Individual Contractor on health and development
- Job Opening ID: 274809
- Job Family: Social Affairs
- Category and Level: Affiliate Personnel – Consultants/Individual Contractors, CON
- Recruitment Type: Individual Contractor
- Duty Station: BANGKOK
- Department/Office: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
- Date Posted: Oct 26, 2026
- Deadline: Nov 2, 2026
Result of Service
Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Sustainable Demographic Transition Section or her designate, the IC is required to translate the project’s e-learning course text into Russian, draft good practices on population ageing and health policies and implementation covering North and Central Asia, and support in organizing and convening two stakeholder consultations on population ageing and health and writing reports of the consultations. The consultant is expected to continue to support the organization of outreach activities related to population ageing and their impacts on intergenerational financial transfers, support the collection of good practices and publication of working papers on population ageing, including reviewing sources of data and information published in Russian.
Work Location
Bangkok
Expected duration
15/05/26-30/12/26
Duties and Responsibilities
The Social Development Division of ESCAP, in collaboration with the ESCAP Trade Investment and Innovation Division is working on a project: “Regional integration and cooperation to promote affordable and equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics in the Asia-Pacific region”. The context behind the project includes the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inequalities between and within countries in Asia and the Pacific in providing access to universal health care. The pandemic has also accentuated existing weaknesses and deficiencies in countries’ health systems regarding financing, human resources, and technologies. In the Asia and Pacific region, a large and often increasing part of health expenditures is covered by out-of-pocket payments. Social protection coverage, including universal health care coverage, is generally low in the region, and it also varies by country. For example, about one-third of the working-age population,15 years or older, pays into a pension system. Low coverage of pensions in the region are linked to high informal sector employment and contribute to low social protection coverage. Persistent coverage gaps often reflect socioeconomic inequalities and multidimensional discrimination against certain population groups, affecting persons who are already in vulnerable situations.
Further, the social determinants of health − the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age − are mostly responsible for health inequities, defined as the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries. In disadvantaged rural areas, the drivers of poverty are also the drivers of ill health. The health system, which is a determinant of health, is often not sufficiently equipped in rural areas to respond to the needs of the population, consequently contributing to rural−urban health inequities.
In addition to strengthening national and especially rural health systems through investments in infrastructure and human resources, innovations in healthcare, particularly through the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), can play a critical role in improving the coverage of health services. Digital health solutions such as telemedicine can enable the exchange of information for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, research, and continuing education of healthcare providers, benefiting patients, health personnel, and the community. Technological innovations in health such as telemedicine can thus promote universal health coverage and equity in the provision of specialized medical services (Alma Ata Declaration) and help in attaining the SDGs.
The project in question has now reached the stage in which the e-learning course that is being developed as part of it requires a translation into Russian to add an official UN language and extend reach of the e-learning course. In addition, there is a need for more good practices on population ageing and health policies and implementation covering North and Central Asia, as well as support in organizing and convening two stakeholder consultations on population ageing and health and writing reports of the consultations.
The IC is expected to have good knowledge of health systems and broader social development issues, including population ageing. The IC must have a background in policy analysis. Excellent drafting and communication skills in English and Russian in writing and orally) and familiarity with UN Editorial Guidelines are required.
Amendment:
The Asia-Pacific region is undergoing rapid and significant demographic changes, such as changes in population age structures, driven by falling fertility and increased life expectancy. As a result, the region as a whole is ageing rapidly. The Asia-Pacific aggregate percentage of people aged 65 years or over will increase from 10.8 per cent in 2025 to 19.4 per cent in 2050.
There are challenges and opportunities related to population ageing, which require forward-looking policies that promote active and inclusive ageing to encourage and value the contribution of older persons and to ensure that they live longer and healthier lives.
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing provides comprehensive policy guidance. Through the outcome document of the Fourth Asia-Pacific Review and Appraisal of MIPAA, held in 2022, ESCAP member States committed to a set of priority measures to accelerate implementation of MIPAA as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
National Transfer Accounts (NTAs) measure how resources flow across age groups, helping governments see how much different generations consume, earn, and rely on public transfers. NTAs and NIAs support better decisions on budget planning, social protection, taxation, and long term sustainability and track how public transfers can help reduce inequality.
An important outreach tool is the website on demographic trends with a policy repository and database of good practices on ageing: https://www.population-trends-asiapacific.org/.
Through a project entitled “Inclusive and sustainable economic growth in a society for all ages in the post-COVID-19 era in Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean”, ESCAP supports countries setting up systems on National Inclusion Accounts by providing training and advocacy. A contractor has to be hired to support outreach activities on population ageing and national inclusion accounts to Governments and other stakeholders, support the database of good practices and to work on the publication of research papers on the situation of older persons, including financial transfers in North and Central Asia, which requires Russian language skills.
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced degree in public policy, sociology, or economics, with a focus on health and social development. Background in health issues and sustainable development required. Experience in social and economic policy analysis required. Background and experience in working on social development in Asia and the Pacific required. Knowledge of health systems and social development is needed. Ability to create appealing and easy-to-read graphs and tables that convey clear messages desirable.
Languages
Fluency in both oral and written English and Russian required for this assignment. Excellent drafting skills required. Familiarity with UN Editorial Guidelines required. Excellent analytical and written communication skills required.
Additional Information
Not available.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
