April 27, 2023

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

REPRESENTATIVES OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND PRIVATE SECTOR IN THE 

3RF CONSULTATIVE GROUP

Launch: 27 April 2023 

Deadline: 17 May 2023

CONTEXT The Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) is a collaborative and strategic partnership between the Government of Lebanon, civil society actors and the international community. Between 2021 and 2022, the 3RF focused on people-centered recovery, addressing the urgent needs of the people affected by the 4th of August port of Beirut explosion as well as national reforms to pave the way for reconstruction. The people-centered recovery response ended in June 2022. Following extensive consultations on the strategic way forward for the 3RF, both at the technical and at the strategic level, with government representatives, civil society actors and international partners, in 2023, the 3RF focuses on policy dialogue to support the implementation of reforms and the long-term reconstruction of critical assets, services, and infrastructure, enabling sustainable economic recovery across all of Lebanon. The 3RF sets out institutional arrangements that comprise:

  1. A Consultative Group (CG), to serve as a platform for overarching strategic guidance and direction on implementation and for high-level policy dialogue on 3RF priorities;
  2. A Partnership Council (PC) as the governing body for the Lebanon Financing Facility (LFF), which is the trust fund of the 3RF managed by the World Bank;
  3. An Independent Oversight Board (IOB) comprised of civil society representatives providing broad oversight on 3RF implementation progress and use of financing;
  4. Sector Working Groups, serving as inclusive reform and policy dialogue platforms at the technical level; and
  5. A dedicated Technical Team and Secretariat providing support to the institutional arrangements, helping to facilitate 3RF implementation.

As an inclusive platform, the 3RF ensures civil society is represented in the governance and implementation of the 3RF both at the strategic level in the CG and the LFF PC as well as at the technical level in the sector Working Groups. The civil society organization (CSO) representatives in the 3RF CG first convened for the first meeting of the CG on 31 March 2021, with two rotations each mandated for a year. This Call is published, as the mandate of the second rotation of CSOs in the 3RF CG is coming to an end in April 2023, and in line with the CG co-chair statement published in April 2023. This Call for Expression of Interest is being issued by the EU-UN-World Bank 3RF Technical Team and aims to facilitate the nomination of a third rotation of civil society representation at the strategic level in the CG. Civil society actors are non-State, not-for-profit, voluntary entities formed by people in the social sphere representing a wide range of interests and ties. In the context of the 3RF, civil society actors include representatives of the professional associations, private/economic sector, and networks. 3RF CONSULTATIVE GROUP The CG aims to achieve the following strategic planning objectives:

  1. Providing strategic guidance and direction for implementation of the 3RF;
  2. Ensuring strategic coordination, harmonization and alignment of civil society resources to 3RF priorities;
  3. Reviewing and monitoring progress in implementation of the 3RF; and
  4. Communicating results and undertaking strategic initiatives.

The CG has a tripartite structure, including representatives from the Government and parliament, civil society and development partners. It has met four times thus far, and is expected to meet twice a year, depending on how the political situation unfolds. The CG has a total of 28 members, with nine representatives for each component of the government and parliament, and the civil society components, and 10 representatives for development partners. There are four co-chairs representing the CG: government; civil society; donors/development partners, and the UN. Civil society and donor representation may be assigned on a yearly rotation basis. Membership in the CG is on a pro bono basis. With the support of the 3RF Secretariat, the role of civil society representatives in the CG will include the following:

  1. Prepare and contribute views and positions in CG meetings, including on 3RF priorities, implementation challenges and ways of working;
  2. Contribute to communicating and sharing feedback from CG discussions with other civil society actors and ensure information-sharing;
  3. Collectively represent the CG in Working Groups, ensure civil society participation in various Working Groups, act as a bridge between technical and strategic discussions;
  4. Follow up on CG decisions and next steps including by mobilizing civil society expertise in Working Groups;
  5. Promote the 3RF, its approach and results; and
  6. Prepare and/or contribute to working documents and civil society initiatives

