Details

Mission and objectives

The overall mandate of the WHO Iraq- UHC/Health Systems & Life Course team is to strengthen health systems in Iraq in order to make progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and health related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The Essential Drugs and Other Medicines (EDM) technical officer within the country team of UHC/Health Systems & Life Course contributes to two flagship priority areas of work in Iraq 1) improved access to essential medicines for UHC and 2) building national capacities for prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance. The main objective of the programme is to promote policies, build health system capacities and provide evidence-based guidance to Iraqi Ministry of Health, partners, and in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to improve access and promote rational use of safe, efficacious, quality, and affordable essential drugs and other medicines.

Context

• As an active WHO team member, efficient, timely, responsive and high-quality support rendered to WHO Iraq in the accomplishment of functions, including:
– Use listening to mechanisms and data collection and analysis methods to monitor and analyse information and address perceptions among key target audiences;
– Developing written content for health promotion materials and ensure that content is culturally sensitive and tailored to diverse audiences.
– Creating visual content to support various risk communication materials.
– Map key areas of interest and concern in both refugees and host populations.
– Based on listening data; • develop relevant health promotion/RCCE messages, materials, campaigns, and other initiatives, in languages and formats used by target audiences; • Respond to rumours and misinformation as needed.
– Deploy RCCE messages, materials, campaigns etc. to key target audiences via trusted sources and channels; • Engage community influencers (e.g. community leaders, health mediators, faith-based organizations, civil society organizations) and co-develop and deliver effective RCCE interventions.
– Support build and maintain RCCE capacity in the country (WHO Country Office, national authorities, partners, media, and other stakeholders) through trainings, coaching and on-the-job support.
A final statement of achievements during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of materials developed, programs supported, number of stories, products and different materials produced.

Task description

• Contribute to the development, elaboration, and implementation of the health promotion plan as part of the health response operations.
• Support to liaise closely with the HQ and regional counterparts for risk communication ensuring coherence of strategy, materials, and messages. Support to ensure that technical material produced by the country office integrates health promotion principles and practice.
• Support to monitor and proactively counter false rumours and misinformation, and ad-dress fears and concerns.
• Work closely with the RCCE/ Health promotion officer to integrate findings from knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveys, focus group discussions and other feedback from community engagement activities into risk communication activities and products.
• Develop health promotion products such as public information; brochures, leaflets, and posters; radio and TV scripts; guides for stakeholders for health promotion and ensure their translation into local language and their adaptation for the local context.
• Support and contribute to develop and maintain standing RCCE/health promotion capacity in the WHO Country Office: a) map and engage risk communication stakeholders; establish and sustain coordination mechanisms for emergency risk communication. b) Support to organize risk communication trainings for WHO country staff. e.g., Brief, guide and coordinate risk community surge capacity personnel that may be deployed to the country.