INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, with the mission to connect the world. To achieve this, ITU manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits at the international level, works to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishes global standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communication systems.
Roster-Consultant for Capacity Development in Law Enforcement and Judiciary for Parliamentarians
Vacancy notice no: 1648
Sector: BDT
Department: DDR
Country of contract: Remote
Duty station: Home Based
Position number: [[positionNumber]]
Grade: [[PositionGrade]]
Type of contract: Roster
Duration of contract: 20 days (10 days work at home, 5 days mission on the ground, and 5 days for final report drafting)
Recruitment open to: External
Application deadline (Midnight Geneva Time): 31 December 2024
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT
The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is responsible for the organization and coordination of the work of the Telecommunication Development Sector of the Union. BDT deals mainly with development policies, strategies, programming, projects, as well as technical cooperation activities to enable and foster universal access to affordable, high-quality and secure telecommunications/ICTs and Foster equitable and inclusive use of telecommunications/ICTs to empower people and societies for sustainable development. To effectively and efficiently serve the needs of Member States, BDT is organized into four functional areas:
• Operations Coordination Department (Office of the Deputy to the Director)
• Projects, Partnerships & Digital Skills Department (PPS)
• Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE)
• Digital Knowledge Society Department (DKS)
The Office of the Deputy to the Director and Operations Coordination Department are responsible for ensuring operation readiness and providing support for the functioning of the regional offices and headquarters in Geneva, especially the implementation of projects and programmes. Functional areas, such as meetings, fellowship and IT support reports to this Department. The unit for special attention in all aspects related to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDs is the responsibility of this Department. The Deputy to the Director is responsible for assisting and advising the Director in the direction and management of the Bureau including on all questions related to personnel, financial and operational planning process. The Department is responsible for leading the operational planning and implementation support, within the framework of the Action Plan. The Department is also responsible for coordinating conferences and events, editorial works and documentation control, monitoring the implementation of decisions emanating from ITU and BDT governing bodies, including TDAG, Council, Conferences and Assemblies of the other Sectors on matters of relevance to BDT. The Department is responsible for coordination of the Bureau's cooperation with other Sectors and General Secretariat.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ITU has been working with ECOWAS parliament on the Inter-Parliamentarian Forum on ICT (FITIC) organization. The FITIC relies on the Africa Union 2020-2030 digital transformation strategy adopted by Africa Heads of States Summit held in Addis Ababa from 9 to 10 February 2020. The key pillars of that strategy were among others the data governance framework, the digital agriculture development strategy, the master plan for digital identification and the implementation strategy, the digital health development strategy; and the Lomé declaration on cybersecurity, the prevention of cybercrime and the digital single market. The FITIC aims to create awareness and sensitization among West African parliamentarians on ICT related issues and to ease adoption of law-bills pertaining to the ICT sector to create a real enabling environment for ICT development.
Several stakeholders have joined effort for the FITIC, namely ECOWAS parliament, the Ministry of Post and Digital Economy of Niger, UNECA, WAEMU (West African Economic and Monetary Union), BCEAO (West African Central Bank), BOAD (West African Development Bank), OIF (Francophonie), ARCEP (regulator of Niger), ANSI (National Digital Society Agency of Niger), HAPDP (National Authority for Personal Data and Privacy Protection of Niger), Telecom operators, many other financial institutions, and ITU that was designated as key technical partner.
The purpose of this Special Service Agreement (SSA) is to establish a roster of consultants, to develop training materials, delivering training to a targeted audience, and in particular to West African parliamentarians, on digital and cyber-legislation to build a critical mass of people aware of ICT legislation for a real uptake of the ICT sector across the continent.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Under the guidance of the ITU Regional Director for Africa with support from Regulatory, Policy and Market Environment (RME), Area Office for West Africa, all relevant colleagues from the ROA, and in close collaboration with the beneficiary counterparts (ECOWAS in this case), the consultant will develop a training program, content, and facilitate the initial workshop. Specifically, he/she will:
1. Develop a list of issues that will form the subject of the training in consultation with key stakeholders and referring to subregional, regional and global cyber laws, policies and regulations. This includes:
- Telecoms/ICT regulations in general.
- Cybersecurity.
- A symphysis of emerging technologies and platforms (IoT, blockchain, big data, AI, platforms for Digital Financial Services, crypto currencies, eHealth)
- Identify the legal imperatives the above presents in the context of ECOWAS subregion.
- Assess existing legal frameworks at sub regional and continental levels and find out how they could best contribute to the promotion of digital economy in West Africa, inform and sensitize West African Parliamentarians on the challenges and opportunities related to ICT development (e.g. cyber-legislation, cyber-resilience, digital inclusion, digital sovereignty, e-services, emerging technologies)
- Reinforce the role and contribution of ECOWAS sub region parliamentarians in the elaboration and adoption of ICT related law bills and their application on the ground for an enabling environment for the ICT sector.
2. Develop a draft agenda in line with above mentioned first point, in consultation with ECOWAS parliament and ITU.
3. Develop training modules customized for ECOWAS subregion taking into consideration the issues identified and referring to the various ITU knowledge sources.
4. Deliver 5 days training to stakeholders (mainly ECOWAS parliamentarians) to raise their awareness on ICT legislation.
5. Propose recommendations and strategies on rollout and partnerships for the delivery of training at national level for ECOWAS countries’ parliaments.
6. Suggest mechanisms for best practices sharing among parliamentarians (e.g. an e-Parliamentarian platform).
CONCRETE DELIVERABLES
- Practical and interactive training handouts on Telecom/ICT cyber-legislation for parliamentarians and decision makers.
- 5-days training session to parliamentarians in law and cyber-legislation.
- Comprehensive mission report including the outcomes of items 1 to 6 mentioned in the ''Terms of Reference'' section.
COMPETENCIES
Technical competencies:
- Ability to draft precise and thorough analytical reports, appropriate recommendations, and guidelines.
- Excellent computer skills and apps.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
Education: University degree in law, cyber-legislation, computer science / telecoms or a related field (science or engineering) with evidence of specialization in these fields or education in a reputed college of advanced education with a diploma of equivalent standard. An advanced degree would be an advantage.
Experience: At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience in the field relevant to the Special Service Agreement (SSA). Extensive practical experience in law, cyber legislation is required.
Good experience and knowledge of telecoms/ICT, ICT sector in general, good understanding of ICT sector challenges in the developing world context is desirable.
Languages: Knowledge of English or French at advanced level. Second language at intermediate level would be an advantage.
REMUNERATION INFORMATION
Daily Fee: from USD 185 to USD 430 to be defined according to the work experience of the consultant.
INFORMATION ON RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the ITU Careers website. The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. ITU uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. Messages originating from a non ITU e-mail account - @itu.int - should be disregarded. ITU does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
ITU applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. ITU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. Achieving gender balance is a high priority for ITU.
