Background
WHO estimates suggest that around 7 million deaths each year are attributed to exposure air pollution from diseases including pneumonia, stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. The air pollution impacting our lungs are also negatively impacting our climate. Ensuring clear and effective communication of the science and evidence around air pollution, climate change and health, and related health-wise interventions is key to protecting public health.
As part of it’s work, the Climate, Energy and Air Quality team, of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and One Health, promotes and supports the health sector address the health risks of air pollution, and climate change through understanding the health evidence around risk, and effective interventions in economic sectors (e.g housing, transport, energy). The CEA team is also responsible for the dissemination of WHO air quality guidelines, providingbthe technical guidance to support the guideline implementation and increasing public awareness about air pollution, climate change, and energy access.
CEA seeks to improve health through the dissemination and adoption of air quality guidelines, as well as the sustained adoption of clean and sustainable energy in households and health care facilities, through activities aimed to:
- Disseminate knowledge and information related to the exposure to air pollution and related disease burden
- Increase awareness and build support among policy-makers, implementing partners and the public about the importance of clean air and the role that it plays in improving health and equity of the poorest populations.
- Leverage the health argument, to strengthen the political and technical commitment and cooperation between the health, energy and other sectors to reduce air pollution exposure.
- Build the capacity of countries to develop, implement and monitor ‘health-wise’ policies related to the different economic sectors and settings, as well as the energy transition via the development and application of tools and resources.
An important element of rolling out this work, is ensuring such technical information and guidance are properly disseminated and communicated to the appropriate audiences for public health impact.
Deliverables
In close cooperation with the CEA technical unit and Department of Communications (DCO) at WHO, the incumbent will:
- Coordinate the preparation and dissemination of expert video interviews and technical information resources on air pollution and health from the 2nd WHO GLobal conference on air pollution and health via WHO official channels (e.g., WHO website)
- Prepare and disseminate material for an ongoing social media package around health, air pollution, climate change and energy accesslinkages that could be used for outreach at upcoming high-level events and technical launches.
- Prepare the visual content for the CEA and HEPA websites – through editorial review, identification of pictures, suggestion of new content and ensuring technical and communication materials are easily accessible and/or easy to navigate.
- Contribute to the drafting, review and production of policy briefs, related key messages and communication materials related to a systematic review on black carbon and health report, ‘best buys’ for air pollution report(s), children’s health and air pollution joint report with Unicef, SDG 7 Tracking Progress report, HEPA activities, UN Energy Clean Cooking Substantive Priority Action, Air Pollution and Health Training Toolkit, and launch of updated health and air pollution statistics.
- Facilitate project communications and outreach activities related to conferences, side events, and global meetings (e.g., World Health Assembly, High-level Political Forum), as well as joint campaigns (e.g. BreatheLife) and webinars.
- Provide strategic guidance, technical content and interface support for the BreatheLife joint UN campaign
- Prepare communication materials including flyers, website updates, videos, social media messages, etc around updated statistics related to air pollution, climate change, energy access and health for WHO technical staff and senior management
- Facilitate and manage media inquiries related to air pollution, and climate change from DCO in cooperation with technical counterparts
- Prepare speeches and talking points - for senior technical staff at WHO around health, energy climate change and air pollution to be used events, social media outreach, conferences, etc.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications
Essential: Advance university degree in communications or environmental health studies.
Experience
Essential:
- Minimum of 5 to 10 years of experience preparing communication or advocacy materials related to public health in relation to environmental and sustainable development issues.
- Experience in synthesizing and distilling scientific information into policy briefs and summary documents, as well as informative videos for online and social media.
- Experience in preparing documents and briefings for publication (including editing and layout processes)
- Prior work with communications around health statistics and best ensuring their accurate interpretation
- Experience preparing training materials or videos for capacity-building activities.
- Experience in preparing speeches for senior-level administrators on topics related air quality, energy, climate change and health.
- Practicum experience in planning and executing events at conferences, or other outreach opportunities.
- Experience managing and coordinating joint activities across different stakeholders and agencies.
Desirable:
- Familiarity with energy access and health issues, particularly those related to household energy use and/or electrification of health care facilities.
- Experience working within the UN system.
Skills/Knowledge
- Excellent communications and editorial skills
- Excellent intercultural skills
- Strong web-content and development skills. Familiarity with Sitefinity is an asset
- Excellent knowledge of MS-Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Knowledge of video preparation, video content development and production
- Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines
- Coordinate and liaise effectively with team members and external stakeholders
Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert)
Essential: Expert knowledge of English and French.
Desirable: Expert knowledge of French and additional languages.
Technical supervision
Hiring Manager: Heather Adair-Rohani ; Collaborators: Pierpaulo Mudu, Sophie Gumy ; Admin focal point: Carine Cruz Payan, Emilie Eretzian.
If you are interested, please send your CV by 10 March 2026 to adairrohanih@who.int and add "Consultancy – Technical communications, public health, air pollution, energy access, climate change" to the email's subject.
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