استشاري Social Consultant

The Palestinian Liberation Organization has received a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for USD 20 million for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to finance the Digital West Bank & Gaza Project (the Project). The Project will seek to produce concrete and tangible results for the Palestinians by enhancing access to high-speed broadband services and increasing access to selected e-services for citizens and businesses. The Project will focus on key points to unleash digital transformation in the Palestinian territories, addressing some of the bilateral challenges that prevent digital transformation from achieving its full potential. It will strengthen the Palestinian territories' digital resilience and the PA's ability to respond to shocks such as COVID-19.

The project takes a multi-disciplinary approach to support the digital transformation and resilience of the West Bank and Gaza. The project is being implemented and overseen by the Ministry of Telecom and IT (MTIT); currently, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy (MTDE) until the project completion.

The project has the following four components:
1. Enabling legal and regulatory environment for Digital Economy, mainly institutional development including the development of section Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and root Certificate Authority; legal and regulatory framework; a Quality-of-Service platform; and capacity building.
2. Implementing Digital Infrastructure Solutions for Emergency Response, Recovery and Resilience which includes the development of an emergency response centre.
3. Fostering User Centered E-Service Delivery, which includes the establishment of a whole government digital transformation strategy, data infrastructure, support for a digital public platform and prioritization, simplification and digitization of services, the launch of e-services, and implementation of an e-Government Procurement (e-GP) System.
4. Project Management, which will support the establishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU) in MTDE.
As part of the DWBG project commitment to the Environmental and Social Safeguards and standards (ESS), MTDE’s Project Management Unit (PMU) recently appointed a new Environmental and Social Officer (ESO) in August 2024. This appointment follows a vacancy that began in July 2023 after the resignation of the previous ESO, which led to a backlog of Environmental and Social (E&S) commitments and actions. The new ESO has been actively working to address these actions and fulfill E&S commitments, ensuring compliance with the DWBG’s Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) in alignment with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and applicable national requirements.
Overview: 
The Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy (MTDE) is seeking an individual consultant to assist the Project Management Unit (PMU) in strengthening the social aspects of the Digital West Bank & Gaza Project (DWBG). This includes providing capacity building for the Environmental and Social Officer (ESO), addressing and strengthening stakeholder engagement, designing citizen feedback mechanisms, improving grievance redressal mechanisms, and promoting gender-responsive and socially inclusive practices. The consultant will support the PMU in integrating social safeguards into project implementation while enhancing the capacity of the complaint unit and ensuring robust stakeholder engagement strategies.
Through these efforts, the consultancy aims to promote inclusive, responsive, and socially responsible project implementation, ensuring the DWBG project meets its environmental and social obligations while fostering positive social outcomes for all stakeholders.
The consultancy will focus on strengthening the social aspects of the Digital West Bank and Gaza (DWBG) Project, supporting the Project Management Unit (PMU) and the ESO in addressing key social commitments in line with the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) and the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). 

Full Terms of Reference is available at Social Consultant ToR

Deadline for submission 25/01/2025.

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• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies or other Social Sciences, similar experience may cover the degree.
• 10 years minimum experience in the domain with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in capacity building, facilitation of trainings and workshops on citizen engagement, communication skills, SDGs and relevant regional and international Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE) and human rights frameworks at national, regional and international levels.
• Experience working with governmental, intergovernmental and/or regional organizations, previous experience with World Bank and International Development Agencies is an asset.
• ICT relevant Professional experience including Gender in ICT experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of Environmental and Social frameworks and standards including the World Bank ESF, or similar, is preferable.
• Excellent knowledge of written and oral communication in Arabic and English.
• Full command of Microsoft application, particularly Word, Excel & PowerPoint, and other relevant software and digital skills.

Application:

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