WHO is looking for a Climate Change, Mitigation & Sustainable Health-systems Officer

Deadline: Mar 12, 2024, 12:59:00 AM

Duty Station/ Location : Germany-Bonn

About WHO

Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. 

Brief Information and context of the Position

The Division of Communicable Diseases, Environment and Health (CDE) assists country efforts to reduce the burden of communicable diseases and addresses the social, economic and environmental determinants of health, and promotes policies and actions for health through stewardship of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network. It focuses on health promotion measures, behavioral insights; communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, and vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases; elimination and control of vaccine-preventable diseases and advocacy for increased use of vaccines; containing and controlling antimicrobial resistance; addressing existing and emerging environmental health risks and supporting violence and injury prevention.

A determination to ensure universal access to people-centred quality health services across the continuum of care is matched by enriching the evidence base for policy design and interventions using social, cultural and behavioral approaches, to drive implementation of innovation at national, regional and local levels. The WHO European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEH) in Bonn, Germany, provides technical and scientific expertise on the impacts of environment on health. It delivers to countries policy advice, tools to inform and support decision-making in the areas of air quality, access to safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene, minimizing the adverse effects of chemicals, adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, environmental sustainability of health systems, urban health planning, including transport and mobility work, as well as violence and road traffic injury prevention.

WHO ECEH works with all units to develop collaborative initiatives addressing environment-related diseases. It strengthens country capacities to address environment and health challenges through development and delivery of a range of training courses on environment and health, including on health impact assessment. The programme on living and working environments (LWE) covers air quality, health aspects of climate change mitigation, chemical safety, environmentally sustainable health systems, noise and occupational health. LWE provides leadership and capacities in the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the above-mentioned areas, and technical assistance to Member States to strengthen their capacities in developing and implementing policies, strategies and actions.

The work of LWE is aligned with the strategic WHO directions as set in the relevant WHA resolutions and roadmaps, contributes to the implementation of GPW13 and the commitments taken under the Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Health, as well as to the achievement of the2030 global Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement; it also supports implementation of global and regional environmental agreements on the health aspects of air quality and chemical safety.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

To coordinate multi-country and national level work on climate change and health, focusing on mitigation, and on climate/environmental sustainability of health systems; to support countries in these domains through facilitating the development and implementation of evidence-informed policies, actions and capacity building in the health and other sectors; to prepare relevant evidence syntheses and to advance assessment methods and tools; to coordinate integration of climate and environmental sustainability considerations across programmes in the WHO Regional Office for Europe and to strengthen strategic leadership and engagement of the WHO Regional Office in regional and global processes. 

Key duties:

• Under the supervision and guidance from Programme Manager LWE, the incumbent will assume the following responsibilities and achieve the following objectives:
• Provide technical support to Member States in developing and implementing evidence-informed policies and actions to advance climate and environmental sustainability of health systems;
• Collate evidence on effectiveness of actions to enhance climate and environmental sustainability of health systems, including economic aspects, to inform policy making;
• Synthetise evidence on health aspects of climate change mitigation, including on the effectiveness of policies and interventions in the WHO European Region;

• Help strengthen capacities in Member States in applying tools to assess the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation measures (e.g. CLIMAQ-H tool);
• Provide Member States with capacity building on environmentally sustainable health care facilities and health systems; 
• Support Member States in implementing commitments made in the Declaration of the Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health;
• Steer technical work as a contribution to the coordination of transatlantic cooperation on climate change and health among the Regional Offices for Europe and for the Americas, including facilitation of policy dialogues and the preparation of joint thematicpolicy briefs;Guide thematic work ofthe EHP Partnership for Health Sector Climate Action and support implementation of the Partnership’s work programme, in particular on aspects of climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability of health systems;

• Provide regional liaison and coordination of engagement of the Regional Office in global processes, including the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) and the Conferences of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
• Promote and support inter-programmatic coordination in the Regional Office towards integrating climate change considerations with other health programmes, including, but not limited to, health systems, emergency preparedness and response, water and sanitation, urban planning, infectious and vector-bone disease, noncommunicable disease and mental health programmes, as well as with the WHO European Healthy Cities Network and the WHO European Regions for Health Network;
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• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with United Nations agencies (including United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe(UNECE), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)), the European Commission, donor countries and academia and co-create project proposals as appropriate; Identify and establish relationships with relevant stakeholders and (sub-) regional platforms, networks and groups working on climate and environmental sustainability of health systems; Participate in the mobilization of resources to support the implementation of activities in environment and health with focus on climate change adaptation and health; Coordinate the work with relevant WHO collaborating centres, and initiate and maintain collaboration with relevant external partners; 
• Undertake related duties as required, including, but not limited to, representing WHO at technical meetings related to the above tasks, preparing briefing notes and talking points for management, acting for other WHO staff members when necessary to facilitate continuity of work.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: An advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in environmental science or engineering, public health, epidemiology or other relevant recognized health and natural sciences related degree.
Desirable: University degree with specialization in climate change and health.

Experience

Essential: At least seven years of combined national and/or international work experience in the area of climate change and health, and/or in environment and health. Proven experience in one or more of the following areas: (a) analysis, development and implementation of policy and regulatory documents in the field of climate change and health and/or environmental health; (b) networking and coordination with international, state and non-state partners; (c) organizing technical expert meetings; (d) drafting of technical documents, briefings and speaking notes; (e) formulating, managing and implementing multisectoral projects; and (f) communications and advocacy.
Desirable: Relevant work experience in environmental health within WHO and/or the United Nations system and/or other international entities.

Skills

• Demonstrated in-depth expertise in the scientific, technical and policy aspects of climate change and health;
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant WHO global and regional policies, and international agreements, initiatives and processes in the area of climate change and health, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
• Demonstrated ability to design, develop and write technical documents and reports;
• Demonstrated communication skills and ability to setting priorities. 
• Proficiency in the use of standard office software and databases.
• Emotional intelligence: 
• Ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as helping others to do the same.

WHO Competencies

1. Teamwork
2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
3. Communication
4. Producing results
5. Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of Russian, German.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 77,326 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 2648 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.