National Industry Consultation Meeting Consultant at UNICEF

Job Number: 515686 | Vacancy Link
Location: Abuja
Work Type : Consultancy
Contract duration: 30 working days with 3 months period.

Detailed Description
The purpose of this consultancy is to support the strengthening and scale-up of Sanitation and Hygiene (S&H) programs in West and Central Africa as an integral part of operationalising the Key Results for Children (KRC) Initiative, programmatic approach 4: Build sustainable markets for sanitation services and products.  This will be achieved through provision of support for the Industry Consultation meeting to be held in Abuja from 13 to 15 November 2019. The specific objectives of the consultancy will be to support pre-meeting preparations specifically logistics, meeting logistics, and post-meeting reporting.

According to the 25 years progress on sanitation and drinking water report (2015 Update and MDG Assessment), only one country in West and Central Africa met its MDG target for sanitation, 3 made significant progress and 19 made limited or no progress. WCA is the only region with an increasing number of open defecators, the increase in access to sanitation has not kept up with population growth. As of 2015, 122 million people practiced open defecation (OD) in WCAR, and only 37% of the urban population and 18.7% of the rural population used a basic sanitation service (improved toilet). WCAR accounts for 14% of the global rate of OD, including Nigeria ranking 2nd in the world with 46.5 million people practicing OD. Inequities also persist, with OD rates higher in rural areas and among the poorest.

Since 2008, sanitation demand creation through CLTS/CATS has been implemented in WCAR, resulting in almost 25 million people living in open defecation free (ODF) communities by 2017. Despite recent successes, the current rate of progress is insufficient to eliminate OD by 2030, and the sustainability of results needs to be improved to avoid slippage (reversion to defecating in the open). While UNICEF will continue to rely on proven strategies such as demand creation and systems strengthening (enabling environment), new accelerators are needed to support governments to deliver sustainable sanitation services at scale.

In the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan, UNICEF aims to support 250 million people to stop open defecation and gain access to at least basic sanitation through demand creation, building sustainable markets and strengthening government systems and capacity – enabling governments to deliver sustainable services at scale. UNICEF's overall objective for sanitation is to contribute directly and indirectly to the progressive elimination of OD and reaching universal access to basic sanitation by 2030 in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goal 6.2. At AfricanSan 4, the African Ministers responsible for Sanitation and Hygiene articulated a similar vision and commitment in the N'Gor Declaration on Sanitation and Hygiene. Together these commitments create a favourable environment for sanitation that should be leveraged.

To ensure the elimination of OD and universal access to basic sanitation in the region, the access and the usage of the people currently using basic sanitation (150 million) needs to be sustained and the newly created social norms need to be reinforced and evolve from community social norms to nationally recognized social norms. Following the rise in demand for toilets through CLTS/CATS, UNICEF will work with governments to build supportive environments and regulatory frameworks to enhance the engagement of the private sector to provide adequate and affordable sanitation services, including in isolated rural areas which are often underserved. Given that many markets for sanitation goods and services in low-income countries are very weak and poorly developed, there is a need for governments and development partners to work together to influence and shape markets to ensure that they are healthy. From an equity perspective it is also important that markets are inclusive and reach all potential customers, including those at the bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) and that households desires to benefit from improved sanitation are met.

Building sustainable markets for water, sanitation and hygiene is one of the key programming approaches adopted in the UNICEF global WASH strategy (2016-2030). This was also included as a key programming approach in Key Results for Children (KRC) # 8: ending open defecation with the following outcome and output targets:

• A By 2021, the proportion of the WCAR population practicing open defecation will reduce from 25.4% (122m) to 15.6% (88m).
• 16 million additional people living in certified open defecation free communities as a result of UNICEF direct support.

It is in this context that UNICEF is convening the West and Central Africa regional Industry Consultation in Abuja, Nigeria from 13 to 15 November 2018, in partnership with the Supply Division in Copenhagen. Industry consultation is a key market shaping tool in UNICEF's global Sanitation Market Shaping Strategy, led by the Supply Division in Copenhagen.

This tool is where UNICEF country offices use their convening power to facilitate industry consultations or market forums at which private companies, government officials and development partners are invited to share information, communicate perspectives and identify strategic steps to strengthen the regional market for sanitation products and services. The meeting will also build on and share the findings from an ongoing Sanitation Market Analysis in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria, that is being led by the Supply Division in Copenhagen.

The results of this industry consultation will be used to further develop the sanitation market-shaping initiatives in the West and Central Africa Region in order to contribute to KRC#8.

Output/deliverables
OUPUT 1. Conduct logistical preparations prior to the meeting - Conduct all necessary preparations for Industry Consultation in Abuja, including (but not limited to):

• Venue selection and confirmation, including site visits and negotiations with venue for conference/workshop package that include: adequate meeting space, functional internet:
  • Services, presentation equipment (microphone, projection facilities, speaker, etc.), snacks, lunches, and water for participants, stationery, name badges, etc.
  • Selection and contracting of translators for the meeting (English <> French, and potentially English <> Portuguese)
  • Sending invitations to participants and tracking attendance confirmation
  • Provision of support to participants for visa processes, including processing of visa application letters, and following up with the necessary authorities in Nigeria for visa approvals as needed
  • Procurement of items necessary for the meeting, as deemed by the supervisors (e.g. meeting packages, name badges, USB drives, etc.)
  • Printing and packaging of any preparatory materials for the meeting (with support from the supervisors)
  • Liaise and work with WCARO WASH Programme Associate during her preparatory visit for the event

OUPUT 2. Oversee and manage meeting logistics during 3-day event:

• Conduct all necessary logistical arrangements during the 3-day meeting, with support from the WCARO Programme Associate as the French-speaking support staff, including (but not limited to):
  • Checking that all necessary arrangements for the meeting room have been met by the venue (see output 1 for details) on the days of the event
  • Participant registration over the 3-day meeting (and tracking participation via attendance sheets)
  • Troubleshooting the event logistics as needed
  • Answering participant questions regarding the hotel and other event logistics
  • Collection of presentations and loading them on USB sticks, for distribution to participants at the end of the meeting

OUPUT 3. Support report writing and closure of the meeting event:

• Conduct all necessary arrangements to finalise and close the event, including (but not limited to):
  • Support with report writing
  • Ensuring that all payments and invoices for the meeting are closed
  • Consolidating any workshop outputs (e.g. reports and other documents shared) and sending to supervisors, for dissemination to participants as part of the final report

Profile Requirements

• An advanced degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Water and Sanitation Field, Public Health or related field;
• Fluent in English and French
• At least 5 years experience supporting events management, coordination with suppliers and participants, and overall event logistics;
• Have developed or participated in the development of post-workshop or event reports;
• Already established connections with private sector actor in the West and Central Africa region is preferable;
• Prior experience working with non-governmental or UN organisations is desirable;