Policy Consultant

Vacancy Notice

Background information

Ipas Nepal is a non-profit and non-governmental international organization that works to increase women’s ability to exercise their Sexual and Reproductive Health, especially the Right to Safe Abortion. We seek to eliminate unsafe abortion and the resulting deaths and injuries and to expand women’s access to comprehensive abortion care, including contraception and related reproductive health information and services. 

Ipas Nepal is providing technical assistance to all level of governments to increase access to and use of safe abortion and post abortion contraceptive services since the legalization of abortion in Nepal. Nepal moved from unitary system with a three-level federal system of government. As federalism accelerates, the national health system can also speed up its own decentralization process, reduce disparities in access, and improve health outcomes. The federalism creates several potential opportunities for the national healthcare system. Therefore, Ipas Nepal has taken the federalism as an opportunity for the sustainability of safe abortion program and aims to engage with province and local level governments to support and facilitate for formulation and implementation of RHR related policies. Ipas Nepal also facilitates for allocating funds to utilize in RH related services which is also manded in SM & RHR Act 2075. In addition to it, Ipas Nepal is working with demand side as well such as spreading awareness on reproductive health and rights and carrying out activities to reduce the abortion stigma through different social behavior change and communication (SBCC) approaches. 

The GoN has adopted the Right to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health (SMRHR) Act and its regulations to fulfill obligations under the constitution of Nepal and guarantee safe motherhood and reproductive health as fundamental rights. The Act says that all three tiers of government should allocate grant amount in its yearly budget for reproductive health services. Despite this positive legal development, women and girls in Nepal continue to face restrictions and challenges that prevent them from fully realizing their reproductive rights due to less priority given by local government in RH including safe abortion services. Therefore, regular engagement and interaction with local government is needed during quarterly review meetings and planning process for allocation of budget and make them ownership towards the services. It will also help to ensure women’s fundamental rights are under implementation and an accountable system is established. Therefore, Ipas Nepal felt to develop a guiding document focusing on local level advocacy, planning and follow up process. This will also guide Ipas team to provide technical support and increase engagement in annual planning processes at the local government. 

Position: Policy Consultant

Number of Positions: 1

Type of appointment: Consultant

Duration: December 2021, from 1-20 December 2021 (10 days)

SCOPE OF WORK – Developing a guideline of local level planning and budgeting process

The outcome of this task must identify the relevant forum, allies, ways of engagement, key messages, timeline and steps for Ipas and partners to influence the local level planning processes focusing on SRHR including GBV, follow up and continuous monitoring. 

• Review existing documents related to the planning process of government and Ipas  
• Identify the relevant forum, ways of engagement, key timeline of the planning processes.
• Conduct detailed discussions with Ipas staff and partners to explore the existing practices of engaging in planning processes 
• Prepare a draft guideline on effective engagement for planning and budgeting process of Province and local government
• Incorporate feedback provided by Ipas team as appropriate
• Finalize and submit final guideline and one page job aid for staff to Ipas Nepal

Expected deliverables

• Final copy of the guideline and one pager infographic - both electronic and hard copy.
• Submit invoices with completion report

Required skills, qualifications and experience for the consultant

• Academic qualifications–Master’s degree in Public Health or bachelors degree in relevant field,
• Experience and knowledge on government health system especially local level planning process and monitoring system,
• Experience and knowledge in reproductive health right.

Applying Procedure

Interested individual consultants/organizations should submit:

1. An application cover letter with short background/description about themself/ organization
2. An up-to-date curriculum vitae with subject as Application for Policy Consultant.
3. Detailed schedule (key steps and timelines) for developing Guideline

Please submit your application to the email ID given: procurement.ipasnepal@ipas.org

Application deadline is 25 November 2021.

*Canvassing at any stage will lead to automatic dismissal and Ipas Nepal reserves all rights to make the final selection.