Digital Health Rights Consultant

The Developed Country NGO Delegation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is looking for a short-term, remote-based consultant to support its digital health and human rights work.

Digital Health and Human Rights Consultant

Terms of Reference

Purpose: Develop a briefing paper to strengthen the Global Fund’s approach to digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence from a human rights-based and community-led perspective.

Application Deadline: 23 February, 2024
Date of Contract: To be completed by 28 June, 2024
Number of Days: 15 days
Remuneration: 450 GBP per day (estimated USD 565 per day) (inclusive of VAT, if required)

Project Aims:

• Build on existing research to identify and illustrate the types of digital rights challenges experienced by Global Fund (GF) communities and civil society at the local and national levels;
• Clarify the mandate of the Global Fund to address the challenges raised, and identify and analyse the available guidance documents in place to support GF country-level planning and proposal development related to the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in health, including where this guidance is effective and where there are gaps in addressing the challenges identified above;
• Outline recommended next steps for the Global Fund Secretariat staff and interested Board delegations to improve the approach to digital technologies and AI at a Partnership level, from a rights-based and community-led perspective; and
• Support the launch of the report, including partner engagement.

Project Summary:
The Developed Country NGO Delegation is seeking a consultant between February to June 2024 to identify and report on the challenges experienced by GF communities and civil society in the digital health transformation from a rights-based perspective and the effectiveness of the guidance in place to support GF-related planning at the national level. This will involve undertaking desk research and approximately 15 interviews, analysing this input, writing a short report with recommendations, and supporting partner engagement and the launch of the report.

Project Details:
The Global Fund is one of the largest investors in digital health in low- and middle-income countries. The increased utilisation of digital and AI tools and platforms, such as for improved diagnosis, surveillance, case management, community-led monitoring and more, have the potential to drive progress across its new strategy. As such, the Global Fund developed a Digital Framework to guide how digital is utilised to drive progress across its 2023-2028 strategy. This is one of the main documents that guides digital initiatives, such as the Digital Health Impact Accelerator. The GF partners with a number of private technology companies to support innovative approaches, such as the recent announcement with Siemens Healthineers to accelerate the adoption of AI in TB diagnosis.

However, there are risks and challenges with the use of digital technologies and AI in health. For example, digitalisation is increasingly a barrier to accessing health, with connectivity barriers contributing to diverse and intersecting ‘digital divides’, thereby exacerbating exclusion. Those who are online are vulnerable to the risks of misinformation and experience risks to their privacy, wellbeing and security. Those who have historically been marginalised are often the most at risk of online violence, cyberbullying, surveillance, extortion, blackmail, and more.

The Developed Country NGO Delegation is seeking a consultant to report on the challenges experienced by GF communities and civil society in the digital health transformation from a rights-based perspective, assess the quality of guidance in place to address such challenges in the planning process, and provide recommendations for improvements.

First, the report should identify and illustrate the types of challenges in the digital health transformation experienced by community and civil society organisations that need to be addressed by the Global Fund. This will be based on existing research by organisations associated with the GF civil society and community delegation members, and complemented by interviews with civil society and community experts, Global Fund Secretariat staff and Technical partners. The consultant will identify the types of challenges experienced at a local or national level, which would include three (3) brief case studies.

Second, the consultant will summarise the GF’s mandate and responsibilities to address such challenges, considering its strategy and role of Technical partners at a country-level, and analyse the effectiveness of the guidance in place for country teams and CCMs to address digital technologies and AI-related challenges in grant planning. This will be completed through desk research, including documents such as Information Notes, Technical Guidance, etc.

Finally, the consultant should lay out a set of recommendations and the case for taking them forward for strengthening a rights-based approach to digital technologies and AI at the Global Fund and eliminating identified challenges. This should include practical recommendations to take forward in the short-term, possibly including policy amendments to be considered in the upcoming GF Committee and Board meetings in 2024.

The consultant would be expected to identify and gather the relevant documents for desk research and analysis; organise and undertake approximately 15 interviews (identified in collaboration with the delegation); and lead on drafting and managing one round of delegation feedback (allowing a 7 -10 day period for feedback) on the report.

Once the report is finalised, the consultant will support a public launch of the report (TBC in June) and provide technical assistance in delegation meetings with partners to brief them on the report.

It is estimated this will require approximately 15 days’ work. The start date is flexible but the deadline for completion is 28 June 2024.

Deliverables*:

• Selected interviews undertaken and a skeleton report (i.e an outline of the structure), agreed with the delegation contact point. Associated outputs: Transcripts and recordings (if consent provided) from approximately 15 interviews.
• Interim recommendations shared with delegation contact point.
• A report that articulates the types of challenges experienced by communities and civil society in the use of digital technologies and AI in health and the responsibilities of the GF to respond, analyses the quality of guidance available on the issue and makes recommendations for improvements (approx 12-15 pages altogether).
• Technical assistance and briefing relevant partners in engagement meetings in June.
• Support launch of report among community and civil society platforms ahead of the July Committee meetings.

*Completion dates to be clarified with the consultant upon contractual agreement.

Apply by 23 February, 2024:

Interested candidates should send the following:

• Curriculum Vitae (maximum two pages);
• Cover letter with the narrative providing an overview of the approach used for this project (maximum 1 page);
• One letter of reference (maximum 1 page) OR sample publication from a previous client.

For more information on the Developed Country NGO Delegation, please visit our website at www.developedngo.org. Applications should be submitted to Constituency Focal Point, Ms. Bryn Gay at bryn.marie.gay@gmail.com.

The Developed Country NGO Delegation does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, colour, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, personal appearance, family responsibility, political affiliation or any other status protected by applicable law.