National consultant to strengthen legislative and regulatory measures to improve school food environments for better nutrition, 50 w/ds, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

The purpose of the consultancy is to strengthen national legislative and regulatory measures with an aim to improve school food environments (availability of safe, nutritious food, restriction on marketing and promotion of unhealthy food and beverages, adequate space for physical activity) for better nutrition for school-age children and adolescents.

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 and Nutrition 

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the hhuman rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

The triple burden of malnutrition has emerged as a worldwide concern, in which undernutrition, overweight and micronutrient deficiencies coexist in the same population, household and individual. Tajikistan is a young country with 61 per cent of the population under 30 years and 20 per cent in adolescence (10-19 years). Adolescence is a period of rapid growth and development and a critical time for the acquisition of health-related behaviours, such as food preferences and physical activity. School-age children and adolescents are nutritionally vulnerable due to increased energy and nutrient requirements for physical growth, cognitive development and menstruation (for girls). Tajik adolescents between 15-19 years also face multiple nutrition challenges, including thinness (16 per cent), overweight and obesity (10 per cent) and anaemia (33 per cent).

Globally, there is ample evidence that poor habits on eating and physical activity established during childhood and adolescence continue into adulthood and may contribute to nutrition-related chronic diseases in later life. In Tajikistan, however, there is a dearth of information on the nutritional status and practices of school-age children and adolescents. Further, in contrast to the strong focus on undernutrition particularly during the first 1,000 days of life, little attention has been paid to the nutritional status of school-age children and adolescents in Tajikistan, and few policies and programmes are targeting to address the triple burden in these age groups. Given the growing size of this segment of the population, their vulnerability to all forms of malnutrition and the intergenerational effects of malnutrition, these age groups should not be neglected in nutrition policies and programming to promote optimal nutrition.

School enrolment rate is high in Tajikistan. The majority of school-going children and adolescents spend large amount of their time at school, where they often have lunch and snacks during class breaks. Evidently, school is a key platform to influence the nutritional status and behaviours of children and adolescents. Previous research, however, suggested that poor dietary habits are common among Tajik adolescent girls, characterized by low consumption of vitamin A rich food and high consumption of fatty foods, sugary foods and beverages, with one in five not meeting the minimum dietary diversity. The level of knowledge on nutrition and healthy eating and demand for healthy foods and healthy school food environments more in general is unclear. Furthermore, unhealthy food and drink options are easily available and accessible in and around schools, such as from school canteens and street vendors, contributing to poor dietary intakes among these age groups. Moreover, a landscape analysis on adolescent nutrition conducted by UNICEF in 2024 revealed that the Education Code focuses mostly on children’s right to nutrition education in curriculum but lacks emphasis on their right to learn in a healthy school environment and to be protected from inappropriate marketing of unhealthy food. Furthermore, it demonstrated that the country lacks specific implementation tools (i.e. regulations, guidelines) to ensure children and adolescents are provided with nutrition education, have access to healthy food and drinks and are learning in healthy school food environments.

Against this backdrop, UNICEF Tajikistan aims to support the Government of Tajikistan in improving the school food environments for better nutrition among school-age children and adolescents by strengthening legislative and regulatory measures applied to schools. As part of this effort, UNICEF Tajikistan is looking for an individual consultant to strengthen the Education Code of Tajikistan and develop bylaws/regulations based on the Education Code with emphasis on making school food environments optimal for nutrition.

How can you make a difference? 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Education: Advanced degree in Law, Public Policy, Public Health or other related social sciences fields
• Work experience: At least 10 years of experience working closely with national government counterparts, in particular Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, parliament, and development partners in the areas of policy formulation for education, health, nutrition
• Knowledge of legal systems and public policy mechanism in Tajikistan
• Expertise and skills in writing laws and bylaws in Tajikistan
• Good knowledge of health and education systems in Tajikistan
• Languages: Fluency in Tajik and Russian

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).  

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.