Short-Term Legal Expert – Sexual Harassment Law Legal Expert -Identifying Gaps and Recommendations for Legal Reform in Lebanon

1. General objective

The overall objective of this assignment is to analyze the adequacy, coherence, and effectiveness of Lebanon’s legal farmwork on sexual harassment and to provide clear, actionable recommendations for legal and policy reform that enhance survivor protection, accountability and access to justice.

1. Specific objectives

1. To conduct a desk review of existing legal, academic, and policy studies related to Law No.205/2020, including definitions, scope of application, sanctions, complaint mechanism, evidentiary requirements, and victim/survivor protection provisions.
2. Examine relevant provisions in: Lebanese Penal Code, Labor Law and related decrees, public sector regulations, educational and institutional codes of conduct (where applicable).
3. Review relevant judicial interpretations, case law (if accessible and applicable with the support of MOJ focal point), and sectoral practices related to sexual harassment, building on research conducted under SO2.
4. Assess alignment of Lebanon’s framework with international and regional standards: CEDAW, ILO Convention No. 190 and Recommendations No. 206, International human rights jurisprudence on sexual harassment.
5. Conduct a comparative review of selected regional (where legislative and judicial context is similar) demonstrating good practice in addressing sexual harassment
6. Identify legal, procedural, and institutional gaps, including but not limited to: ambiguous definitions of sexual harassment, limited coverage of sectors, spaces, or forms (e.g. online harassment), barriers to reporting and proof, inadequate survivor protection, remedies, or rehabilitation measures, and weak enforcement and accountability mechanisms
7. Analyze the gendered and intersectional impacts of these gaps on different groups, including women, youth, migrants, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals (where legally relevant).
8. Conduct targeted consultations with key stakeholders, such as: Judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, Labor inspectors and trade union representatives, Civil society organizations working on GBV and women’s rights. And integrate practical insights from implementation actors and service providers
9. The Legal Expert will design, lead, and facilitate multi-sectoral roundtable discussions aimed at validating findings, gathering implementation perspectives, and refining legal reform recommendations.
10. Develop clear, prioritized and feasible recommendations, and conclusive roundtable discussion report, including proposed amendments to existing law, legal or regulatory provisions reform, and institutional or procedural reforms, while ensuring recommendations are survivor-centered, gender-responsive, and implementable within the Lebanese legal and political context.

1. Anticipated results

1. A comprehensive baseline desk review for Legal and Policy applicable framework, and in alignment CEDAW, ILO Convention No. 190 and Recommendations No. 206, International human rights jurisprudence on sexual harassment including existing judicial interpretations
2. A comparative analysis of regional similar experiences offering actionable lessons for Lebanon.
3. Set of stakeholder consultation and number of roundtable discussions for validation and updated insights
4. A final report identification of Gaps and Challenges collected from conducted activities
5. A final report identification of Recommendations for legal and policy reform
6. A final Conclusive report

2. Description of the assignment

1. Planned activities

The expert will lead the assigned activity “Assessment gaps implementation GBV laws – Law No. 205/2020 - Criminalization of Sexual Harassment and Rehabilitation of Victims”, implemented by WEHUB - Expertise France (EF) in coordination with Ministry of Justice. This assignment focuses on conducting legal and policy review, regional comparative analysis and best practices, identification of Gaps and Challenges, stakeholder consultation and facilitating roundtables discussions, developing recommendation for legal, policy and mechanisms reform.

Assignment preparation

• Review background documents and the project’s action plan.
• Coordinate with EF and MOJ to refine methodology, workplan, and data collection tools.
• Identify and collect existing studies, reform initiatives, and civil society efforts related to Law No. 205/2020 - Criminalization of Sexual Harassment and Rehabilitation of Victims
• Prepare concept note on the activities plan.

Phase I: Desk Review and Comparative Benchmarking

• Conduct a desk-based review of Lebanon’s Law No. 205/2020 - Criminalization of Sexual Harassment and Rehabilitation of Victims and in alignment with CEDAW, ILO Convention No. 190 and Recommendations No. 206, International human rights jurisprudence on sexual harassment including existing judicial interpretations
• Identify legal contradictions, challenges and gaps between Lebanese legislation and international standards, as well identify application gaps, challenges and contradictions versus the existing law application.
• Map and summarize relevant studies, reform initiatives, and civil society efforts to avoid duplication and consider for consultation and routable discussions.
• Carry out a comparative review of regional experiences to highlight good practices in addressing overcoming barriers of law applications.
• Draft an internal analytical note summarizing preliminary findings for discussion.
• Develop comprehensive Concept Note on the process of the suggested activities, plans, timeline and expertise requirements.

