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Contract Duration: 4 Months

Working arrangement: HomeBased

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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.

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

For every child, the right to sustenance.

How can you make a difference?

Lao PDR continues to face high burden of child undernutrition, particularly during the critical first 1,000 days of life. Despite progress over the past decade, malnutrition remains a leading underlying factor contributing to child morbidity, mortality and poor cognitive development.

The Lao Social Indicator Survey III (LSIS III, 2023) highlights persistent gaps in infant and young child feeding practices in Lao PDR. Nationally, 42 per cent of newborns are breastfed within one hour of birth, and 45 per cent of infants aged 0–5 months are exclusively breastfed. Continued breastfeeding declines sharply, with only 36 per cent of children aged 12–23 months still receiving breastmilk.

Complementary feeding practices remain particularly weak: among children aged 6–23 months, only 49 per cent meet minimum meal frequency, 44 per cent achieve minimum dietary diversity, and just 32 per cent receive a minimum acceptable diet that meets both diversity and frequency standards. Marked disparities persist by geography, ethnicity, maternal education and household wealth, with children in rural and ethnic minority communities consistently less likely to meet recommended IYCF practices.

These findings underscore the need to update and strengthen national Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) guidelines to improve the quality, consistency and equity of nutrition counselling and service delivery across Lao PDR.

The Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (GoL), through the Ministry of Health (MoH), has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving nutrition outcomes through key policy frameworks, including the National Nutrition Policy (2008), the National Nutrition Strategy (NNS), and the National Plan of Action on Nutrition (NPAN).

MIYCN guidance in Lao PDR has traditionally been incorporated within broader policies, strategies, and operational tools rather than consolidated in a single, comprehensive guideline. Existing Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) guidance, developed in 2012, requires updating to reflect the latest WHO and UNICEF recommendations, emerging global evidence, and the current national policy and programme context.

The 2020 Micronutrient Supplementation and Deworming Guidelines also require revision following the recent introduction of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women. At present, Lao PDR does not have dedicated national maternal nutrition guidelines.

Recent policy reviews and programme assessments have identified gaps in the dissemination, operationalization, and implementation of recommended IYCF practices, particularly at subnational levels. These analyses have also highlighted the need for updated, practical, and context-specific guidance to strengthen the capacity of health workers, programme managers, and implementing partners to deliver an integrated package of Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition services.

Such guidance should be aligned with global standards and national priorities and support delivery through key service platforms, including antenatal care (ANC) services and Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) platforms, commonly referred to as "Well Child Clinic."

In response to these needs, UNICEF seeks to engage a qualified consultant to support MOH in the development of National Maternal Nutrition Guidelines and the revision and updating of the Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Guidelines for Lao PDR, ensuring alignment with current evidence, international recommendations, and national programme priorities.

Scope of Work:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical leadership and coordination for the development of two interconnected national guidelines for Lao PDR: the Maternal Nutrition Guidelines and the Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Guidelines. The consultant will ensure that both guidelines are aligned with the latest WHO and UNICEF recommendations, reflect current national policies, strategies, and evidence, and are adapted to the Lao context, including its ethnic, geographic, and socio-cultural diversity.

The updated guidelines will provide clear, practical, and actionable guidance for the delivery of integrated nutrition services at facility, community, and outreach levels. They will also strengthen linkages with multisectoral nutrition actions and existing health system platforms.

Under the overall supervision of the UNICEF Lao PDR Nutrition Specialist and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion (DHHP), Nutrition Centre, and other relevant departments), the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

1 - Desk Review and Situation Analysis

• Review relevant national policies, strategies, guidelines, and operational tools related to maternal, infant, and young child nutrition, including micronutrient supplementation, deworming, antenatal care (ANC), and other related areas.

• Review key evidence and policy documents, including national surveys, recent nutrition policy briefs, programme assessments, and nutrition policy landscape analyses.

• Review relevant global normative guidance and recommendations related to maternal nutrition, infant and young child feeding, and micronutrient interventions.

• Prepare a concise gap analysis identifying priority areas, content gaps, and recommendations to inform the development and revision of the guidelines.

2 - Drafting the National Guidelines

• Collaborate closely with the national guideline development task force established by the Ministry of Health and gather inputs from relevant technical stakeholders.

• Develop draft Maternal Nutrition Guidelines and revise the existing IYCN Guidelines, incorporating current evidence and global recommendations.

• Ensure the guidelines address, at a minimum:

o Preconception nutrition;

o Nutrition during pregnancy and the postpartum period;

o Breastfeeding and infant feeding practices;

o Complementary feeding;

o Micronutrient supplementation and deworming;

o Nutritional assessment and growth monitoring;

o Social and behaviour change communication (SBCC);

o Nutrition in emergencies; and

o Equity and inclusion considerations.

• Ensure consistency with national terminology, health system structures, and service delivery approaches.

• Ensure alignment with existing health, nutrition, RMNCAH, and multisectoral nutrition strategies, guidelines, and service delivery platforms.

3 - Validation and Finalization of the National Guidelines

• Facilitate technical consultations and stakeholder review processes involving relevant MoH departments, UNICEF, WHO, development partners, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and implementing partners.

• Present draft guidelines and facilitate discussions during technical review meetings and validation workshops.

• Incorporate feedback received through consultations and validation processes.

• Finalize the Maternal Nutrition Guidelines and revised IYCN Guidelines in English.

• Prepare and submit final guideline documents, together with a summary of stakeholder feedback and key revisions made, to UNICEF and the Ministry of Health.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Download File Terms of Reference TMC0007284.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

▪ Advanced university degree in nutrition, public health, medicine, or a related field

Work Experience:

▪ At least 10 years of professional experience in maternal, infant and young child nutrition, including guideline development or revision;

▪ Demonstrated experience working with governments and UN agencies, preferably in Southeast Asia or similar contexts;

▪ Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;

Language Requirements:

▪ Excellent English skills, Lao language desirable

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

▪ Strong knowledge of WHO/UNICEF MIYCN guidance;

▪ Proven facilitation, writing, and coordination skills;

▪ Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;

▪ Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and have the initiative to work independently to meet deadlines

▪ Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision

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

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal TMC0007284.docx

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

International Consultant to develop the National MIYCN guidelines,Vientiane, Lao, Remotely with travel, 4 Months (Open for International Candidates Only) Req#596622