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, Nutrition 

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Tajikistan is grappling with the triple burden of malnutrition – co-existing realities of undernutrition, overweight and micronutrient deficiencies. According to a national survey (DHS 2023), 14 per cent of children 0-5 years are stunted, six per cent are wasted, 35 per cent anaemic, while five per cent are overweight. More than one in two children were identified with iron deficiency, and over one in three of them were vitamin A deficient. Every one in three adolescent girls and women aged 15-49 years are anaemic. While undernutrition in children under five years remains and one in ten adolescent girls 15-19 years are thin, overweight is rapidly increasing, with half of women aged 20-49 years being overweight or obese.

Poor diets, infections and inadequate care practices are major determinants of malnutrition. Only 41 per cent of mothers in Tajikistan breastfeed their children exclusively for the first six months. Approximately 30 per cent of households do not have access to an improved source of drinking water, especially in rural areas. The Demographic and Health Survey 2017 reported that 23 per cent of children between 6-11 months (when children are typically introduced to complementary food) experienced diarrhoeal diseases in the past two weeks compared to an overall 13 per cent of children under five years. Almost half of mothers start giving their children complementary food too early, at between four and six months of age. Only nine per cent of children aged 6-23 months receive the minimum acceptable diets consisting of diverse foods given at appropriate frequency. Young children’s diets are characterised by reliance on starchy food, low consumption of eggs/flesh food (41.9 per cent), half of them consuming zero vegetables or fruits (55.8 per cent) and considerable consumption of sugary snacks, processed foods, and sweetened tea—now common even in rural areas—which suggests early-life exposure to unhealthy diets. A lack of knowledge and awareness about age-appropriate, adequate, diverse and nutritious diets results in poor infant and young child feeding practices and dietary patterns of mothers, and sub-optimal management of childhood illnesses.

Similarly, the diets of pregnant and lactating women and their access to health and nutrition services affect not only their own health but also birth outcomes and the nutritional status of their babies. About eight per cent of all live births result in babies with low birthweight, a risk factor for malnutrition and neonatal deaths as well as an indicator of poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy. Less than half of pregnant women took iron supplements, which can reduce the risk of low birthweight and preterm birth, while 40 per cent of them reported experiencing problems accessing healthcare. Lack of quality, equitable nutrition services and counselling, inadequate access to safe and clean water are exacerbating factors. Among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age, while the majority of them (86.9 per cent) meet the minimum dietary diversity, the consumption of unhealthy food and sweet beverages is also significant. Evidence suggests that in Tajikistan lifestyles, food environments and dietary habits are changing along with economic growth and nutrition transition, including greater access to ultra-processed and energy dense foods and increased sedentary behaviours in urban settings.
Malnutrition seriously hampers the chances of Tajikistan’s children for a better and productive future. Malnutrition not only poses a higher risk of morbidity and mortality and undermines healthy physical growth and cognitive development in children, but also affects academic performance, productivity and earning capacity in later life. Collectively, a malnourished population places a huge burden on national health expenditure and slows down national development.

Tajikistan adopted in 2021 the national Multisectoral Action Plan on Nutrition 2021-2025 to provide an overarching guidance on multisectoral implementation and coordination of maternal and child nutrition programmes in the country. There is a need to update this action plan for the period of 2026-2030.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of the consultancy is to develop a national multisectoral nutrition action plan/state programme on nutrition for the period of 2026-2030 for Tajikistan.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Duration: 70 working days between July 2025 - December 2025
Supervisor: Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Tajikistan

TOR with detailed deliverables and concrete timeframes is at the following link  TOR_IP Development Multisectoral Action Plan Nutrition.docx

Key objectives

This assignment aims to achieve the following key objectives:
• Assess the current context in terms of nutrition situation, existing policies, strategies and programmes and engaged stakeholders
• Engage multisectoral stakeholders from sectors that contribute to nutrition outcomes to sensitize them about nutrition and how to strategically incorporate nutrition considerations/results in sectoral policies and programmes through bilateral consultations and workshops with relevant stakeholders
• Develop a multisectoral action plan on nutrition/state programme on nutrition accompanied by a common results framework and a monitoring and evaluation framework