Phase II: Stakeholder Consultations and Roundtable Discussions

• Identify and profile key stakeholders including MPs, ministries, CSOs, and legal experts, security forces, academics and other concerned stakeholders.
• Classify stakeholders according to level of influence, interest, and potential engagement in reform.
• Conduct and facilitate roundtables discissions with a diverse range of actors including UN agencies, INGOs, local associations, and academic experts, MPs, ministries, CSOs, legal experts, and concerned security forces to validate findings and gather inputs.

Phase III: Reporting and Findings

• Draft the Gap, Challenges and Recommendations report, integrating the desk review, stakeholder consultation and validation, and comparative benchmarking.
• Include clear recommendations and a roadmap for the next phase, including priorities for each engaged sector and advocacy.
• Present the draft report for review and validation.
• Ensure that all outputs, including the baseline/desk review report, analytical notes, and stakeholder matrix, are structured to guide and facilitate the subsequent activities and advocacy phases, providing clear recommendations and a framework for drafting future reports and advocacy briefs, thereby ensuring continuity and avoiding duplication.

1. Anticipated deliverables

Deliverables

End date

1. Timesheets

Monthly

2. Invoices for services rendered

Monthly

3. Participation in briefing and onboarding meetings with EF and MOJ

Month 1

4. Inception report: methodology, workplan, stakeholder mapping, and concept note

Month 1

5. Consultation Meetings and up to four roundtables with key stakeholders

Month 2

6. Draft Gaps, Challenges and Recommendations report

Month 3

7. National conference workshop presenting the results

Month 3

8. Final conclusive report of all the assignment

Month 4

1. Coordination

• The expert will work under the supervision of the EF Key Expert.
• Close coordination will be maintained with the Ministry of Justice focal point.
• Regular updates, draft reviews, and validation of outputs will be done jointly with EF and MOJ.

Specifically, the consultant will:

The Legal Expert will submit the following deliverables in English and/or Arabic, as agreed with WEHUB Team:

• Desk Review Report and Inception Note (up to 10 pages) outlining methodology, analytical framework, and workplan
• Concept notes for Stakeholders Consultations and Roundtables Discussion: design the concept, objectives, and agenda for one or more roundtable discussions bringing together relevant public and private sector stakeholder: representatives of relevant ministries and public institutions, judiciary, prosecution, and legal professionals, Labor inspectors, employers’ associations, and trade unions, private sector entities and human resources professionals, Civil society organizations and women’s rights actors.
• Prepare discussion materials, including background notes, guiding questions, and presentation of preliminary findings.
• Facilitate the roundtable discussions using gender-responsive, participatory, and inclusive methodologies that encourage constructive dialogue across sectors.
• Capture and systematize stakeholder inputs, highlighting practical challenges, enforcement gaps, and feasible reform options from both public and private sector perspectives.
• Integrate validated inputs and consensus points into the final legal gap analysis and reform recommendations.
• Draft Legal Gap Analysis Report (approximately 25–30 pages)
• Final Legal Gap Analysis and Reform Recommendations Report, incorporating feedback
• Executive Summary / Policy Brief (5–7 pages) presenting key findings and reform priorities
• Final Conclusive report covering the assignment process and results
• All deliverables must be technically sound, well-referenced, and suitable for advocacy and policy dialogue.

Place, duration and terms of performance

1. 1. Place: Lebanon (Beirut)

1. 2. Implementation period: January 2026 – June 2026

1. 3. Start date: 1 February 2026

1. 4. End date: 30 June 2026

1. 5. Effective duration: 50 days

1. 6. Schedule/programme:

The provisional programme for assignment implementation is as follows:

Activity

Place

Period

Duration (man/days):

Inception phase – desk review, initial coordination with EF and MOJ

Remote / Beirut

Week 1

3

Preparation of inception report (methodology, outline, timeline)

Remote

Week 1-2

3

Legal and comparative baseline review (desk-based research, mapping of laws, analysis of SHL application)

Remote

Weeks 3

5

Concept notes for Stakeholders Consultations and Roundtables Discussion

Remote / Beirut

Weeks 3

1

Prepare discussion materials, including background notes, guiding questions, and presentation of preliminary findings

Remote / Beirut

Week 4

4

Preparation & Validation meeting with EF and MOJ

Beirut

Week 4 -5

2

Facilitation of roundtables (up to 4)

Beirut

Weeks 5–8

9

Finalization of Legal Gap Analysis Report

Remote

Weeks 8–9

5

Final Legal Gap Analysis and Reform Recommendations Report, incorporating feedback

Remote

Weeks 8–9

3

Executive Summary / Policy Brief

Remote

Week 10

4

Final Conclusive report covering the assignment process and results

Remote

Week 11

2

Coordination Meetings, national event and follow ups

Remote and in person

Weeks 1-14

6

Total

50

Disclaimer: Managing the tasks can either exceed or fall short of the allocated number of days, provided the total does not exceed 50 days.

