Consultance : UNICEF recrute un Consultant en nutrition pour l’élaboration de stratégies et de politiques (à domicile), Pékin, Chine.

Consultance : UNICEF recrute un Consultant en nutrition pour l’élaboration de stratégies et de politiques (à domicile), Pékin, Chine.

Childhood overweight and obesity has become an increasing public health concern in China. According to the Report of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases of Chinese Population, in 2017, about 19 percent of children aged 6 to 17 were overweight or obese. Failure to act in a timely manner will result in costly medical investments and financial losses in the future.

The causes of the alarming rise in childhood overweight and obesity are complex, and the global consensus has shifted from an emphasis on the importance of individual-level factors to an increasing recognition of the impact of obesogenic environments. In China, as the central government has showed its strong commitment to ensuring that children have access to nutritious food by planning and implementing the National Nutrition Plan every 5 years. Cities and local governments are playing an increasingly important role in developing innovative policies and programmes to ensure the high-level commitment to be put into practices.

UNICEF is also supporting the Chinese government in trying some new initiatives during the new project cycle (2021-2025), including interventions at the school and city level, as well as preparations for promoting obesity policies, such as evidence collection and the development of Nutrient Profiling (NP) models. After two years of effort, we hope to review existing projects, absorb global experience, and identify key areas and roadmaps where UNICEF can help the Chinese government intervene in child obesity. Given that interventions and policies related to childhood obesity, particularly in the food environment, have already been practiced globally, a wealth of experience and lessons can inform a joint strategy between UNICEF and line ministries in China. Therefore, UNICEF is seeking to hire a seasoned international consultant with proven high-level expertise to facilitate the process.

How can you make a difference?

The main purpose of this consultancy will be to assist the nutrition team in China office to develop a comprehensive plan/portfolio of actions on address the obesogenic environment in China in line with the existing country policies, and UNICEF’s Programme Strategy Note (PSN) in this programme cycle. 4 prioritized intervention and policy areas have been identified by UNICEF China Office, which are,

1) promotion and utilization the NP model;

2) city level interventions and policies;

3) school nutrition and behavior change;

4) food environment scorecard and dashboard.

The Nutrition Consultant will provide technical support to develop a comprehensive country strategy on the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity with a focus on the prioritized 4 key programme areas mentioned above. The strategy should be based on the global trend and evidence, cover wholistic relevant interventions that may be applicable to the local context, and provide recommendations for programming by the end of 2025. The consultant’s responsibilities will include:

1. Development of a comprehensive country strategy on addressing obesogenic food environment. This may link to activities, including:
   1. Facilitate a consultative process with key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive country strategy on the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity. The strategy should be evidence-based, cost-effective, and sustainable, and take into account the local context, including cultural and social factors.
   2. Develop an implementation plan with clear milestones, indicators, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of the strategy.
   3. Provide technical support and guidance to key government partners and other stakeholders to build their capacity in the implementation of the strategy.
2. Supporting UNICEF’s institutional partner in preparing the development of a city-level food environment scorecard, ensuring the right direction and the alignment with the comprehensive strategy.
3. Supporting the upcoming city food forum in Asian Congress of Nutrition in September, including providing technical support in shaping the agenda, recommending and inviting key stakeholders, facilitating the event on site and summarizing key output of the event.
4. Developing a school-based monitoring framework with a set of proposed indicators and data-collecting methods, that may be able to track progress in the improvement of school nutrition food environment and behavior changes of school children.

Qualification

• Advanced degree in nutrition, public health, or a related field.
• A minimum of 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating nutrition programs, with a focus on the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity.
• Strong technical knowledge of evidence-based interventions for the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity, and their cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
• Proven experience in facilitating consultative processes with key stakeholders in the development of national nutrition strategies.
• Strong analytical and writing skills, with experience in developing high-quality reports and policy documents.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with a range of stakeholders, including government officials, donors, and civil society organizations.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of the local language(s) is an asset.
• Understanding of Chinese context or working experiences in China would be an asset.
• Experiences of working with UN agencies or other international organizations would be an asset.

Apply here

Deadline: 04 June 2023 China Standard Time