Consultancy to develop an advocacy plan to support adoption of Thailand’s draft Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health Act (the Marketing Act), UNICEF Thailand Country Office, Bangkok, Job No #580316

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfilling their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a better future

UNICEF works to ensure the rights of all children in the East Asia and Pacific Region. This means the rights of every child living in this country, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or ethnicity, to:

• survival – to basic healthcare, peace and security;
• development – to a good education, a loving home and adequate nutrition;
• protection – from abuse, neglect, trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation; and
• participation – to express opinions, be listened to and take part in making any decisions that affect them

How can you make a difference?

While Thailand has been relatively successful in reducing undernutrition in children over the last few decades, there are still pockets of undernutrition among the poorest populations. At the same time, Thailand is experiencing a rapid increase in overweight and obesity. In the last 15 years, overweight and obesity prevalence has more than doubled among children under 5 years of age and quadrupled in 5–18-year-olds. An estimated 2.5 million Thai children are now overweight or obese. The cost to health and to the economy is significant. Overweight and obesity are associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes type II, cardiovascular diseases, certain forms of cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and premature mortality. It can also lead to depression and lower school attainment.

Overweight and obesity in Thailand is closely associated with changes in diet from fresh, local foods to higher consumption of ultra-processed foods full of unhealthy fats, sugar, and salt. Thailand now ranks highest among 54 low- and middle-income countries for adolescent fast-food intake and sales of ultra-processed food and drink are rapidly increasing. These changes are being driven by the food environment in which access to healthy foods is decreasing while ultra-processed products are abundant, cheap, and heavily marketed.

The Royal Thai Government, under the guidance of the Department of Health (DoH), is addressing nutrition challenges through a variety of legislative, policy, and programmatic efforts. One key initiative is the draft Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health Act (the Marketing Act). This proposed legislation aims to restrict the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages across all channels and in areas where children are present. Before advancing to the Cabinet for ratification, the legislation requires approval from the Minister of Public Health.

While the draft legislation is a significant step forward, there are challenges related to political support, as well as limited awareness and engagement from civil society groups and the public. Recognizing the importance of broader advocacy, the DoH has initiated efforts to build support for the legislation, and various stakeholders have undertaken individual actions. However, there is a clear need for a cohesive and comprehensive advocacy strategy with defined goals, objectives, activities, and indicators to ensure better coordination and sustained efforts. To address this, the DoH has requested support from UNICEF Thailand Country Office (TCO) in developing such a strategy.

UNICEF Thailand Country Office is seeking an advocacy expert to develop an advocacy strategy for the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health Act to strengthen UNICEF TCO’s nutrition support to the Royal Thai Government.

Work assignment and deliverables:

Assignment 1: Prepare a draft advocacy strategy for advancing the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health Act. The strategy will be informed by a desk review of documents provided by UNICEF, including findings from an advocacy environment and political power mapping exercise conducted by UNICEF. The draft strategy needs to be aligned with UNICEF’s Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents Advocacy Strategy and Guidance.

This task will involve:

• Reviewing key documents provided by UNICEF in English and Thai, in relation to the Draft Law. These documents include a political power and advocacy environment mapping exercise conducted by UNICEF with key stakeholders, including policymakers, government officials, civil society representatives, and other relevant actors, to gather insights on the political landscape surrounding the Marketing Act.
• Develop draft advocacy strategy for the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health Act (the Marketing Act) in English.

The draft strategy should include the following components:

1. Purpose and Background: Provide an overview of the context, including the importance of the Marketing Act and its potential impact on children’s health.

2. Advocacy Goal and Objectives: Clearly define the overarching advocacy goal and specific, measurable objectives to be achieved.

3. Advocacy Actions: Outline key actions to be taken, including specific initiatives, campaigns, or activities designed to build support for the Marketing Act.

4. Advocacy Timeline and Indicators: Develop a timeline for implementation, accompanied by measurable indicators to monitor progress and effectiveness.

