in the mining and manufacturing industries (The Swaziland Environment Action Plan SEAP). A study conducted in 2001 to determine the urinary lead in school children in Manzini, Eswatini, showed that the range of urine lead concentration for the urban schools (0.038–0.040 µg ml−1) was above the normal (for healthy humans) urine lead concentration of 0.035 µg ml−1) and significantly higher than that of the rural schools (0.017–0.022 µg ml−1). The difference in lead concentrations between urban and rural schools in Manzini was thought to be due to the traffic density within the urban area.  In accordance with the World Health Organization’s guidelines, the air quality in Eswatini is considered moderately unsafe. The most recent data indicates the country’s annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is 17 µg/m3 which exceeds the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3. Air pollution is mainly from fuel burning, eg. Sawdust in pulp mills, and factories. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 is linked to severe respiratory and developmental disorders, underscoring the need for urgent policy reforms to reduce pollution exposure.

To better evidence the effect of climate and environmental hazards on children in Eswatini, it is imperative to conduct a country level Children’s Environmental Health (CEH) Assessment. This report would both assess the current status of exposure to hazards and related disease burdens as well as also support in identifying what issues need to be prioritized urgently for addressing by the government, UNICEF, and other implementing partners.

Scope of Work:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Government of Eswatini in identifying environmental health policy priorities, through strengthened evidence generation and partner coordination. The scope of the consultancy would include supporting the Government to carry out an in-depth country assessment on a range of environmental hazards and risk factors, and their impact on children in Eswatini, including local research and studies as needed and facilitating stakeholder consultations.

The consultant will be supporting the Maternal Child Adolescent Health (MCAH) section at the UNICEF Eswatini Country Office (ESCO) and will work closely with relevant departments of the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MOTE) and other key stakeholders. The country needs supportive evidence about lead poisoning and environmental hazards. The finding will play a critical role in strategic direction/ approaches on how to deal with child environmental hazard control and management in this country.  Using the technical note of the Country Assessment on Children’s Environmental Health as a guide, the scope of the consultancy includes:

1) Support Ministry of Health (MOH) to design and carry 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. Focus will be on the scale and severity of lead toxicity in Eswatini and how it affects children health.  This includes desk review of existing data, conducting  landscape exercise and stakeholder mapping,  assess existing regulatory framework, assess health provider knowledge, attitude, and practice, through consultations and supporting data collection, analysis and report writing as well as inform future strategies on how to deal with lead poisoning prevention and control in Eswatini and to promote the inclusion of lead exposure prevention in national health and environmental policies as well as in the private sector regulations.

2) 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.

3) Facilitate a training on the adapted the WHO/UNICEF e-learning course on Children’s Environmental Health.

Tasks to be Performed:

The consultant/contractor will be specifically required to address these following topics during the duration of the contract as well as in the deliverables. UNICEF MCAH 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

As part of this effort, while conducting the CEH assessment, if any families or children are identified whose stories exemplify the impacts of environmental hazards on child health and well-being, efforts should be made to document these cases and develop a compelling human-interest story. These narratives will serve to localize and humanize the issue, thereby strengthening advocacy and public engagement on CEH within Eswatini and beyond.

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

Minimum education certification for a Master or post-graduate degree in Environmental Health, Public Health, Medical Sciences, Epidemiology, Health research or any other related disciplines

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

Experience

• Minimum five (5) years’ work experience in the areas of public health, environmental health
• Demonstrated past 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
Knowledge and Skills
• Knowledge of research, monitoring, and evaluation methods, both quantitative and qualitative, and statistical methods and software
• Understanding of public health systems and policies related to environment and health in Eswatini

Competencies

• Excellent Communication and Presentation skills
• Drive for results
• Works collaboratively with others
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Builds and maintains partnerships
Languages
• Fluent in English (both oral and written)

Evaluation Criteria (This will be used for the Selection Report (for clarification see Guidance)

A) Technical Evaluation

The passing mark of the technical evaluation 60 points (maximum 75 Points)
Formula to use: (maximum points * weight%) Example: (75*75%) = 60 Points

B) Financial Proposal

The total amount of points allocated for the financial component is 25. The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened and compared among those candidates which obtain the threshold points in the evaluation of the technical component. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price. Formula to use: =(maximum points allocated to fee proposal*lowest fee from all candidates)/Candidate fee

The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview.]

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.