International Consultant - Food Safety, WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, Manila, Philippines

## International Consultant - Food Safety, WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, Manila, Philippines - Organization:WHO - World Health Organization - Office:WHO WPRO Manila International Consultant Food Safety, WHO Western Pacific Regional Office Contractual Arrangement : External consultant Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days) : 6 months Job Posting: Sep 24, 2026, 8:26:43 AM Purpose of the Consultancy The purpose of this consultancy is to assist the Food Safety team in the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety 2022-2030 in the Western Pacific Region, particularly on addressing the burden of foodborne diseases and strengthening food safety systems, with a focus on country support and regional technical assistance. Ensuring access to safe food is fundamental to protecting human health. Nevertheless, many countries in the Western Pacific Region continue to face challenges in preventing, detecting and managing food safety risks. According to the new WHO estimates of the burden of foodborne diseases, foodborne diseases caused an estimated 49.5 million illnesses and more than 367,000 deaths in the Region in 2021. In addition to their impact on health, foodborne diseases resulted in an estimated US$ 120 billion in productivity losses. Yet much of this burden is preventable through effective and sustained action across food systems. The WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety 2022-2030 provides the overarching framework for action. Structured around five interlinked strategic priorities, the Strategy sets out a global vision in which all people, everywhere, consume safe and healthy food. It guides efforts to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases by strengthening national food safety systems, promoting the use of evidence and risk-based approaches, fostering multisectoral collaboration and enhancing international cooperation. The recent WHO estimates indicate that sustained food safety action can deliver measurable public health gains: the burden of foodborne diseases in the Western Pacific Region declined from 13.4 million healthy life years lost in 2000 to 9.4 million in 2021. However, further progress is needed to sustain these gains and advance towards the global targets for reducing the burden of foodborne diseases. Food safety systems across the Region are at different stages of development, and countries vary in their capacities, resources and priorities. Regional and country support must therefore be tailored to national contexts and informed by the available evidence, while taking into account institutional capacity, political commitment, resource availability, opportunities for multisectoral action and public support. Additional technical capacity is needed to translate the Global Strategy and the new burden estimates into practical, country-oriented actions and products, while strengthening collaboration with WHO Collaborating Centres and other technical partners in the Region. Under the supervision of the Food Safety Technical Officer in the Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) Unit, the consultant will provide targeted technical and analytical support to selected priority activities under the food safety workplan. This support may include desk reviews; collection organization, and analysis of technical information and data; preparation of draft technical resources; and support to Member States, as agreed with the Responsible Officer. The consultant will liaise with relevant stakeholders, including other units and divisions within WPRO, WHO headquarters, country office counterparts and WHO Collaborating Centres. Output 1: Support implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety 2022-2030 in the Western Pacific Region (January Deliverable 1.1: Provide technical support for the review and updating of national food safety policies, legislation and regulatory frameworks. Deliverable 1.2: Assist in conducting food safety assessments, including application of the WHO roadmap for implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety and the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool. Deliverable 1.3: Support the development and implementation of roadmaps and action plans for selected Member States to advance implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety. Deliverable 1.4: Contribute to the design and implementation of capacity-building activities related to food safety, including webinars, workshops and training sessions. Deliverable 1.5: Support the development of technical documents and other programme materials related to food safety, including briefing notes, reports, meeting documents, presentations and technical resources. Deliverable 1.6: Support monitoring of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety indicators, including assessment of progress against the IHR-SPAR and JEE food safety indicators, identification of gaps, and development of recommendations to support achievement of regional and global targets. Output 2: Support analysis, interpretation, dissemination and use of the WHO Foodborne Disease Estimates 2000-2021 (January Deliverable 2.1: Analyse the WHO Foodborne Disease Estimates 2000-2021 for the Western Pacific region and develop a regional summary highlighting priority hazards and strategic actions to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases. Deliverable 2.2: Identify priority Member States for target support and assist in the interpretation and, application of country-level findings from the WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Estimates 2000-2021, including development of country profiles, promotion of the WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Dashboard, and recommendations to support national food safety actions. Deliverable 2.3: Draft technical resources on selected priority hazards, including summaries of the public health burden, prevention and control options, key messages and references to relevant WHO guidance and tools. Deliverable 2.4: Develop communication and advocacy materials related to the estimates and priority hazards, including fact sheets, web content, infographics, social media content, key messages and frequently asked questions, in coordination with relevant technical and communication colleagues. Deliverable 2.5: Support regional and country-focused webinars, briefings and technical discussions on interpretation and use of the estimates, including the preparation of presentations, background materials and summary reports. Output 3: Support collaboration with WHO Collaborating Centres and technical partners working on food safety in the Western Pacific Region (January Deliverable 3.1: Identify opportunities to leverage the expertise of WHO Collaborating Centres, in accordance with their approved workplans, to support implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety and activities related to priority foodborne hazards in the Western Pacific Region and propose one or two specific activities for implementation by the Centres, in accordance with their approved workplans. Deliverable 3.2: Support monitoring of WHO Collaborating Centres' workplan implementation and develop recommendations to strengthen collaboration to enhance their contribution to regional food safety activities. Output 4: Contribute to ongoing food safety programme activities and cross-cutting technical products and efforts (January Deliverable 4.1: Contribute to activities supporting Member State engagement in Codex Alimentarius processes and related regional initiatives. Deliverable 4.2: Support the planning and implementation of meetings, workshops, webinars and technical consultations, including preparation of technical documents, presentations and meeting reports. Deliverable 4.3: Support the identification and implementation of collaborative activities between food safety and nutrition programmes. Deliverable 4.4: Undertake other tasks directly related to the deliverables above, within the Nutrition and Food Safety Unit, as specifically agreed in advance with the Responsible Officer. Qualifications, experienc