The consultant will work and consult closely with UNICEF’s nutrition team and engage with key government stakeholders and development partners. The general process, methodology and various tools are available from the MQSUN+ Toolkit on Multisectoral Planning for Nutrition, which will guide this assignment and will be adapted to suit the Tajik context. Along with the international consultant, UNICEF will also engage one national consultant who will be responsible for leading the stakeholder engagements (consultations, workshops) and coordinating with line ministries as well as another national consultant who will be responsible for costing the proposed multisectoral action plan for nutrition 2026-2030. The international consultant will be expected to work in coordination with the two national consultants. Briefly, the assignment will consist of the following:
1. Assessing the current context to identify the most pressing priority issues

• Conduct a review of the implementation and outcomes of the current Multisectoral Action Plan on Nutrition 2021-2025 (note there has been a similar mid-term assessment in 2023 and its results should be incorporated in this review)
• Analyze the nutrition situation and its underlying causes, including findings from the Demographic and Health Survey 2023
• Understand the landscape for nutrition-related policies and plans and the stakeholders engaged in them and identify gaps in the policy framework and evidence base
• Map stakeholders and analyze institutional capacities and coordination mechanisms, particularly the SUN Movement platform and Food Security Council
• Support the national consultant with the preparation for the stakeholder orientation workshop on nutrition and the multisectoral action plan on nutrition

2. Developing the Multisectoral Action Plan on Nutrition 2026-2030
• Develop and agree on goals, strategic objectives and key actions aligned with the National Development Strategy, the National Health Strategy, the relevant SDGs and the World Health Assembly Global Nutrition Targets 2025/2030 and in reference to the Multisectoral Action Plan on Nutrition 2021-2025
• Design evidence-based, costed interventions based on prioritization (phase 1) and theory of change/conceptual framework addressing nutrition specific interventions and nutrition sensitive interventions across education, agriculture, water and sanitation and social protection sectors (and others as relevant), with particular attention on food systems transformation, climate resilience and gender responsiveness
• Support the national consultant in the preparation for stakeholder consultations during the plan development and a validation workshop for the proposed plan accompanied by a common results framework and a monitoring and evaluation framework (detailed below).
• The exact structure of the plan will be discussed and agreed upon during the consultation process; however, the plan should include the following elements:
a. Context analysis
b. An overall goal and a set of key high-level targets
c. Strategic objectives/actions (includes major anticipated outcomes, output and interventions across sectors)
d. Governance and coordination structures
e. Roles and responsibilities of all actors and sectors
f. An indicative budget and financing plan
g. M&E framework with an indicator matrix
h. Plan for implementation
• Develop a common results framework detailing inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact based on the Multisectoral Action Plan for Nutrition’s strategic objectives, roles and responsibilities of actors for each intervention. It should also assign indicators and data sources for each level of result. The common results framework will be used for the costing of the Multisectoral Action Plan for Nutrition (by a national consultant) as well as for establishing a performance monitoring and evaluation framework/plan.
• Address review comments from reviewer ministries and revise the documents for re-submission.

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

• Education: Advanced degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Health Policy, Public Policy, Food Systems or other related social sciences fields.
• Work experience: Minimum 10 years of experience in nutrition programming and policy development. Demonstrated experience developing multi-sectoral nutrition plans in low- and middle-income countries. Excellent analytical, writing, and presentation skills in English.
• Experience with participatory planning processes and stakeholder engagement.
• Desirable: Experience with the SUN Movement and multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms. Understanding of climate-nutrition linkages. Familiarity with Tajikistan's development context.
• Language requirements: Fluency in English. Knowledge of Russian and/or Tajik languages is a strong asset.

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

• CV and cover letter.
• Technical proposal describing approach/methodology to achieve the tasks of the TOR, workplan with concrete timeframes
• Financial proposal in USD-all inclusive, indicting fee per day. Annex 3 at the  Annex 3.docx
• Two samples of previously delivered similar assignment.
• Applications without technical and financial proposals will not be considered.

Applications must be received in the system by 22 June 2025 on UNICEF website.

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.