UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Health and 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 continues to face the triple burden of malnutrition — the co-existence of undernutrition, overweight, and micronutrient deficiencies. According to the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey, 14 per cent of children under five are stunted, 6% are wasted, and 7% are overweight. More than one in three children are anaemic, over half are iron-deficient, and one in three suffer from vitamin A deficiency.

Poor diets, frequent infections, and inadequate feeding and care practices are the main drivers of child malnutrition. Only 41 per cent of mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months. Complementary feeding is often introduced too early (between 4–6 months), and only nine per cent of children aged 6–23 months receive a minimum acceptable diet that is both diverse and frequent enough. Children’s diets are dominated by starchy foods, with low intake of animal-source foods (42 per cent) and fruits or vegetables (44 per cent), and increasing exposure to sugary snacks, processed foods, and sweetened tea—even in rural areas.

Other contributing factors include limited access to improved water and sanitation (30 per cent of households), suboptimal antenatal (62% of pregnant women receive 4+ antenatal care visits) and postnatal care coverage and quality, and insufficient counselling and follow-up support for breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Social norms, particularly around early introduction of other foods and beliefs about the adequacy of breastmilk, further hinder optimal practices. Moreover, health workers’ capacity and motivation to promote and protect breastfeeding remain inconsistent, and monitoring of compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes requires strengthening.

Tajikistan has a long history with the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), introduced in 1996 with the support of WHO and UNICEF. The early successes in piloting the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding led to nationwide adoption and certification of 58 maternity hospitals as baby-friendly by 1999. However, implementation and recertification gradually declined after 2015 due to limited funding, outdated standards, and lack of clear control mechanisms.

In recent years, efforts have been renewed. With UNICEF support, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population adopted updated BFHI Training Guidelines in 2023 and initiated a series of national and subnational trainings to strengthen breastfeeding counselling and reinstate the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding across maternity facilities. The country has also rolled out Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) counselling tools and trained healthcare providers at both hospital and primary care levels.
Despite these achievements, many maternity hospitals have not yet fully institutionalized the BFHI standards. The absence of updated accreditation criteria and control measures under the Medical Activity and Social Protection Control Agency (Khadamot) remains a major gap. Strengthening the regulatory framework and integrating breastfeeding and IYCF counselling standards into both hospital and primary healthcare settings is essential for sustainable progress.

With UNICEF’s technical assistance, the Ministry, Khadamot, and the National Accreditation Center are now working together to review and align existing standards with WHO/UNICEF recommendations and national guidelines, ensuring consistent implementation of BFHI and IYCF practices throughout the health system.

How can you make a difference? 

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Duration: 53 working days between December 2025 - April 2026
Supervisor: Nutrition Officer, UNICEF Tajikistan

TOR with detailed deliverables and concrete timeframes is at the following link TOR_national consultant BFHI Certification.docx

The purpose of the consultancy is to strengthen the capacity of the State Control Service in Medical Activity and Social Protection of Population in monitoring of implementation of the national standards establishing the principles of Baby-Friendly Hospitals and the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding and breastfeeding counselling by the maternity departments of the hospitals and primary healthcare facilities
through the revision and updating of existing accreditation and certification standards to ensure stronger adherence to the BFHI and IYCF requirements and updating the ToRs and work plans of IQC Commissions at health facilities to assume responsibility for internal assurance of counselling activities.

Key objectives

This assignment aims to achieve the following key objectives:
• Establishment of a technical working group under the State Service for Control in Medical Activity and Social Protection of Population (Khadamot) comprising of relevant departments of the Khadamot;
• Revision of the existing accreditation and certification standards on establishing BFHI principles, breastfeeding and IYCF counselling at the maternity hospitals and PHC facilities based on the latest WHO and UNICEF recommendations and national guidelines;
• Revision of the inspection/monitoring checklists of the Khadamot used during the regular inspections of inpatient and outpatient medical facilities to include criteria on monitoring the implementation of the breastfeeding and IYCF counselling;
• Revision of the functional responsibilities and work plans of the IQC Commissions functioning at hospitals and PHC facilities to ensure compliance of healthcare facilities with the BFHI and IYCF requirements to strengthen internal controls;
• Coordination with the relevant sectors and departments of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population and other government agencies to ensure coherence, collaboration and implementation of the revised accreditation standards, inspection/monitoring checklists, training for staff and dissemination of the revised standards and tools to all relevant branches of the Khadamot.

The consultant will work and consult closely with UNICEF’s Health and Nutrition team and the teams of Khadamot and the National Accreditation Center as well as with other relevant departments of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population, regional health offices and administrations of healthcare facilities to fulfil the assignment.

The consultant will refer to the relevant WHO and UNICEF recommendations as well as the relevant national guidelines on BFHI and IYCF while promoting the review and updating of the existing standards and checklists and ensure their adaptation and adoption. Briefly, the national consultant’s assignment will consist of the following:
• Facilitate the establishment of and lead the work of the technical working group under the State Service for Control in Medical Activity and Social Protection of Population (Khadamot) to achieve the objectives of the current ToR;
• Facilitate and lead reviewing and updating of the existing Hospital and PHC Safety and Quality of Service Standards with focus on greater integration of the principles of breastfeeding and IYCF counselling based on the latest WHO-UNICEF recommendations and national guidelines, and leading to their endorsement;
• Facilitate review and updating the inspection/monitoring checklists used by the Khadamot during the regular inspections of inpatient and outpatient medical facilities for compliance with existing instruction to include criteria on breastfeeding and IYCF counselling;
• Review and update the functional responsibilities and work plans of the IQC Commissions at health facilities to ensure compliance of healthcare facilities with the BFHI and IYCF requirements, including supervision and control of counselling activities of relevant health workers;
Ensure coordination with the respective sectors and departments to ensure awareness and implementation of the revised accreditation standards, inspection/monitoring checklists, training for staff and dissemination of the revised standards and tools to all relevant branches of the Khadamot.

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

• Education: University degree in Medicine, Nutrition, Public Health, Health Policy, Public Policy or other related fields. 
• Work Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience in health and nutrition, preferably in the area of accreditation in health sector, with grounded understanding of government processes and procedures in Tajikistan and experience working in government settings.
• Solid technical expertise in accreditation and inspection in health with a focus on maternal and child health, nutrition, and developing internal instructions and rules in the health sector.
• Language requirements: Excellent verbal and writing skills in Tajik. Knowledge of English and/or Russian is considered an advantage.

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 TJS-all inclusive, indicting fee per day (Annex 3 to be completed). Annex 3 at the  Annex 3.docx
• Contact of three references.
• Two samples of previously delivered similar assignments.
• Applications without technical and financial proposals will not be considered.

Applications must be received in the system by 8 December 2025 on UNICEF website.

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 

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. 

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.