It is expected that the civil society representatives participating in the CG would have to commit at least one-two days every two months to participating in meetings, reviewing and/or commenting on documents, providing feedback and undertaking follow-up, and developing/supporting initiatives. PROPOSED COMPOSITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY CG MEMBERSHIP (9 MEMBERS) Civil society representatives will be selected for the following categories (distribution of seats is indicative):

  1. National and international non-governmental organizations (with a preference for umbrella organizations or networks) – two seats
  2. Academic, policy-oriented research institutes, think-tanks, foundations – three seats
  3. Citizen-based and grassroots advocacy initiatives or organizations – two seats
  4. Professional associations, private/economic sector – two seats

SELECTION CRITERIA FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS In line with the new agreed upon mandate of the 3RF, the following criteria will be applied to select civil society representatives for the CG:

  • Reform expertise: demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following area(s) is essential:
    • Drafting laws and lobbying for their adoption, including through building the lobbying capacity of grassroots entities;
    • Building the evidence base for reforms and policies through research and documentation;
    • Raising awareness about laws, reforms, or policies, making them accessible to the public;
    • Implementation of laws, in a supporting function to the state.
  • Sector specific expertise: demonstrated reform or policy expertise in one or more of the following sectors is desirable:
    • Justice and human rights, including gender-equality-related legislation, anti-corruption, public administration, public financial management;
    • Macro-economy, business enabling environment policy;
    • Social protection, health, education;
    • Electricity, urban policy, transport;
  • Track record: CSOs should have a track record of credible, transparent, ethical and impactful interventions in Lebanon; experience in multi-stakeholder coordination is desirable for the NGO and professional association seats. A minimum of five years of experience for NGOs and professional/business associations and of one year for other civil society actors is required. Civil society actors also need to have a track record on core values and principles, including inclusion, transparency, and accountability.
  • Capacity: Civil society representatives must have the administrative capacity and human resources to engage in the CG. They must commit to make time and resources available to effectively and efficiently perform their role as representatives, if and when selected.
  • Inclusion and non-partisanship: Civil society entities must be gender-inclusive, i.e. open to all and not discriminate against a particular sex or gender identity or expression. Civil society actors representing youth, disabled and other vulnerable categories will be favorably considered. Civil society entities should provide services and or undertake activities without regard to any religious community or political affiliation.
  • Membership in other 3RF institutional arrangements: It should be noted that participation in the CG is not compatible with participation in the IOB. In case a civil society actor is selected for the CG and wishes to apply for a role in the IOB, this actor needs to withdraw from the CG and vice versa. However, civil society actors who are active in the 3RF sector Working Groups or are currently members of the CG and meet the selection criteria are encouraged to (re)submit an Expression of Interest. It should be noted that when civil society actors in the CG have access to information about pipeline projects due to their CG membership, this may preclude them from applying to implement those projects if a conflict of interest is identified by the entity responsible for the project.

PROCESS FOR EXPRESSING INTEREST IN CONSULTATIVE GROUP ROLE Civil society actors interested in pursuing this opportunity are requested to fill in the annexed Expression of Interest form, duly signed by an authorized representative of the organization and send it to the 3RF Technical Team at the following email address: 3RF_Technical_Team@worldbank.org, by Wednesday, 17 May 2023. SELECTION PROCESS The selection will be based on an open, transparent process. The review and processing of the Expressions of Interest will be done by the 3RF Technical Team and Secretariat, composed of officials from EU, UN and WB, in cooperation with current civil society members of the CG who do not wish to reapply but would like to be part of the selection committee. The scoring results of shortlisted civil society actors will be shared with the members of the IOB for any comments especially regarding due diligence in the selection process. The selection of civil society actors will aim to achieve full gender balance in terms of individual representatives across the available seats. Nominations will be made for the years 2023 and 2024, taking into account annual rotation. The representatives mentioned in the selected submissions will be informed within a month of the application deadline. The result for each category will be communicated by the 3RF Technical Team to the principal representatives of the UN, WB and EU in the 3RF as well as the CG co-chairs, and will be published on the 3RF website. Thank you for considering this opportunity to help guide and direct the implementation of the 3RF by playing a pivotal role in the CG. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the 3RF Technical team at the following email address: 3RF_Technical_Team@worldbank.org  

Download related EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM (DOCUMENT , 21.09 KB)