Result of Service

To develop Continental Guidelines on the Systematic Collection of Data on Migrants’ Health in Africa to implement result area #5 of the project mentioned above.

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

7 months

Duties and Responsibilities

I: BACKGROUND
The Migration Policy Framework for Africa and Plan of Action (2018 – 2030) (MPFA) of the African Union (AU) acknowledges the links between migration and health concerns, which in recent years have been brought to the fore in the international discourse on migration and the spread of communicable diseases, notably the pandemics – Avian Influenza, HIV, tuberculosis, Ebola, and COVID-19. To this end, the MPFA prioritizes Migration and Health as one of its cross-cutting issues and recommends for the development of strategies for screening and treatment at entry points/border posts, development of strategies to respond to major epidemics in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR), and strengthening research, data collection and cooperation on migration and health between countries.
The AUC, in line with the MPFA, and in a bid to operationalize the Migration and Health thematic area on the Continent, in 2020 launched the Migration and Health Initiative. The initiative would be informed by a study “Migration and Health: Addressing Current Health Challenges of Migrants and Refugees in Africa – from Policy to Practice”, which the AUC commissioned in June 2020. The purpose of the study was to enhance the AUC’s understanding of existing migration and health policy frameworks, their implementation, and barriers to implementation. It also aimed at supporting the AUC in guiding its Member States and RECs to achieve greater coherence between migration and health in policy and in practice. Thus, the study would enable the AUC to identify its niche in the migration and health programming area.
Based on its findings, the study among others recommended the need to improve data collection on migrants’ health. The study identified the need for the AUC to develop Continental guidelines on the systematic collection of data on migrants’ health using common indicators, collection tools, and methodologies. In line with the above recommendation, the AUC is desirous of going a step further in operationalizing its Migration and Health Programme. In this regard, the AUC wishes to develop Continental guidelines for the collection of data on migrants’ health in Africa. The activities will be supported under the joint AUC/UNECA project International Migration in Africa: Shaping a Positive Narrative and Removing Barriers to Mobility.
The project’s objective is implemented through several interventions led by ECA that depend on close collaboration between the African Union Commission (AUC), and UNECA, in cooperation with Regional Economic Communities (RECs), AU Member States, and relevant stakeholders such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization on Migration (IOM). The joint project, leveraging on each institution’s strength focuses on 6 areas, namely:
i. Promoting Economic Empowerment of Migrant Women: Identifying and supporting migrant women’s engagement in economic activities.
ii. Towards improving migration statistics and “Good Legal Identity” of migrants in the East and Horn of Africa
iii. Support to the AU Technical Assistance Facility on Migration Governance with 2 technical experts
iv. Support to Combating Irregular Migration among AU-HoAI Member States and Countries that Lie Along the 3 Irregular Migration Corridors from the Horn of Africa
v. Support to Cross-border Infectious Disease Surveillance and Data Collection on Migrants’ Health in Africa
vi. Enhancing free movement of persons and pathways for labour mobility and skills portability in Africa

II: Objectives of the consultancy
Within the context of establishing a coherent Continental approach towards the nexus between migration and health, the overall objective of the consultancy is to develop Continental guidelines on the collection of data on migrants’ health in Africa is to support Member States in the early detection of, and response to infectious diseases and control of disease outbreaks in cross-border areas associated with mobile populations (including nomadic pastoralists, refugees, and IDPs). Considering the foregoing, the AU Commission plans to recruit a consultant to develop Continental guidelines on the systematic collection of data on migrants’ health. Accordingly, the successful candidate will substantively develop Continental Guidelines on the Systematic Collection of Data on Migrants’ Health in Africa to implement result area #5 of the project mentioned above.

III. Duties and responsibilities/Scope of work
• Developing a situation analysis of regional/national guidelines on the collection of data on migrants’ health using common indicators, collection tools, and methodologies.
• Drafting Continental guidelines on the collection of data on migrants’ health using common indicators, collection tools, and methodologies.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in the field of statistics, quantitative methods, public health, research methodologies, social sciences, or related fileds is required. A first-level university degree in combination with ten years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Ph.D. would be an advantage.
1. Minimum 10 years of relevant international work experience conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys and social research, especially in the areas of public health and migration/mobility and health in Africa.
2. Knowledge of protocols and procedures for conducting censuses, especially among migrants.
3. Demonstrable technical experience in drafting public policy documents, especially in migration, human mobility (displacement, refugees), and health.
4. In-depth knowledge of migration and health issues in Africa
5. Continental experience: Demonstrable work experience related to conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys among migrants/IDPs in Africa

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is advantage. Knowledge of another UN working language is an asset.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.