October 20, 2023

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

FOR THREE REPRESENTATIVES OF CIVIL SOCIETY 

IN THE INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT BOARD OF REFORM, RECOVERY AND

 RECONSTRUCTION FRAMEWORK (3RF)

Launch: 20 October 2023 

Deadline: 15 December 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. 
  5. A dedicated Technical Team and Secretariat providing support to the institutional arrangements, helping to facilitate 3RF implementation.

The inclusion of civil society in the governance and implementation of reform, recovery, and reconstruction is a core principle of the 3RF. Civil society is therefore represented in the 3RF Consultative Group, the LFF Partnership Council and Working Groups.

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 three new civil society representatives (“Civil Society Organizations” – CSOs) in the IOB replacing the first three civil society representatives that were named in June 2021.

CSOs 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 IOB, CSOs may include (i) NGOs with expertise related to inclusion, transparency, and accountability, (ii) representatives of academia/think tanks/citizen initiatives or other community-based organizations, and (iii) professional and/or business/private sector associations. Individual companies/businesses are not eligible to apply.

CSOs need to take note that participation in the IOB is not compatible with participation in the 3RF Consultative Group. In case a CSO has been selected for the Consultative Group and wishes to apply for a role in the IOB, this CSO needs to withdraw from the Consultative Group.

THE INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT BOARD (IOB)

The IOB serves as an independent mechanism for representatives from civil society and other institutions to provide broad oversight on 3RF implementation and hold 3RF stakeholders (i.e., government, civil society, and development partners) and implementing organizations accountable for overall 3RF progress.

The IOB’s functions are:

i)    Deliver credible, non-partisan assessments of the implementation of the 3RF’s guiding principles, in particular: (a) inclusion and leaving no one behind, (b) transparency and accountability, including anti-corruption, and (c) two-way communication and grassroots outreach.      
ii)    Conduct independent review and validation of the 3RF’s implementation progress by issuing regular opinions, recommendations or reports notably on progress in the implementation of policy actions and reforms.      
iii)    Monitor the implementation of CG decisions and follow up actions.      
iv)    Provide policy recommendations to the 3RF CG, based on its own findings and inputs from civil society and other stakeholders, and on the basis of documents and reports received from the Secretariat and 3RF stakeholders, including audit reports.      
v)    Advise on- and provide recommendations on the design and terms of reference of mid-term reviews and final evaluations of the 3RF and the LFF and contribute to these processes from the IOB’s perspectives.      
vi)    Provide technical recommendations to the 3RF Secretariat on the operationalization of activities related to communications, citizen engagement, functioning of the working groups, , and transparency (including potential corruption risks) and suggest priority areas for action. For example, IOB could recommend that Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) be conducted for a specific sector, or a social audit for a project      
vii)    Encourage and promote the use of the 3RF’s citizen engagement, grievance redress and whistleblower mechanisms.      
viii)    Communicate IOB? decisions, findings, achievements, and concerns to the wider public by sharing regular and timely information on the 3RF including progress assessments, IOB findings and recommendations, signed Conflict of Interest disclosures, etc.

-    The number of representatives on the IOB: 6 members representing a diversity of expertise related to the 3RF core sectors, and the functions of the IOB. In line with the values and principles of the 3RF, gender parity and inclusive/diverse membership in the IOB will be sought.

-    The 3RF Core Sectors are:

  1. Justice and human rights, anti-corruption, public procurement, public administration, public financial management.
  2. Macro-economy, business enabling environment policy.
  3. Social protection, health, education.
  4. Electricity, urban policy, transport.

- IOB representation is at the individual level with the approval and endorsement of the organization the individual is associated with. Organizations can choose to nominate a staff, a representative from a member organization (for networks), a board member, or an independent representative that will represent them on the IOB.