Required expertise and profile

1. 1. Number of experts per assignment: 1

1. 2. Profile of the designated expert(s) responsible for contract execution

1. Qualifications and skills:

• Advanced degree in law, human rights, gender studies, or a related field.
• Proven expertise in international human rights frameworks, particularly Sexual Harassment Law in Lebanon.
• Strong analytical, research, and report-writing skills.
• Strong understanding of survivor-centered and gender-responsive legal approaches.
• Experience in conducting comparative legal reviews and benchmarking studies.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Ability to translate complex legal analysis into clear policy-relevant recommendations.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and coordinate with multiple national and international partners.
• Fluency in English and Arabic; French is an advantage.

2. General professional experience

• Minimum of 7–10 years of professional experience in legal, human rights, or gender-focused projects.
• Experience working with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society organizations in the MENA region.
• Proven track record in designing and implementing baseline studies, assessments, or policy reviews.
• Experience in organizing workshops, roundtables, and capacity-building sessions.
• Familiarity with project coordination, reporting requirements, and multi-stakeholder engagement processes.

3. Specific professional experience

• Demonstrated experience analyzing national legislation in light of Sexual Harassment Law and identifying gaps, challenges or contradictions.
• Experience conducting comparative legal analyses in the MENA region or other relevant countries.
• Experience in preparing evidence-based recommendations to inform advocacy, legal, or policy reform.
• Proven ability to produce comprehensive reports integrating desk review, stakeholder consultations, and benchmarking findings.
• Prior involvement in projects coordinating with UN agencies, civil society coalitions, and governmental partners on gender equality or legal reform initiatives.
• Proven understanding of ethical standards related to GBV related work, confidentiality and survivor-centered principles and do no harm approaches.

Assignment reports

The following shall be submitted by email. The deliverables must follow Expertise France’s formatting standards.

• Timesheet;
• Invoice;
• Inception Report: Includes methodology, workplan, stakeholder mapping, and selection of comparative countries.
• Concept note design the concept, objectives, and agenda
• Discussion materials
• Roundtable Summaries: Short annexes or sections within report summarizing discussions, key findings, and stakeholder inputs.
• Legal Gap Analysis Report (approximately 25–30 pages)
• Legal Gap Analysis and Reform Recommendations Report
• Executive Summary / Policy Brief (5–7 pages) presenting key findings and reform priorities
• Final Conclusive report covering the assignment process and results 

   

  Monitoring-evaluation

Performance indicators

Deliverables

Immediate effects

Intermediate effects

Verification sources

Inception Report

Clear methodology, workplan, and stakeholder mapping

Provides structured roadmap for baseline activities

Inception report reviewed and validated

Desk Review and mapping report

Consolidated report reflecting the main desk review findings and mapped initiatives to prepare for validation and discussions

Provides structured report as baseline for this activity

Report reviewed and validated

Concept note

Consolidated concept note on consultations and validation discussions – Roundtables, and targeted stakeholders, including the discission materials proposed for the Roundtables

Provides foundation for subsequent STE for data collection and inputs validation toward advocacy phases; identifies gaps, redundancies, and best practices

Concept note reviewed and validated

Roundtable Summaries (annexed to report)

Stakeholder inputs and validation of preliminary findings

Strengthened coordination and shared understanding among key actors

Roundtable minutes, summaries, and participant feedback forms

Legal Gap Analysis Report

Consolidated report reflecting the main gaps validated findings from the collective discussions

Provides structured report as outcome for this activity

Final report validated; annexed analytical notes and stakeholder matrix

Legal Gap Analysis and Reform Recommendations Report

Consolidated report reflecting the main gaps validated findings from the collective discussions and the related recommendations per sectors

Provides structured report as outcome for this activity

Final report validated; annexed analytical notes and stakeholder matrix

Executive Summary / Policy Brief

Consolidated policy brief up to 7 pages presenting key findings and reform priorities

Provides structured policy brief as outcome for this activity

Final policy brief reviewed and validated

Conclusive report

Consolidated conclusive report covering the assignment process and results

Provides structured report as outcome for this activity

Report reviewed and validated