Information Society (Digital Development) Tunis Expert

Result of ServiceThe incumbent will be responsible for the following: • A high quality and well referenced NDDR and a draft NDDA for Tunis. • The outputs prepared should be in Arabic or English, and in electronic format; in line with the structure of the Guiding manual and its template of five cluster. • The size of submitted output should be around 50 pages (but no more than 80 pages maximum); with a 2 to 4 pages executive summary. The completed parts should be edited and saved in MS-Word (*.docx file) or an alternate compatible format. PDF format will not be accepted. It should include a table of contents to be automatically updated followed by a list of all tables and figures. The various parts should be submitted in electronic form and sent to the email address of the designated focal point. Attention is kindly drawn to the need to ensure that the final draft of the outputs be thoroughly reviewed prior to submission and to indicate the sources of tables and diagrams. References to reports and other substantive material should be clearly indicated within the text and noted at the end. It is also essential to send, with the completed output, photocopies or scans of at least the first page of books, reports and bulletins, used as reference material as well as copies of the pages quoted. The content of the generated document shall be the sole property of ESCWA. The content cannot and must not be presented, discussed or published by the consultant without the express authorization of ESCWA. The consultant shall keep in mind that UN-ESCWA routinely checks all deliverables for plagiarism, using readily available electronic tools. All previously published content, even if written by the selected consultant, must be clearly referenced where required within the text and end-noted at the end of the study. The report submitted by the consultant must not contain quoted and/or previously published text equaling more than 20 per cent of the total number of pages. The consultant shall not publish or announce or reveal the content of the report, partly or entirely, on social media or any other public channel, without ESCWA permission. Work LocationRemote Expected duration3.5 Months Duties and Responsibilities1 Background and Purpose Towards the end of the previous decade, ESCWA launched a programme entitled the Arab States Action Programme on Advancing Digital Cooperation and Development (ASAP-ADCD), based on the urgent need to strengthen the links between ICTs and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), to identify existing gaps and develop a set of measures aimed at achieving these goals. Building on this vision, the National Digital Development Review (NDDR) project was established, to assess (a) the progress made towards harnessing digital technologies for sustainable development, as well as the (b) challenges faced and (c) opportunities identified. The project represents a process that became a cornerstone for understanding national digital realities and guiding future regional actions. Towards this purpose, ESCWA designed a Guiding Template aimed at assisting national focal points and experts in preparing comprehensive reviews and collecting relevant data on digital development. The Guiding Template was structured in line with the ESCWA conceptual framework for digital development, which integrates the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the WSIS action lines. This framework is organized into five clusters: 1. The national, regional, and international strategic frameworks. 2. Policies related to infrastructure, governance, and legal environment. 3. Policies related to digital economy, employment and trade. 4. Policies related to digital transformation and social inclusion. 5. Policies related to culture and media. - The process began with an official invitation from ESCWA to member countries to conduct the first round of National Digital Development Reviews (NDDRs) for individual Arab countries in 2018–2019. The outcomes of these reviews informed the preparation of the Arab Digital Development Report 2019 – Towards Empowerment and Inclusion for All (ADDR 1.0), which represented a regional synthesis and assessment of digital development across the Arab region. - A second round of the NDDR process took place during 2021–2022, resulting in the preparation of NDDRs for 12 participating Arab countries. The collection and analysis of data during this period informed the development of the Arab Digital Development Report 2022 – Towards Empowerment and Inclusion for All (ADDR 2.0). The ADDR serves as the baseline for the Arab Digital Agenda (ADA), and both the report and the agenda follow the same five-cluster structure of the ESCWA conceptual framework. - In response to lessons learned from earlier rounds, ESCWA reviewed the process in 2020 and 2025 and released updated editions of the Guiding Template, developed in consultation with national focal points to address the challenges experienced during the first national reviews. - Within the context of ADCD-ASAP programme; and based on the interest and recommendations of ESCWA member countries (EMCs), the third round/edition of the National Digital Development Reviews (NDDR 3.0) is currently ongoing and planned to be produced during 2025. ESCWA is currently working with member countries participating throughout the process. - It is envisaged that NDDR 3.0 would feed into the ADDR 3.0 and in ADA 2.0. It would naturally be considered as the second biennial baseline for the envisaged regional implementation of the Arab Digital Agenda 2023-2033 and its associated blueprint for policymakers. Also, NDDR 3.0 would identify the gaps and the strengths at national level, that would be the basis to develop a National Digital Development Agenda (NDDA). In this context, Tunis, currently represented by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology, requested UN-ESCWA’s assistance to prepare their NDDR, and their NDDA, through hiring a national expert to assist the team at the ministry in the NDDR and NDDA preparation process of these 2 outputs. The provision of this advisory service is the subject of these terms of reference. 2 Duties and Responsibilities Under the guidance of the director of cluster 4, and the supervision of the Chief of ICT Policies Digital Development on Digital Cooperation at ESCWA and in cooperation with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Tunis, the national expert will be entrusted with the following tasks: a) Make use of the updated ESCWA Guiding manual v. 2.5 to build the structure of the NDDR and its outline. b) Research, gather and compile all needed data according to the main five clusters. c) Coordinate with the NDDR National Focal Point (NFP) to engage concerned partners, entities and stakeholders in providing the data and information needed for the NDDR. d) Make sure to validate and clearly reference, where required, within the text and in endnotes, the data and information presented in the NDDR while Maintaining a comprehensive list of bibliography. e) Produce the full final draft NDDR completely ready for conversion by the country into the full-fledged official national report. f) Assist the Ministry team and ESCWA team, in the development of the NDDA for Tunis, including suggesting a complete semifinal draft of the NDDA based on best practices, gap analysis and national needs; which should include goals, baselines and targets in line with the ADA. Qualifications/special skillsAn advanced university degree in ICT or a related field is required; a Ph.D. is desirable. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 5 years of professional work experience in Technology related issues and research is required. A concrete knowledge in the domain of planning and strategies is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in Arabic is required; Knowledge of English is desirable. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.