Consultant – Stakeholder Engagement For Chronic Respiratory Diseases -

Purpose of consultancy
To provide technical guidance to the NCD Management (MND) unit in developing a vibrant community engagement platform for chronic respiratory diseases on the WHO Knowledge Action Portal on NCDs.
To facilitate the meaningful engagement of people living with asthma and COPD, focusing on low-and middle-income countries. 
Background  

• The WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (2013-2030) was adopted by the sixty-sixth World Health Assembly in 2013 and included the target of a 25% relative reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025. These NCDs include cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Subsequently, in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Heads of State and Government made a commitment in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.4 By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from NCDs, through prevention and treatment and the promote mental health and well-being.
• Asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) are the two main chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs): effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of asthma and COPD are essential to reduce the global burden of deaths and suffering, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). COPD is the third leading cause of death globally. In 2019, 3.2 million people died from COPD, while 0.5 million people died from asthma. The Global Burden of Disease Survey 2019 estimates that 262 million (224-309) people are affected by asthma, and 212 million (200-225) by COPD.
• The Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) is a voluntary alliance of national and international organizations, institutions and agencies committed to the vision of a world where all people breathe freely. The overarching goal of GARD is to reduce the global burden of chronic respiratory diseases, focusing on LMICs. We are currently developing a GARD community on the WHO NCD Knowledge Action Portal on NCDs, due to launch end March 2023, to facilitate sharing of resources and to promote networking.
• Meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs is a priority area for WHO. To date however, there has been insufficient inclusion of people living with asthma and COPD. We would like to better understand the challenges and opportunities to improve the prevention and control of CRDs, particularly focusing on LMICs.

Deliverables

• Output 1: Develop, promote, and monitor GARD community on WHO NCD Knowledge Action Portal.
• Deliverable 1.1: Interim report on GARD community.
• Structure for data capture, interim analysis. 
• Expected by: 1 November 2023 
• Deliverable 1.2: Report on the first year of the GARD community.
• To be shared with the GARD steering group. 
• To include analysis of uploaded resources.
• Expected by: 1 April 2024 
• Output 2: Stakeholder mapping of organizations for people living with asthma and COPD in LMIC.
• Deliverable 2.1: Stakeholder mapping of organizations for people living with asthma and COPD in LMICs – progress report.
• Draft report structure, planned methodology, progress to date. 
• Expected by: 1 August 2023 
• Deliverable 2.2: Stakeholder mapping of organizations for people living with asthma and COPD in LMICs – final report.
• Data to be collected through survey to global respiratory organizations and subsequent snowballing.
• Expected by: 1 February 2024

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• Advanced University degree in Medicine or Public Health. 

Desirable:

• PhD in area related to clinical medicine, public health.

Experience

Essential:

• At least 5 years relevant working experience in respiratory medicine.
• Experience of providing respiratory care in a LMIC.
• Experience working with global professional respiratory networks.
• Experience in data collection and analysis using online tool.

Skills/Knowledge:

Essential:

• Expertise in chronic respiratory disease prevention and management.
• Excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills, including working with partners with a variety of cultural backgrounds and meaningful engagement of people living with chronic respiratory conditions.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to tailor messages to the intended audience.
• Excellent IT skills: Microsoft Office, including Excel, and data collection tools.

Languages required:

Essential:  

• Expert knowledge of English.

Location 

• Off-site – Home based.