Health & Nutrition Advocacy Consultant, UNICEF Brussels Office, Belgium, 18 months

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, hope

UNICEF’s Office for Relations with the EU Institutions in Brussels is looking for a highly motivated and experienced health & nutrition advocacy expert to join our team for a period of 18 months (full-time). The consultant is expected to lead the development and implementation of advocacy actions and activities on the prioritization of maternal and child health and nutrition in EU external action. The candidate will contribute to other key areas of work of the UNICEF Office for Relations with the EU Institutions in Brussels, namely engagement on the next MFF (2028-34) and engagement during the EU Council Presidency Trio with a health and nutrition focus. The ideal candidate has advocacy expertise in global health and nutrition, knowledge of EU development policy and financing and experience in engaging with EU institutions.

How can you make a difference? 

Responsibilities and key activities

Building on existing UNICEF engagement and advocacy strategies, the consultant will be responsible for delivering on key areas to advance child health & nutrition at EU level through high-level engagement and targeted advocacy to influence EU policy and funding priorities. These activities include:

• Coordinate the development of a position paper and issue briefs on the importance of maternal and child health and nutrition for EU Global Health Strategy implementation.
• Organize events, roundtables and high-level briefings to increase the awareness of EU officials and decisionmakers and mobilize political and financial support for maternal and child health and nutrition, where relevant in collaboration with other partners such as WHO, Gavi and civil society organizations, and where necessary support leadership in preparation for high-level meetings 
• Liaise with relevant organizational units within UNICEF and with UNICEF National Committees in EU Member States to align relevant advocacy efforts at global, Brussels and capital levels.
• Lead EU-focused implementation of UNICEF global health and nutrition advocacy campaigns and activities.
• Coordinate with other UN agencies and global health civil society organizations in Brussels on increasing visibility of the role of the EU in human development through undertaking joint advocacy in this area, and in safeguarding human development in the EU Global Gateway and next MFF.
• Engagement and advocacy in the context of the Danish EU Presidency at both the EU and Member State level to increase visibility and prioritization of child health and nutrition, while broadening the scope to work with other Member States.

Key Deliverables

The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables:

1. Detailed health and nutrition advocacy strategy for the EU together with a timeline of key engagements, high-level meetings and other activities and moments for UNICEF.
2. High quality position paper and briefs issued on health and nutrition which outline key arguments and important actions for the EU to invest in health and nutrition of children.
3. High-level specific health and nutrition events and visibility actions at EU level undertaken as part of a broader engagement with the Danish Presidency, with the EU and Member States, developed in coordination with the Policy and Advocacy team.
4. Provision of intelligence briefs and detailed inputs into UNICEF’s future MFF planning and engagement on health and nutrition at EU level, as well as the development of social media packages to increase UNICEF visibility on health and nutrition on social media channels and other media platforms and outlets.
5. Provision of high-quality key messages, talking points, speeches etc, to support UNICEF leadership in high-level engagements with EU counterparts at key advocacy moments.

Reporting and supervision

This consultancy aligns with UNICEF’s broader advocacy efforts to prioritize children in EU external action and, as such, the consultant will report to the Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor. Strategic and technical steer will be provided by the Partnerships Manager (health) and Senior Advisor (nutrition financing) who will supervise the consultancy and approve key deliverables. Collaboration will be required with relevant UNICEF organizational units and external partners.

Duty station: Brussels

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