Review of Legislations and Policies Impacting Elderly in Lebanon

Terms of Reference

Review of Legislations and Policies Impacting Elderly in Lebanon

 

Population and Development Project (Ministry of Social Affairs- United Nations Population Fund
Lebanon)

 

Purpose and Rationale

In response to the UNFPA supported Country Programme’s output: “Enhanced Capacity to Utilize Data for Integrating Population Dynamics, Reproductive Health and Gender-Equality Concerns into Development Planning and Monitoring Processes, at National, Sectoral and Local Levels”, the Population and Development (PD), a joint collaboration between the Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA) and UNFPA – aims at “Enhancing the capacities of MOSA in strategizing and mainstreaming Population and Development priorities and concepts – particularly ageing issues - within their plans and programmes both centrally and through selected Social Development Centers. More specifically, the PD provides a road map towards the support of MOSA’s leading role in fostering policy dialogue on ageing, strengthening the National Commission on Elderly Affairs in Lebanon (NCEA) and its technical secretariat (TS), as well as the work on standards for institutions that provide services to the elderly in Lebanon.

The PD Annual Workplan for 2013 consists of a series of activities towards the above output, mainly in terms of generating knowledge base to support policies on ageing, and strengthening the role of MOSA as a pioneer and leader on all matters related to integrating ageing issues in national development plans.

In light of the above, the PD Project is seeking services of a consultant/firm for the execution of the activity related to the “Review of Laws and Draft Laws as well as Policies Impacting Elderly in Lebanon” and in comparison to other countries preferably in the Arab region.

This consultancy aims at reviewing and scrutinizing relevant Lebanese laws and draft laws as well as national policies and strategies that are either directly pertaining to the Elderly and/or reflecting ageing and older people with due attention to gender dimensions. The study will identify gaps and priorities for pushing forward legislative and policy efforts with various actors i.e. Parliament, line Ministries, Civil Society Organizations, etc. The findings of this study will allow all concerned players i.e. PD project, the NCEA and the Department of Family Affairs (DFA) at MOSA, other sector ministries i.e. Ministry of Public Health, etc to exert focused and coordinated efforts (advocacy, technical, data generation, etc) towards needed policy and legislative changes aiming at increasing protection of Elderly rights in Lebanon.
 

Main Tasks and Activities

The consultant/firm will be jointly identified by UNFPA and the Ministry of Social Affairs on basis of agreed upon criteria for selection and will be responsible for the execution of this consultancy based on the tasks stipulated within the Terms of Reference. A contract will be issued by UNFPA.

The consultant/firm’s tasks will consist of desk review of pertinent reports and documents as well as field visits to the concerned institutions/entities. Specifically, the consultant/firm will undertake the following tasks for achieving the objective of the consultancy:
 