5. Key Audiences: Identify primary and secondary audiences critical to the advocacy effort, including policymakers, civil society, and the general public.

6. Key Messages: Craft clear, evidence-based, and persuasive messages tailored to the identified audiences.

7. Challenges and Mitigation Strategies: Anticipate potential challenges and barriers and propose practical strategies to address them effectively.

8. Funding and Sustainability: Identify potential funding sources and governance structures to ensure sustainability.

Expected deliverable: Draft advocacy strategy in English

Delivery Schedule: 18 April 2025 (13 days)

Assignment 2: Facilitate a 2-day participatory workshop with key agencies and stakeholders who are actively engaged in or have the potential to advocate for the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health Act. The workshop will serve as a platform to present, discuss, and refine the draft advocacy strategy based on collective input.

Key tasks under this assignment include:

1. Develop workshop agenda and methodology:

• Develop a detailed agenda for the workshop, ensuring adequate time for presentations, discussions, and consensus-building.
• Prepare necessary materials, including the draft advocacy strategy, discussion guides, and supporting documents.

2. Presentation of the draft advocacy strategy:

• Provide a clear and comprehensive presentation of the draft advocacy strategy, outlining its purpose, goals, objectives, proposed actions, timeline, and key messages.
• Highlight areas requiring input or further refinement from stakeholders.

3. Facilitated discussions:

• Engage participants in focused discussions to gather their feedback, suggestions, and concerns regarding the draft strategy.
• Use breakout sessions or working groups to address specific components of the strategy, such as advocacy actions, messaging, and mitigation strategies.

4. Consensus building and agreement:

• Facilitate discussions to achieve consensus on key amendments to the advocacy strategy.
• Identify priority actions and next steps for stakeholders to take ownership and coordinate efforts moving forward.

5. Documentation and follow-up:

• Prepare a workshop report summarizing key discussions, agreed amendments, and recommendations.
• Incorporate agreed changes into the advocacy strategy and share the updated draft with stakeholders for final review and endorsement.

Expected deliverable: Advocacy strategy workshop convened and report with key findings submitted in English.

Delivery Schedule: 1st May 2025 (4 days)

Assignment 3: Develop a final advocacy strategy for advancing the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health Act, incorporating feedback and inputs received during the stakeholder workshop.

Key tasks under this assignment include:

1. Incorporate workshop feedback:

• Review and analyze the feedback, suggestions, and agreed amendments from the workshop.
• Adjust the draft strategy to reflect stakeholder input and ensure alignment with shared priorities and recommendations.

2. Refine strategy components:

• Strengthen each section of the strategy, including the purpose, background, advocacy goals and objectives, actions, timeline, key audiences, key messages, and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure clarity, coherence, and actionable details in all components of the strategy.

3. Validate changes:

• Share the revised strategy with key stakeholders, as necessary, to confirm that their feedback has been accurately reflected and to gather any final inputs.

4. Prepare final deliverable:

• Ensure the final advocacy strategy is professionally formatted, concise, and ready for dissemination.

Expected deliverable: Final advocacy strategy

Delivery Schedule: 15 May 2025 (4 days)

Duration of Contract: 25 March 2025 – 15 June 2025

Duty Travel: One trip to Thailand is required if the consultant is not based in Thailand.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Qualifications or specialized knowledge/experience required

1. University Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in communication, public advocacy, social science, political science, international relations, human rights.

2. At least 10 years of professional experience in the area of policy advocacy, advocacy capacity building, and workshop facilitation.

3. Proven track record of advocacy work, including development of advocacy strategies with other UNICEF offices and UN agencies

4. Able to conduct a 2-day workshop in Thailand.

5. Good understanding of Thailand’s socio-economic, political, and cultural background and Thai language proficiency is an asset.

6. Proficient in English speaking and writing. Thai language is an asset.

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, technical proposal, and financial proposal by 13 March 2025.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

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