PAHO Consultant - Regionalization of the WHO ATACH in Latin America and the Caribbean

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

Contractual Agreement:

Non-Staff - International PAHO Consultant

Job Posting:

February 26, 2026

Closing Date:

March 6, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Primary Location:

Off Site

Organization:

DHE Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity

Schedule:

Full time

PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

Background:

Climate change threatens the foundations of public health and the resilience of health systems worldwide. In response, the Health Programme of the United Kingdom UNFCCC COP26 Presidency catalyzed commitments by over 100 countries to strengthen climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems and support defined health-promoting interventions by other sectors (e.g., food and nutrition). To support implementation, WHO and the UK Government launched ATACH, a WHO-hosted platform fostering coordinated global action, knowledge exchange, and technical alignment across five key priority areas:

1. Climate-resilient health systems
2. Low-carbon sustainable health systems
3. Supply Chains
4. Health promoting interventions by health determining sectors (i.e. I-CAN)
5. Finance

The WHO-ATACH provides a global platform to accelerate climate‑resilient and low‑carbon health systems, support national commitments, and strengthen multisectoral collaboration.

To enhance regional relevance, coordination, and impact, WHO seeks to regionalize ATACH in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), ensuring that countries benefit from tailored technical support, peer learning, and alignment and strengthened collaboration with subregional institutions, including CARICOM, SICA, and others. Countries in LAC face escalating climate-related health risks, including extreme heat, vector‑borne diseases, water insecurity, air pollution, and climate‑driven disasters. Therefore, as climate impacts intensify across LAC, the need for coordinated regional action, technical cooperation, and knowledge exchange has become increasingly urgent.

PAHO, as the WHO Regional Office for the Americas, supports Member States in strengthening climate resilient health systems, reducing health sector emissions, and integrating climate considerations into public health policies. PAHO also plays a central role in LAC in translating global priorities into regional action, providing technical and convening leadership, and supporting Member States to meet their commitments and priorities under the Belem Health Action Plan, which was launched at COP30.

A strong, sustained bridge between WHO HQ, PAHO HQ, and the LAC region is essential to ensure that global frameworks, tools, and networks are relevant, implemented, and responsive to country and regional needs. To enhance regional coordination, peer learning, and technical cooperation, PAHO is supporting the regionalization of ATACH in LAC. This consultancy will provide focused support for PAHO’s role as a regional hub for ATACH, facilitating participation, alignment, and delivery across countries and technical areas.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Purpose:

To provide technical, coordination, and strategic support to PAHO for the regionalization of ATACH in Latin America and the Caribbean, including stakeholder engagement, development of regional governance mechanisms, alignment with PAHO’s climate and health agenda, and facilitation of country participation in ATACH workstreams.

Objectives:

• Develop a regional ATACH engagement and coordination model tailored to LAC.
• Strengthen participation of LAC Member States in ATACH workstreams.
• Support the establishment of a regional ATACH platform, network, or community of practice that contributes to the Global ATACH initiative and feeds specific regional priorities and needs.
• Produce technical and strategic documents to guide ATACH implementation in the region and support those countries having joined the ATACH in the region to develop roadmaps for implementation of their climate change and health priorities, including those related to regional and global commitments and priorities (e.g., Global Action Plan on Climate and Health, Belem Health Action Plan, COP26 Commitments for climate resilient and low carbon sustainable health systems).
• Facilitate alignment between global ATACH priorities and PAHO’s regional climate and health initiatives

Description of Deliverables:

Consultant will be responsible for deliveri*ng