Health Security and Covid-19 Policy Research

at The African Constituency Bureau to the Global Fund
Location Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Date Posted August 8, 2020
Category Business Development
Facility Management
Job Type Full-time
Currency ETB

Description

About thE AFRICAN CONSTITUENCY BUREAU FOR THE GLOBAL FUND (ACB)

The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) has two constituencies representing Africa namely the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) and West and Central Africa (WCA) constituencies. The two constituencies took a joined-up approach in 2012 with a twofold intent: to ensure that constituency priorities are reflected in Global Fund strategy and operational plans; and to strengthen the presence, voice and contributions of the constituencies, through their delegations, in all Global Fund governance deliberations and processes. The constituencies adopted a new governance framework that amongst other things, established a joint ESA and WCA Bureau – the African Constituencies Bureau, ACB – a policy think tank that support ESA and WCA Global Fund board members, committee members and delegations. Its primary functions include ensuring effective engagement, representation and participation of African constituencies in Global Fund processes. It also seeks to enhance the capacity of the African constituencies to shape Global Fund policies and processes. The constituencies comprise a total of 47 countries.

The ACB, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ensures effective engagement, representation and participation of African Constituencies, ESA and WCA, in Global Fund Board processes.

Background to this opportunity

The Global Fund, the biggest multi-lateral mechanism, is at the centre of the global community’s efforts to end AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030. The fund is in the process of developing its post-2022 strategic plan. There is so much at stake for this plan given it will be the last before the 2030 goal of ending the three epidemics. It cannot be business as usual and the margin for error is therefore extremely limited.

Africa bears the biggest share of the global burden of malaria and HIV and a considerable burden of TB. As the epicenter of the epidemics, it is critical that the continent is at the forefront of developing evidence-based interventions that will turn the tide of these epidemics and engage in discussions on the Global Fund’s next strategy. This will be a huge demonstration of the continent’s ownership of global strategies towards ending the three epidemics in 2030.

WHO define health security as an approach that is concerned with both proactive and reactive activities to minimize the danger and impact of acute public health events across geographical regions and international boundaries. Central to the definition is the ability of a nation to secure sufficient, affordable, and consistent healthcare supplies for its requirements. Supplies cover drugs, devices and non-pharmaceutical products required to meet healthcare needs, irrespective of the demand.

Creation of resilient and sustainable systems for health (RSSH) in global health, and Africa in particular, is an important precursor not just to ending the HIV, TB and malaria epidemics but also to the realization of universal health coverage for all in 2030. With the advent of emerging diseases, and quite recently, the infectious coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is disrupting people’s health and causing social and economic sufferings, it cannot be business as usual.

WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on the 11 March 2020. By July 23 2020, over 15 million cases were reported globally with about 620,000 deaths. In Africa, a total of 46 countries in Africa had officially reported over 643,000 cases and just under 11,000 deaths. Various models by WHO, UNAIDS, Stop TB and London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine were unanimous in suggesting a return to pre-2004 morbidities and mortality for HIV, TB and malaria due to disruptions in access to and provision of services. Concerns of significant economic upheavals have also been voiced by the World Bank, the IMF, the AfDB, etc. with negative growth and economic outlooks expected, particularly among lower income countries that are also mostly affected by the three epidemics.

Similar analysis can be said of other health security issues arising from natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, droughts, etc. A focus on health security by the Global Fund is therefore an imperative.

The Catalytic Framework to End AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030 provides for the need to ensure resources are available and invested in areas where the disease burden is highest. The impact of COVID-19 in the context of the three biggest diseases on the continent cannot be ignored. Policy research on health security becomes an important activity to identify public health threats and close gaps through preparedness toward a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats.

As can be seen from the foregoing, addressing the threat of health security in general and Covid-19 in particular is therefore an important priority for Africa if the region is to end the epidemics or achieve UHC by 2030. The ACB is therefore seeking to hire a consultant who will support the organization to conduct a deep dive into RSSH in Africa and provide evidence-informed guidance on how the region can be more strategic in these areas.

Scope of work:

Below is the expected scope of work under this assignment:

  • The consultant is expected to undertake a desk review of the latest available evidence on countries faced with displacement, fragility and instability (COEs) and implications of this phenomena on delivery of HIV, TB and malaria programmes. The consultant must review applicable literature from peer-reviewed and published articles, normative evidence and guidance from leading technical organizations and policy and research think tanks, evaluations and reviews such as the Global Fund, technical organizations like the World Bank, WHO, UNHCR, etc. and other organizations such as the African Union. The consultant will be expected to share these resources for the ACB’s intranet which countries can access to further their work around COEs.
  • An in-depth mapping of countries affected by displacement, fragility and instability in Africa detailing the key trends, the progress and gains being made to meet objectives against HIV, TB & malaria, what’s working and what’s not working, remaining gaps and bottlenecks, best practices, enablers and the opportunities for streamlining HIV, TB and malaria programming in these regions;
  • Identify key global and African commitments relevant to displacement, fragility and instability;
  • Identify, review, analyze and compare applicable policies (similar to the Global Fund’s COE policy) from relevant organizations working in environments fraught with displacement, fragility and instability;
  • Where possible, the consultant shall be expected to interview and engage with key stakeholders to probe for, and validate, research findings. This shall include participating in the planned Constituency engagement sessions being organized by the ACB to identify the continent’s priority health issues and interventions, as part of a process to provide input to the next strategy for the Global Fund; and
  • Make evidence-informed recommendations on how Africa can maximize investments towards ending Malaria, TB and AIDS in regions affected by displacement, fragility and instability. The recommendations must address strategies, gaps, opportunities, enablers and actions needed to be taken by the Global Fund in its post-2022 strategy to streamline implementation of HIV, TB and malaria programs.

Deliverables:

  • Under this assignment, the consultant is expected to deliver the following deliverables:
  • Provide an inception report detaining how the work will be conducted. This should be provided one week after signing the contract.
  • A draft report detailing priority issues identified as strategic to Africa towards the next Global Fund strategy, the key findings and recommendations in word format.
  • A final report, no more than 50 pages[1], and making use of annexes, detailing the key findings, including:
  • A 3-paged Executive Summary of the research providing a synopsis of the key findings and recommendations;
  • Document some best practices globally and in Africa in particular
  •  Recommendations relevant for African countries towards integrating climate change and environment thinking as part of efforts to end the three epidemics by 2030. The recommendations
  • A PowerPoint presentation detailing the key findings and recommendations of the desk review.

Terms of the appointment:

The successful consultant will be expected to complete this assignment within 30 calendar days and should be willing and available to participate in a dissemination meeting with various stakeholders, including countries, technical partners and funders.

Job Requirements

Qualifications:

  • An advanced university degree in health policy, public policy, public health, climate change, environmental health, epidemiology, social sciences, or infectious diseases.
  • A PhD in a relevant field will be an added advantage.

Experience:

  • Preferred: a climate change and health subject matter expert with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, including program design and implementation, research and policy development in Africa.
  • Experience with undertaking evaluations of climate change and environment and/or health programs in Africa;
  • Proven experience in conducting qualitative assessments including policy analysis;
  • Experience with publishing peer-reviewed scholarly articles, including on various aspects of climate change and health;
  • Experience with disseminating research findings and making conference presentations with relevant stakeholders; and
  • Good presentation skills.

Applying Instructions

Interested consultants are requested to submit a technical and financial proposal for undertaking this 30-day desk review.

Proposal for this Consultancy should be directed to Info Mind Solutions acb@zebrajobs.com on or before August 30th 2020

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
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