The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Ukraine is looking for up to 10 highly qualified consultants to work on a contract basis as researchers and analysts to support:

I. Comprehensive External Evaluation of National AIDS Response in Ukraine

II. Completion of Ukraine ’s UNGASS Report

III. Development of New National AIDS Programme and Concept

Duration of assignment: up to 2 months, with work planned to commence on February 8, 2008

Type of Position: analyst and research position available on full-time basis

Deadline for applications: February 28, 2008

Terms of Reference for Consultants

Background

1.1 Ukraine has the most severe AIDS epidemic in the region of Europe and Central Asia, with an estimated adult prevalence of 1.46%. Despite the significant scale-up of prevention programmes, supported largely by the current Global Fund grant, HIV continues to spread rapidly, with 16,078 new cases of HIV officially diagnosed in 2006 – the highest number of new annually registered cases since the beginning of surveillance in 1987. The recent increases in the coverage of treatment, care and support programmes have not produced a concomitant reduction in AIDS morbidity and mortality. On the contrary, 1,723 new AIDS cases and over 2,116 deaths of persons with AIDS were reported in 2006 – the highest annual figures ever reported. These trends come against the backdrop of large and growing resources for AIDS in Ukraine, contributed by the Government of Ukraine, bilateral and multilateral partners, including most significantly the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (hereafter Global Fund). It is unclear whether the sub-optimal outcomes of the National AIDS Response are due to inadequate scale, intensity or programmatic rigour of current interventions, or whether they are related to other critical barriers, external to the National AIDS Programme, which need to be addressed for Ukraine turn the tide against AIDS.

Goal of Consultancy

The goal of this consultancy is to support:

I. Comprehensive External Evaluation of National AIDS Response in Ukraine

II. Completion of Ukraine ’s UNGASS Report

III. Development of New National AIDS Programme and Concept

Specific duties to be performed by local consultants

It is expected that the consultant will work in collaboration with UNAIDS in Ukraine team as well as other partners to plan, conduct and analyze a series of assessments related to the AIDS response in Ukraine on the following topics:

1) Support for Comprehensive External Evaluation of National AIDS Response in Ukraine

a) Coordination of Completion of Summary Reports

i) Facilitate revision of summary reports for completeness and technical rigour

ii) Facilitate provision of comments to members of external evaluation team

iii) Support completion of summary reports

iv) Coordinate translation of summary reports into Ukrainian, and quality assurance of translations and consistency with original

v) Facilitate dissemination of summary reports among national stakeholders

vi) Summarize feedback on summary reports and provision of feedback to members of external evaluation

vii) Facilitate completion of summary report for formal endorsement to National Council / national stakeholders

b) Technical Support for Consolidated Report

i) Participate in Consolidation Group as national technical expert

ii) Facilitate revision of the Consolidated report to ensure accuracy and technical soundness

iii) Support the development and dissemination of successive drafts of the consolidated report

iv) Coordinate translation of Consolidated Report into Ukrainian, and quality assurance of translation and consistency with original

v) Facilitate dissemination of Consolidated Report among national stakeholders

vi) Summarize feedback on Consolidated Report and provision of feedback to Consolidated Group

vii) Facilitate completion of Consolidated Report for formal endorsement to National Council / national stakeholders

2) Support for Completion of Ukraine’s UNGASS Report

a) Review of Ukraine ’s UNGASS Report

i) Review drafts of Ukraine ’s UNGASS Report to ensure accuracy and technical soundness

ii) Assist in revisions to the final versions of Ukraine ’s UNGASS Report, in English and Ukrainian

iii) Provide quality assurance of translations and consistency between Ukrainian and English versions

3) Support for Development of New National AIDS Programme and Concept

a) Facilitate and coordinate working groups of national experts to define evidence-based and cost-effective interventions to be included into the National AIDS Programme

b) Facilitate and coordinate working groups on costing and budgeting the interventions envisaged by the National AIDS Programme

c) Facilitate stakeholder consultations aimed at consensus building around the new national AIDS programme principles, values, priorities, objectives and targets.

d) Ensure accurate and regular keeping of record of stakeholder consultations and working group sessions as well as dissemination of consultation outcomes to sustain and promote conformity of consultations with the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, mutual trust and accountability

e) Review drafts of working papers developed by working groups to ensure accuracy and technical soundness

f) Assist in revisions of the final versions of documents in English and Ukrainian

g) Provide quality assurance of translations and consistency between Ukrainian and English versions

The UNAIDS Ukraine Project Management Team will provide consultant with technical guidance and logistical support.

Period of contract validity and remuneration conditions.

· The number of working days and work schedule is determined by Project’s Operational Manager in consultation with respective Consultant and is agreed in advance of signing the contract;

· Daily rate for consultants depends on individual qualification and complexity of work performed. It will not be less than 100 USD/day and not more than 200 USD/day gross

· The consultant will be engaged through a contract administered by the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine

· Contract covers the period until the end of March 2008;

· The monetary unit of the contract is USD. Payments will be made in the national currency via bank transfer on a monthly basis, against a certificate of satisfactory completion of work.

· The consultant is solely responsible for all taxation or other assessments on any income derived from these services;

· The Consultant reports to the Project Operational Manager at UNAIDS Ukraine.

Copyright

All information and results collected and produced by consultants under this project will remain property of UNAIDS Ukraine.

Experience and Qualification Preferences

· University degree in Medicine, Public Health, Sociology, or Social Work;

· Practical experience in projects related to HIV/AIDS – within Ukraine and abroad;

· Practical experience in AIDS evaluations;

· Advanced analytical skills and practical experience in report writing (examples of written materials to be provided);

· Experience in conducting strategic analysis and institutional assessment;

· Experience in conducting sociological research, qualitative narrative research and interviews;

· Fluency in Ukrainian, English and Russian;

· Ability to work in a team, creative and problem-solving disposition, willingness to take initiative, good inter-personal skills;

· Computer literacy.

Terms of application procedures

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by sending a cover letter and curriculum vitae in Ukrainian and/or English, including references contacts, via email to the address:

subbotiny@unaids.org

Please, indicate “Consultant UNAIDS” in the Subject line of your message. Please also mention in your application your minimal expected daily consulting fee.

The deadline for applications is February 29, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.

Complete applications will be acknowledged via email. UNAIDS Ukraine will use a transparent and competitive screening process, and will only contact those applicants in whom there is further interest.

Persons living with HIV infection are encouraged to apply. However, no consultants and/or potential candidates shall be discriminated against on the basis of real or perceived HIV status. HIV infection, in itself, does not constitute lack of fitness to work. There is no obligation to disclose HIV-related personal information.

This Project is being supported by a generous contribution from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). The process of recruitment, review and selection of candidates for these positions will be managed exclusively by UNAIDS Ukraine, with administrative support from UNDP Ukraine.

For additional information call UNAIDS Ukraine at (044) 4991172.