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Kiribati faces a triple burden of malnutrition, encompassing child undernutrition, widespread micronutrient deficiencies, and high levels of overweight and obesity. These challenges are driven by degraded food environments and the long-term impacts of climate change on agriculture, including limited arable land and increasing reliance on imported foods. Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remain high among children under 5, with 15 per cent stunted, 4 per cent wasted, and 49 per cent anemic. At the same time, overweight and obesity affect 55 per cent of older children and 79 per cent of adults (UNICEF, 2018). Infant and young child feeding practices are suboptimal, with fewer than 10 per cent of children under 2 meeting minimum dietary diversity1, and nearly 40 per cent of infants under six months not exclusively breastfed. Among children aged 5-19 years, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverage is high, with 25 per cent reported to consume them daily, further exacerbating poor nutrition outcomes. These concerning nutrition indicators drew the attention of Kiribati Government leadership, and the issue was formally discussed in Parliament in December 2022. Following this, a Parliamentary Nutrition Select Committee was established with a mandate to examine dietary practices and their impacts on the population, particularly children, review existing programmes, and develop recommendations to improve access to nutritious food. The Select Committee’s recommendations were presented and adopted by Parliament in December 2023 and translated into a roadmap comprising four phases, with the first phase focused on strengthening multisectoral accountability and monitoring for nutrition. A key recommendation under this phase was the establishment of a National Nutrition and Food Council within the Office of the President, viewed as critical for advancing whole-of-government coordination and accountability for nutrition. While draft Terms of Reference for the proposed Council were subsequently developed for review, progress toward formal institutionalization has since stalled. In this context, and consistent with UNICEF’s commitment to supporting multisectoral action to address the triple burden of malnutrition in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), UNICEF Pacific Multi-Country Office is seeking a consultant to support Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) and other relevant government ministries in institutionalizing effective governance arrangements for nutrition. The consultant will also support the advancement of the recommendations set by the Parliamentary Nutrition Select Committee.
Management, Organization, and Timeframe:
The consultant will be supervised by the Health and Nutrition Officer in Kiribati Field Office with the overall guidance of the Nutrition Manager in Suva, UNICEF Pacific MCO. The consultant will be based in Tarawa, Kiribati, for 165 working days while 15 working days will be remote work. S/he will provide data-driven technical assistance through close coordination with government counterparts and development partners, including capacity-building and knowledge transfer. The initial five working days of the assignment (inception report) and the last 10 working days of the assignment (final report) may be conducted remotely, with in‑country travel commencing upon approval of the inception report.
If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: HN038 Nutrition Governance Consultant.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child, you will have:
Minimum requirements:
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):
Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
