PAHO Consultant - Household Air Pollution and Roadmap Implementation

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

Contractual Agreement:

Non-Staff - International PAHO Consultant

Job Posting:

September 10, 2026

Closing Date:

October 6, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Primary Location:

Off Site

Organization:

DHE Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity

Schedule:

Part time

PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

Air pollution remains a major environmental and public health challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean. The PAHO Roadmap for Action on Air Quality and Health in Latin America and the Caribbean 2026–2031 estimates that approximately 370,000 premature deaths each year are attributable to ambient and household air pollution, while approximately 74 million people continue to rely on polluting fuels for cooking and heating. Household air pollution disproportionately affects women, children, rural populations, Indigenous Peoples, and low-income communities, making the transition to clean household energy an important public health and equity priority.

Following the Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health held in Cartagena, Colombia, and the adoption of the WHO Updated Roadmap for an Enhanced Global Response to the Adverse Health Effects of Air Pollution, PAHO worked with Member States to develop the Regional Roadmap on Air Quality and Health. The Roadmap aligns with the global voluntary target to reduce mortality attributable to anthropogenic air pollution by 50% by 2040. Under Strategic Objective 3, the Roadmap calls for support to clean cooking and energy transition strategies and for development and implementation of the Framework for Validation of the Elimination of the Use of Polluting Fuels for Cooking, linked to PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative.

This consultancy will provide technical and operational support for implementation of the household air pollution components of the Regional Roadmap and the Elimination Initiative, with emphasis on compilation and organization of country information, preparation of practical technical materials, support to country technical cooperation, and monitoring of household air pollution and clean cooking indicators. The Air Quality and Health Advisor in the Unit of Climate Change and Environmental Determinants of Health will coordinate the consultancy.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Description of Deliverables:

The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following products/services with guidance and input from the respective project manager:

1. Regional household air pollution baseline and country prioritization matrix. Compile and organize the latest available country-level information on reliance on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, relevant clean cooking policies and programs, and institutional arrangements. Analyze differences between WHO information and other sources, including data published at the national level. Prepare a regional matrix identifying countries where household air pollution remains a significant concern, available data sources, status of clean cooking or energy transition strategies, and opportunities for PAHO technical cooperation. Include a brief regional summary of findings and a proposed list of priority countries for engagement.
2. Regional technical cooperation package for HAP and clean household energy. Prepare a technical cooperation package integrating Roadmap objectives, country baseline assessments, WHO tools including the Clean Household Energy Solutions Toolkit (CHEST) -https://www.who.int/tools/clean-household-energy-solutions-toolkit, the Elimination Initiative criteria, best practices according to country needs and baseline conditions, funding and implementation partners, and lessons from implementation in selected Member States in which the consultant will participate
3. Household air pollution and Roadmap implementation monitoring tracker. Develop and maintain a tracker to document progress in PAHO technical cooperation related to household air pollution. The tracker should include status of country engagement, implementation of Roadmap Action 3.1, progress related to the Elimination Initiative, available information for the indicator on countries implementing clean cooking/energy transition strategies, the regional outcome indicator on primary reliance on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, technical assistance requests, key activities, data sources, identified data gaps, pending actions, implementation gaps, and follow-up priorities.
4. Implementation report and forward workplan. Prepare a consolidated report summarizing technical cooperation provided to countries, progress in implementation of the elimination criteria, updates to household air pollution and clean cooking indicators, key achievements, challenges, and lessons learned. The report should include recommendations for the next implementation period, a proposed 12-month country-support pipeline and workplan, and the final updated monitoring track.