CHAI, on behalf of Unitaid is seeking a consultant to develop the “Executive Summary” for the Global Oxygen Alliance’s (GO2AL) Strategic Plan and Budget for 2024-2026 by the end of August 2023 before the UN General Assembly.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread oxygen shortages across Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As part of the pandemic response, the Access to Covid Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) partnership, launched by the World Health Organization, established the ACT-A Oxygen Emergency Taskforce in February 2021 to coordinate and advocate for increased access to oxygen supplies. The Taskforce, co-led by Unitaid and Wellcome, made significant progress in securing oxygen access for LMICs, including raising over US$ 1 billion ($600m through The Global Fund) to support procurement and delivery of oxygen systems, market shaping to improve oxygen affordability and accelerated supplies and technical cooperation on the development, and financing and implementation of national oxygen response plans.

As the world transitions from the acute phase of the pandemic and prepares for future threats, the ACT-A-Oxygen Emergency Taskforce evolved into the Global Oxygen Alliance (GO2AL) – a broader and more inclusive partnership which was formally launched at the World Health Assembly Side-Event “Increasing Accessing to Medical Oxygen” on 24 May 2023. With this transition, GO2AL aims to convert the investments made during the pandemic into lives saved and to continue the critical work of the previous Taskforce, including financing to expand production, lowering the price of oxygen and providing technical support to governments.

In addition, GO2AL will take a more inclusive and planned approach which will emphasize the importance of assessing oxygen and oxygen systems needs at the country, regional and global levels through key partner engagement, particularly with countries, civil society and communities, to facilitate bottom-up planning and programming. Moreover, GO2AL will strongly position and advocate for sustainable oxygen systems as an essential building block for health system strengthening, universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness and response.

GO2AL is co-chaired by Unitaid and The Global Fund, and vice-chaired by the Pan America Health Organization and the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Its mission is to ensure that high-quality medical oxygen is available, affordable, and equitably accessible in low- and middle-income countries. GO2AL strives to achieve this by coordinating on investment consolidation and sustainability; procurement, supply, and market shaping; country mapping and planning; and advocacy, and demand generation; with a focus in LMICs.

Under the guidance of GO2AL’s Co-Chairs and Vice-Chairs and Secretariat, the consultant will develop the “Executive Summary” of GO2AL’s Strategic Plan and Budget 2024-2026. The Executive Summary will be used internally (to guide GO2AL’s direction, priorities, implementation, resource mobilization and monitoring) and externally (to communicate GO2AL’s mission and objectives and amplify its visibility). The Executive Summary will also be used for the development of GO2AL’s “Strategic Plan and Budget 2024-2026” which should be developed by early 2024, when more data/information is expected to be available to inform the plan and particularly the budget in more detail. The GO2AL “Budget” will be developed using a bottom-up approach – ideally aggregating country level data to understand availability and needs at the regional and global levels – to determine oxygen systems and financing availability and needs, as well as its gaps or unmet needs.

NOTE: The Consultant will work remotely but be available during at least 3 working hours of the 9:00-17:00 CET time zone. There is no travel required for this consultancy. Please submit estimated budget with CV upload.

The main deliverable is to develop the “Executive Summary” for GO2AL’s Strategic Plan and Budget for 2024-2026 by the end of August 2023 before the UN General Assembly.

The deliverables

• The Executive Summary may include the following sections/information: GO2AL’s background (context, history as the ACT-A Oxygen Emergency Taskforce, achievements, transitional shifts), mission and objectives, strategic principles and framework, theory of change, value proposition/comparative advantage, functions and operational priorities, and the results and impact it hopes to achieve.
• The Executive Summary may discuss that a Strategic Plan and Budget will be developed, including high-level financing or Budget information if data is available/appropriate, but will not need to include the Budget.
• GO2AL’s Executive Summary and ultimately its Strategic Plan and Budget should be aligned with the World Health Assembly’s Resolution 76.3 on Increasing Access to Medical Oxygen adopted by WHO’s 194 Member States on 26 May 2023 as well as the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security Announcing the Lancet Global Health Commission on medical oxygen security – The Lancet Global Health
• The Consultant will be responsible for providing the final Executive Summary in Word format including relevant figures, tables and graphics.

The Method/Process:

• The Consultant will conduct scoping, secondary data collection/analysis, literature searches, technical leadership, analysis and inputs as need for the drafts. Where appropriate, Secretariat will provide access to key GO2AL related documents and connections to key stakeholders for inputs/feedback to support the Consultants scoping and analysis process.
• The Consultant will participate in introductory and weekly meetings with the GO2AL Secretariat to familiarize with GO2AL and develop/present a simple work plan.
• The Consultant will facilitate discussions/collaboration as needed with GO2AL’s Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs and Secretariat as well as by gathering inputs/feedback from key members on the Executive Summary drafts.
• Ideally, a draft version one and version two will be produced as per the recommended timeline to ensure there are two rounds of draft circulation to key stakeholders/partners for feedback before the Executive Summary is finalized.
• The Consultant will deliver a presentation on the Executive Summary during an exit meeting.

Estimated Timeline for Deliverables
It is expected that this assignment will take approximately 4-6 weeks with deliverables to be submitted on the following indicative dates (to be confirmed during the introductory meetings):

Inception:

• • Introductory meetings By 21 July 2023

Execution:

• • First Draft circulated for feedback By 4 August 2023
  • Second Draft circulated for feedback By 18 August 2023
  • Final Executive Summary in Word Format By 25 August 2023

Closing:

• • Exit meeting and presentation on the final product By 1 September 2023

Desired Qualifications:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in public health, public or business administration, public policy, international development, or related studies.

Desired Experience:

• At least 15 years of experience at the national and international levels, in public health, business administration, development or related studies with a focus on developing strategies or project design for interventions in global health.
• At least 2 years of work experience related to increasing access to medical oxygen in LMICs.
• Proven experience in leading the development of strategy or strategic plans.
• Prior experience working with UN agencies, international organizations or recognized humanitarian/NGO/CSO organizations, including at country level.
• Experience in market shaping/market-based interventions, financial/budget analysis, supply chain, demand generation of health products, or health products analysis is desired.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and/or diagnostics industry is desired.

Skills and Knowledge Required:

• Strong knowledge of the access to medical oxygen landscape or issues are required
• Excellent writing and communications skills
• Excellent strategic planning and analytical skills
• Excellent and fluent language skills in English. Fluency in French is desired.