• Country: New York, USA
• No of vacancies: N/A
  
• Salary: N/A 
• Organization: UNICEF
• Gender: Both
• Deadline: 2024-01-16

Scope of Work:

More specifically the assignment’s objectives would be to provide technical support to update salt iodization regulations, identify and support actions that improve practices to improve efficiency of salt producers to iodize salt and advocate to the Government to undertake monitoring of population iodine intake as well as sustain attention to the salt iodization programme.  This would be achieved through undertaking a landscape analysis and convening stakeholder engagements, workshops and training opportunities.

Honduras has had public health programs for food fortification since the 1960’s; however, they were not active all the time and in the 1990s, they were reactivated. Currently, the country mandates iodization of salt through a Presidential Agreement and salt iodization law dating from 1961 which stipulates salt must contain less than 67ppm I but does not indicate a minimum requirement. A more recent USAID-FeedtheFuture report dated April 2023 reports 86% of salt samples (n=71) contained iodine above 5ppm I with an average ranging from 13ppm in the Eastern Region (lowest) and 52ppm I in the Northwest Region (highest). There is no recent population wide data on iodine intake. The report further recommends monitoring urinary iodine excretion (indicator for iodine intake) within the population; sensitizing the Ministry of Health to update the salt iodization regulation; and reinforce good practices and awareness within the salt sector to sustain iodization.

USAID FeedtheFuture produced a report on Monitoring of Fortified Food Programs at Sales Sites in Honduras and published this in April 2023. According to this report, 78 salt samples were taken, of which 26.9% were coarse and wet, and 73.1% were dry and ground. The national average for iodine was 35.6 mg/kg ± 34.2 mg/kg (mean ± SD). The average iodine in the regions was between 28.8 mg/kg in the Central East-ern region and 51.8 mg/kg in the Northwestern region, except in the Western region where the average was 13.3 mg/kg. Despite the fact that the average iodine per region is above 20 mg/kg and that it provides enough iodine to meet the daily requirements for this nutrient, the percentage of samples with levels below 20 mg/kg in each region was between 25 % in the Southern region and 91.7% in the Western region. Only 14.3 % of the wet and coarse salt samples contained iodine levels above 20 mg/kg, compared to 71.9 % of the dry and ground salt samples. This is an indication of the need to review the iodization process, with emphasis on coarse, wet salt.

The sampling carried out for salt has the limitation that the results reflect the situation of salt that has a sanitary registry and that is sold in formal outlets such as warehouses, supermarkets and grocery stores. In an interview with the Association of Salt Producers of Honduras (ASOPROSALH), it was indicated that a problem with salt iodization is informal trade, because there are trucks that go directly to the salt mines to stock up on salt to distribute in markets and it is unknown if it is iodized. The producers have indicated that there is no updated regulation and that the iodization levels to be met are not clear. The lack of clarity that exists is reflected in the iodization levels declared on the sample labels which are inconsistent between various brands in the market.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Landscape analysis and review of the salt iodization programme in the country including consolidate the latest data on iodine nutrition and the salt sector, using specific template provided by UNICEF (see Annex)

By 31 May 2024

Deliverable 2: Technical report and recommendations to update salt iodization regulations and standards and dissemination meeting

By 30 June 2024

Deliverable 3: One capacity building workshop with the salt sector

By 31 August 2024

Deliverable 4: Three bilateral meetings to sensitize key Government officials and other stakeholders

By 31 October 2024

Qualifications

Education:

• Masters degree/ Public Health, Nutrition, or related discipline

Work experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience with 1) conducting landscape analyses of national salt iodization programmes, 2) child nutrition in LMICs, 3) iodine deficiency prevention, 4) report writing, and 5) planning and facilitating technical workshops in-person

Language:

• Fluent Spanish language is required

Requirements: 

Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system and

• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include/ reflect:
  • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4

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