Country: Papua New Guinea
Closing date: 14 Feb 2017
UNICEF PNG Country Office Terms of Reference WASH TECHNICAL ADVISOR- Port Moresby- Papua New Guinea (with travel to the field)
Summary
Purpose
Support the National WASH Coordinator to manage progress towards key stages and milestones of policy implementation (20% of time)
& To conduct a capacity building needs assessment and propose recommendation for designing a Capacity Building plan in pursuit of supporting the implementation of "Strategy Seven of the National WASH Policy 2015-2030): Increase Sector Capacity Building and Training (80% of the time)
Level
P4
Expected fee
Location
Based at the WASH Programme Management Unit (PMU) of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring with Frequent travel to the Field
Duration
3 Months
Start Date
February 2017- May 2017
Reporting to
WASH Specialist UNICEF and the National WASH Coordinator – Programme Management Unit (PMU), Dept. of Planning and Monitoring; Gov. of PNG
Budget Code/Grant No No/WBS
WBS 6490/A0/02/005/02/035
Background
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest and most populated Pacific island nation. PNG is a lower middle-income country with a population of slightly over seven million people located in the Eastern Pacific. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse countries, with over 850 indigenous languages. With an annual growth rate of 2.3 per cent, the population is projected to reach 9 million by 2020. Over 86 per cent of the population, and 93 per cent of the country's poorest, live in remote rural areas. The dispersed small islands, mountainous terrain, and expensive air travel - the only link between the capital and provinces – pose infrastructural and cost challenges for the population and the government to improve access to services, adversely exacerbating existing disparities.
Each year access to water and sanitation services fails to keep pace with population increase. Low access to WASH is reflected in the health status of the nation. PNG currently ranks at the bottom of the Pacific countries for all WASH related health statistics[1].
PNG has seen virtually no progress on WASH between 1990 and 2012. Access to improved water in PNG increased slightly from 33% to 40%. Access to sanitation during the same period declined from 20% to 19% thus missing the MDG target. With stunting at 45%, one in every two children are stunted.
Lack of access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene practices is manifested in poor health outcome. Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) remains at 220[2]. At 63 per 1000 live births PNG has the highest Under 5 Mortality rate in the Pacific Region.[3] "There is critical need to accelerate progress on WASH to contribute to the reduction of the MMR and U5 mortality.
An analysis undertaken by UNICEF revealed Papua New Guinea tends to affect overall sub-regional weighted averages disproportionally due to its low water and sanitation coverage levels. With improved sanitation coverage at 19% and access to improved water coverage at 40%, PNG ranks significantly lower than the rest of the East Asia and Pacific region, world average, and the average of all other Pacific islands countries excluding Papua New Guinea. Water supply coverage in PNG is the lowest in the world.
Under such circumstances, in January 2015, the country's first National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Policy has been formulated to substantially improve access to water and sanitation services and to change hygiene behaviors, particularly in the currently underserved rural areas, schools, health facilities and peri-urban settlement areas.
The National WASH Policy has set target for universal coverage of water, sanitation and hygiene in schools and health facilities. It has set target of 70% coverage of improved water and sanitation in rural areas, 95% improved water supply and 85% improved sanitation coverage in urban areas.
The long term vision of the National WASH Policy is to create a National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Authority (NWSHA) to provide direction for planning, management, investments and activities for all sector stakeholders.
The National WASH Policy provides the strategic framework and a unique opportunity to substantially improve access to water and sanitation services and to change hygiene behaviour, particularly to the currently underserved rural and peri-urban settlement areas. It aims to provide direction for planning, management, investments and activities for all sector stakeholders in order to achieve the policy objectives. National ownership and strong coordination on WASH policy implementation are recognized as critical requirements to shift from Policy to Strategy, action plans and implementation on the ground.
The Policy identifies seven strategies to improve the delivery of WASH services:
Objectives
The objective of this assignment is to advise/guide and provide strategic support to the National WASH Policy Coordinator to lead the PMU and support the first stages of Policy implementation and to conduct a capacity building needs assessment and propose recommendation for designing a Capacity Building plan in pursuit of supporting the implementation of "Strategy Seven of the National WASH Policy 2015-2030): Increase Sector Capacity Building and Training. Through consultations with WASH sector partners, assess, analyse and determine the capacity needs and gaps in the WASH sector in Papua New Guinea covering the staffing, skills, logistics and equipment requirements of Government at the national, provincial and district levels primary focus and of NGOs, CSOs and the private sector.
Justification
PNG has the lowest improved water supply 40% and improved sanitation coverage 19% in the Asia Pacific Region. The disparity between urban and rural sector is high with only 33% of the rural population with access to improved water supply and 88% of urban population with access to an improved water supply. It is primarily because the WASH sector in PNG was an Orphan sector and rural sector was completely ignored. The sector in the past was highly fragmented with no specific authority charged with overall sector policy making, investment planning, budget allocation, programme coordination and progress monitoring.
Responsibilities were divided between State Owned Enterprises such as Water PNG and Eda Ranu, Department of Health, and many projects were implemented by unregulated service providers including development partners, NGOs, CSOs, Church groups and Government agencies with limited or no coordination. As a result planning and implementation has been largely haphazard, from ad hoc funding sources and with limited long term impact in terms of water and sanitation coverage and health, nutrition and education benefits.
Capacity on WASH sector in PNG is extremely low. There is no service delivery arrangement for WASH especially in Rural Areas, institutions such as schools and health centers and 69 other districts outside the jurisdiction of Water PNG and Eda Ranu. There is need of build capacity on WASH to strengthen institutional and human capacity to provide WASH services in support of national decentralization efforts. Thus there is need to assess WASH sector capacity needs to design a Capacity development plan to support service delivery at scale.
Specific Tasks
In consultation with WASH sector partners and in coordination with UNICEF WASH Specialist and the National WASH Coordinator, the Advisor/ consultant will be responsible for the following:
Methodologies
The Consultant must develop own tools and protocols. Some of the methodologies but 'not limited to' proposed are as below
Expected Deliverables
Institutional/Organizational Capacity
Human Capacity
Location
Activity and deliverables (underlined)
By When
POM
Desk work (literature review, distance interviews…)
20th Feb-10th March
Field work
Field Assessment discussions, Field visits, observations, questionnaires,
Assessment on
11th March-14th April
POM
Analysis and Drafting of the Capacity Needs Assessment Report
15thApril-30th April
POM
Validation Workshop among Key Stakeholders On Capacity Needs Assessment
2nd May
Home
Final Report on Capacity Needs Assessment
10th May
The payment will be made in two instalments, following the satisfactory delivery of the above-mentioned deliverables as agreed upon by mutual consensus between UNICEF and the consultant and after the supervisor's clearance.
[1] Institute for Sustainable Futures Papua New Guinea WASH sector brief
[2] WHO, UNICEF and World Bank- Trend in maternal mortality 1990-2013)
[3] http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/papuang_statistics.html
Expected background and Experience
General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics
How to apply:
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=502741