The Regional Inter Agency Task Team on Children & AIDS in Eastern and Southern Africa (RIATT-ESA) seeks to carry-out a strategic planning exercise to revisit the network’s purpose, structure and performance and inaugurate a new phase in RIATT-ESA’s development. It therefore seeks the services of a highly qualified consultant to guide this process from the beginning to completion.
About RIATT-ESA
The Regional Inter-Agency Task Team on Children and AIDS in Eastern and Southern Africa (RIATT-ESA) was established in response to the 2006 Global Partners Forum recommendation to establish regional task teams to accelerate commitments to meet the 2001 UNGASS and MDGs (2006 Abuja Declaration) targets and regionalize the mandate and goals of the global IATT on Children and AIDS.
Until December 2018 when the current strategic plan expires, RIATT-ESA will be working to implement the UN General Assembly’s 2011 and 2016 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS and the Sustainable Development Goals, supporting universal access for children to prevention, care, treatment and support in the context of HIV and AIDS by harnessing the power of a joint response across regional political and economic bodies, civil society organizations, academia, donors and UN agencies.
Scope and Purpose of the Consultancy
Developments in the AIDS Response
The last decade has seen a number of significant shifts in the AIDS response. At the global policy level, the key shifts include the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, where economic development and environmental sustainability are dominant themes.
Within the AIDS response UNAIDS led-90/90/90 goals focus on 90% of the population knowing their status, 90% of those accessing treatment and 90% remaining virally suppressed.
Most African countries are reporting declining incidence levels. However, there are growing fears of resurgence in adolescents and youth, while at the same time they are devastating impacts on infected and affected girls and boys, as they grow older.
In HIV prevention and treatment is a re-recognition of the need to sustain a multi-faceted response that includes the social, economic, behavioural, developmental and medical dimensions (Whiteside, ROAPE 2015) both to prevent and mitigate HIV/AIDS infection on children. Considerable attention is also being placed on understanding the specific drivers of HIV infection, eradication of stigma and discrimination and ensuring quality services for all.
At the same time, there is reduced external financing for the response, and in instances incorporation of remaining HIV funding into the sexual reproduction health rights (SRHR) and other agendas. There are also calls for increased domestic investment on these issues, albeit in a context of shrinking economies in eastern and southern Africa.
In light of these developments and more, the consultant is expected to help RIATT-ESA process available evidence and understand the gaps in the children’s response, including in policy and programmes. Ultimately, we would like to answer the question- what should the development world, and particularly RIATT-ESA be doing to ensure the end of HIV/AIDS as a health and developmental threat on children by 2030?
Consultancy Objectives
The main objective of the consultancy is (in consultation with RIATT-ESA members and under the direction of the Programme Manager and the Steering Committee) to develop the RIATT-ESA strategy and a costed implementation plan 2019-2022.
Deliverables
1. Well written, logical and coherent background paper(Strategy Document)
2. RIATT-ESA Strategic Plan and Costed Implementation Plan 2018-2022
3. RIATT-ESA summary strategy power point presentation (max 10 slides)
Time schedule
RIATT-ESA anticipates a level of effort for this the consultancy of 30 days. The anticipated timeframe for the consultancy is from 1 May to 30 June, 2018.
Expression of interest
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a curriculum vitae and an expression of interest indicating your proposal, capacity, availability, estimated time, and daily rate to undertake the work outlined above to naume.kupe@repssi.org by the 18th of April 2018.