-  Membership in the IOB is on a pro bono basis, i.e., representatives do not receive compensation or payment to serve on the IOB. Technical support to the IOB will be made available through the 3RF Secretariat. Targeted support for capacity building and/or coaching to IOB members and/or their organizations may be made available by development partners supporting the 3RF. The IOB has access to information and documentation and will be able to advise on the design and later utilize the citizen engagement and monitoring tools that will be put in place by the 3RF Secretariat.

Selection Qualifications:      
Eligibility criteria for the nominating CSO:

Expertise: CSOs should have expertise in ethical, credible, and impactful interventions in Lebanon related to issues/sectors of relevance to the 3RF as well as experience in working on issues related to transparency, anti-corruption, accountability, citizen engagement, monitoring, and evaluation. CSOs need to also have a track record on the 3RF core values and principles, including social cohesion and inclusion, transparency, and accountability.

Capacity: CSOs must have the administrative capacity and human resources to support their representative on the IOB. The CSO must commit to making resources available to effectively support their nominated representative if selected

Inclusion & non-partisanship: CSOs must be gender-inclusive, i.e. open to all and not discriminate against particular sex or gender identity or expression. CSOs should be non-partisan and undertake activities without regard to any religious community or political affiliation.

Selection criteria for the nominated representative:

Expertise: The CSO should nominate a representative with relevant experience and expertise to act as a credible member of the IOB. The nominee should have demonstrated expertise in 3RF focus areas and/or specialized in issues related to inclusion, transparency, accountability, governance, citizen engagement and/or monitoring.

Capacity: The nominee must commit to make time available to effectively and efficiently fulfill the role as IOB member, if selected. This will entail preparing for and attending meetings, supporting the preparation of written documents (e.g. recommendations, opinions), analysis of data, etc.

Non-partisanship: The nominated candidate should be independent, not politically active, and not affiliated with any political party or movement.       

The CSO submitting an Expression of Interest and/or their nominated candidate will need to disclose any potential conflict of interest (e.g. role in the implementation of a donor or government-funded programs that relate to the 3RF, political affiliation, or political activism). 

During their first meeting, new members will be expected to sign a disclosure statement regarding any Conflict of Interest s/he and their immediate family members may have related to the 3RF. Both the policy and signed statements will be public documents shared on the 3RF website and kept by the Secretariat.

Process for Expressing Interest in the Independent Oversight Board Role:

CSOs interested in nominating a member to the IOB are requested to send their Expression of Interest, duly signed by an authorized representative of the organization to the 3RF Technical Team at the following email address: 3RF_Technical_Team@worldbank.org, by December 15, 2023

The expression of interest should describe:

  1. Mandate, objectives, size of the organization (including membership for umbrella organizations/networks);
  2. Short biography of the nominee (a CV can be annexed);
  3. Motivation and interest of the nominee in being a member of the IOB;
  4. Expertise and capacity of the organization and nominee (see criteria above).

The submission should clearly state the CSO’s contact details as well as the name, title, and contact details of the nominee proposed to represent the CSO in the IOB. The CSO must indicate its registration number/status in Lebanon (if available). The submission should be made in English, using Calibri (body) font size 12 (twelve). It should not exceed three pages (excluding additional annexes, as needed, e.g. full CV of the nominee).

Selections Process:

The selection will be based on an open, transparent process. The review and processing of the Expressions of Interest will be done by a committee representing the 3RF Technical Team, composed of officials from EU, UN and WB and a representative from the three CSOs exiting the IOB.    
A prioritized shortlist of nominees meeting the criteria will be prepared by the 3RF Technical Team in consultation with the advisory group based on the selection criteria. The selection committee will also consider the need for a mix of expertise and to seek an inclusive and diverse membership (e.g. across age, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and ableness). The selection committee may consider identifying representatives for future nominations (i.e. that would be part of the rotation of IOB members).  

The successful applicants will be informed about their selection within one month of the application deadline.   

Thank you for considering this opportunity to help guide and direct the implementation of the 3RF by playing a pivotal role in the Independent Oversight Board. 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 , 25.82 KB)