• Draw up a plan of action and timetable for the accomplishment of the various components of the legal review including consultation/follow-up with PD, NCEA and UNFPA, as well as review of draft/final reports
• Undertake desk review of sections pertaining to the Elderly in available reports and documentation at global, regional, and national levels (i.e. ICPD, ICPD+5, ICPD+10 and ICPD+20 reviews, MDG national and regional reports, MIPPA, social and pertinent sector policies/strategies, Plan of Action on Human Rights, Doha Declaration, country profile of elderly people, and others)
• Review all conventions and instruments pertaining to the human rights of Elderly (ratified and non-ratified by Lebanon)
• Review the Lebanese Constitution, all Lebanese laws and relevant draft laws to extract components/clauses pertaining to the Elderly. This includes review and analysis of the existing Lebanese legislation, regulations, provisions, policies, penal code, jurisprudence, related to the status, system (social, health, retirement, pension, etc), and legal protection of Elderly. This review should be compared to selected countries in the Arab States as well as globally.
• Review existing studies/research in Lebanon that could provide robust evidence for impacting legislation/regulations and informing policy(ies).
• Identify a list of key advocates/lobbyists/human rights activists supporting rights of older people in Lebanon including a brief description about the scope of their work
• Hold meetings with various pertinent stakeholders and counterparts namely NCEA members, high level officials at the MOSA, line Ministries (i.e. Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, Ministry of Justice, etc), pertinent parliamentarians proactive on the issue of old people, Public Administrations/commissions, mutual funds, bar association, relevant Civil Society Organizations/NGOs, selected elderly institutions, national experts, UNFPA office, key UN agencies (i.e. OHCHR, ILO, etc), and other relevant partners in the field of ageing.
• Organize and facilitate 2-3 Focus Group Discussions with elderly people to better assess perceived needs and gaps
• Prepare an analytical report in Arabic highlighting the following:
  • Gap analysis: the extent to which existing legislation, regulations and policies, are guaranteeing (and not guaranteeing) the rights of the older people, including protection and dignity, particularly for the vulnerable ones, especially women, disabled and poorest elderly population
  • Necessary measures to enforce implementation of existing legislation, regulations, and policies to protect Elderly especially women, disabled and poorest groups
  • Required legislation, regulations, and policies to further Elderly rights namely women, disabled and poorest groups
  • Role of key stakeholders in advancing and advocating for legislative change incuding coalition building
  • Practical recommendations for improving existing laws and systems or creating new ones to improve the situation and condition of the Elderly in Lebanon in line with international conventions and instruments and to further the implementation of ICPD objectives, MDGs, MIPPA and the plan of action on human rights in relation to population ageing. The recommendations should reflect any specificities pertaining to women/marginalized groups, etc.
• Ensure timely delivery of the above analytical report synthesizing the findings and outcome of the consultancy
• Participate in an expert group meeting to discuss draft report before finalization
• Participate in a technical meeting for dissemination of results and findings to key stakeholders
• Provide UNFPA and PD with an electronic and hard copy of the final report as well as a power point presentation (15-20 slides) highlighting key findings and recommendations both in Arabic and English.
• Review English document (to be translated by a professional translator) to ensure it is commensurate with the English document.

Expected Outcome
 

The consultant/firm shall provide a report constituting the final outcome of this consultancy and consisting mainly of the following sections:

• Executive Summary
• Overview and background of the study
• Process and methodology (tools and instruments)
• Findings and main results
• Limitations and constraints of the study
• Conclusion and recommendations
• List of annexes
• List of references

The consultant will maintain close follow-up and regular meetings with the PD team, DFA and the technical committee representing the NCEA during the various stages of the consultancy for regular feedback and update on progress made. The consultant is expected to participate in meetings with Minister’s office, NCEA and UNFPA country office for guidance and update when needed.
 

Duration of Assignment

The consultancy is for a period of 12 weeks starting from the date of issuance of the contract.
 

Support by PD

The PD project and DFA will provide to the extent possible assistance and support to the consultant as follows:

• Make available some required documents
• Support the literature review in compiling relevant documents
• Coordinate with NCEA members and DFA staff concerning the organization of meetings and focus groups discussions
• Continuously revise the developed material/tools/drafts and provide the consultant with feedback
• Follow-up on the implementation of the consultancy as per the timeline.

Required qualifications

• Extensive legal background
• Good knowledge in research
• Excellent analytical and writing skills
• Very good Arabic and English writing and reading skills
• Thorough understanding of ageing issues in Lebanon
• Ability to work in a team and respond positively to constructive comments

 How to apply
 

Interested candidates/firms who meet the above required qualifications should apply online by completing the following:

• An updated and comprehensive CV detailing work experience that is relevant to the consultancy requirements as indicated in the Terms of Reference.
• A letter of intent specifying why the consultant is interested to take on the consultancy.

The above documents should be submitted to the following email address: info-lebanon@unfpa.org by no later than June 21, 2013.

Please indicate the following title under subject when submitting application: “Consultancy for Review of Legislations and Policies Impacting Elderly in Lebanon”.

UNFPA Lebanon will only be able to respond to those applicants submitting the required documents above and in which there is further interest.