National Consultant: Coordination & Implementation Of The Global Alliance Plan To End Aids In C[...]

UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, health. The challenge: Thousands of children die from treatable and preventable conditions. Since 1995, South Africa has made substantial progress in transforming its health sector, making primary healthcare services available to millions who were previously denied access. Yet access to healthcare remains a challenge, with vital healthcare interventions not reaching the areas and people that need them.
The solution: UNICEF is committed to ensuring that every child survives and thrives. Our approach to South Africa's health challenge is three-fold:
contributing to the evidence-base for policy, advocacy and programming delivering innovative programmes with partners – especially in high-burden and low-performing districts supporting the Government to develop and implement policies and strategies to take vital action to scale How can you make a difference? It is more than four decades since the HIV epidemic was identified as the most devastating infectious disease across the globe, threatening economies, households, and lives of individuals. Since then, many countries have demonstrated that the HIV pandemic, like any disaster, can be overcome. As such, globally there is a notable decrease in new HIV and AIDS related deaths, bringing the AIDS response closer to achieving SDG 3.3 of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Despite the considerable progress made in overcoming this devastating epidemic, children living with HIV (CLHIV) aged 15 years and below are being left behind in the global HIV response when compared to the general population. Globally, only 52% of children that are living with HIV are accessing lifesaving treatment in comparison to 76% of the adult population. This backlog has resulted in 15% of children dying due to AIDS-related illnesses.
Although South Africa's treatment coverage is 96% among pregnant women living with HIV, the country still experiences an estimated 10,000 new vertical transmission cases, that arise from both perinatal and postnatal infections, including from seroconversions that happen among mothers post-delivery and during breastfeeding. The country has the largest population of children living with HIV globally, however, as of April 2024, only 82% of children under 15 living with HIV know their status, only 66% on treatment and only 69% of those on treatment are virally suppressed (82-66-69). To achieve 95-95-95 targets, the number of children living with HIV must be addressed.
Stigma, discrimination, punitive laws and policies, violence, and gender inequalities remain the barriers that hinder access to treatment care and support for women, adolescents, and children. Developing countries in Southern and Eastern Africa are most affected by these inequities.
The Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030 Responding to these glaring inequities in the global HIV response for children, the UN agencies including UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, international partners like PEPFAR, Global Fund, country governments as well as civil society announced the establishment of The Global Alliance (GA) to end AIDS in children by 2030. The proclamation was made at the 24th International AIDS Conference held in Montreal, Canada in 2022. South Africa was counted among the twelve countries that joined the alliance.
The work of the Global Alliance is anchored on four pillars that countries need to address by developing country specific interventions. The twelve inaugural member states urged all governments to turn these commitments into action and call on civil society, faith-based organizations, local partners, and global funders to support these efforts. South Africa is among the member states that has pledged its commitment to end AIDS in children by 2030. This will be achieved by:
Strengthening case finding among HIV exposed infants and children. Scaling up initiation of dolutegravir based regimen to pregnant and breastfeeding women as per revised guidelines. Strengthening regular retesting of pregnant and breastfeeding women. Scaling up access to social protection (social grants, nutritional support, early childhood development) for eligible children, adolescents and women living with HIV and key and priority populations for improved access to HIV treatment and services. Addressing gender-based violence and femicide, sexual assault and abuse. To realise the goals of ending AIDS in children by 2030, led by SANAC through the National Technical Working Group, a high-level plan has been developed, and the TWG is in the process of developing a Global Alliance dashboard that aligns to the monitoring and evaluation framework. In addition, the National Technical Working Group has been meeting with provinces to present the Global Alliance plan and support them to develop provincial plans.
UNICEF has recognised that implementation mainly occurs at a district level and therefore will support the districts to focus and prioritise interventions to improve HIV outcomes for children including elimination of vertical transmission. The activity contributes to the UNICEF South African Country Office (SACO) Health and Nutrition Section 2023-2025 Rolling work plan and aligns to the Provincial and District level support to strengthen implementation of the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV, Pediatric HIV and tuberculosis program.
PURPOSE The purpose of the vacancy announcement is to seek the services of a consultant to oversee the coordination and the implementation of the Global Alliance plan to end AIDS in children in South Africa in 5 districts (City of Johannesburg, Ehlanzeni, Tshwane, eKhurhuleni, Nelson Mandela). These are the districts with the highest number of women and children living with HIV.
The consultant will directly report to the HIV Manager within the UNICEF SACO and indirectly report to the districts, and with feedback and presentations to the global alliance national technical working group, where necessary.
SCOPE OF WORK The consultancy will directly contribute to the annual work plan activity: To support the development and implementation of the global alliance plan in nine (9) provinces. In this regard, the objectives are to:
Support and coordinate the institutionalisation of Global Alliance to end AIDS at sub-national levels. Support coordination of implementation of the Global Alliance plan and contextualisation in the five (5) districts. Facilitate identification, implementation and tracking of implementation in collaboration and in alignment with ongoing initiatives. Facilitate the use of Quality Improvement (QI) methodologies to improve implementation of the vertical transmission program and paediatric HIV services. Activities and tasks Execute a project management role, including but not limited to the five (5) districts as well as to provide strategic specialist expertise and guidance on coordination of the multi-sectoral approach. Implement provincial/district project plan in line with the country plan. Update and track the alliance plan, compile and present project reports and dashboards periodically and as needed. Use data to identify keys gaps in paediatric and adolescent HIV care and the vertical transmission program- priorities at least four (4) gaps that could be addressed to improve the program. Provide support to outline key interventions that are to be implemented by the districts and partners to address the gaps and continuously monitor implementation including attainment of district targets. Maintain a GA Country team/Provincial Team database, ensuring that stakeholder information is up to date. Participate and provide technical support in Global Alliance Provincial Technical Working Group. Work closely with the country/provincial team and technical working group to develop and implement a learning agenda that promotes learning and adaption of approaches and activities for scaling up. Participate in monthly update calls with UNICEF to update progress and upcoming activities. Outputs and deliverables Inception report meeting and a workplan with timelines. Districts (5) consultation report and plans aligned to the global alliance, with priority actions, indicators and baselines included. Quarterly districts reports outlining and updating the district quality improvement plans, in terms of implementation of key activities, bottlenecks and the next steps (for the 5 districts). Bi-weekly to monthly update meetings UNICEF held. Quarterly feedback meeting with the national global alliance team held and district implementation and progress presented. This consultancy is for 12 months.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… An advanced university degree (Master's or higher) in social sciences/ public health. A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience at national and international levels, including experience and expertise in HIV, vertical transmission program and/or pediatric HIV. Prior experience project management, monitoring and tracking results. Multi stakeholder and partner coordination. Experience working with the UN and DOH an asset. Technical experience in: coordination of partners quality improvement using data to identify and track implementation Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset. Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a local language is an asset. For every Child, you demonstrate… UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
UNICEF is here to serve the world's most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants.
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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Remarks: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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