Short term assignment

1. Overall Project Background:

According to Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption, perception Index Lebanon ranks 138 out of 180 countries in terms of corruption. Corruption is indeed a prevailing problem in the country and affects both public and private sector. Local polls confirm that the Lebanese opinion considers the problem as endemic.
Sources of corruption are extremely diverse but can be summarised in three main causes: political, administrative and social causes. Confessionalism increases the complexity of the Lebanese political system, which adds an additional brake in the fight against corruption.
However, in recent years, Lebanon has showed a willingness to take actions against this phenomenon and Anticorruption is becoming a high priority on the new government’s agenda. This echoes to the growing demand from the International partners. The CEDRE conference in Paris has provided an opportunity to recall the importance of a sound management of public finance for private and public investments and the Lebanese government committed itself to take measures along these lines.
Expertise France has been entrusted by the European Union to implement a 3-year project to support the national effort on combatting corruption. The specific objectives of the project is to strengthen public accountability and improve transparency at a national level.
The expected result are the reinforcement of the National Authority in charge of combatting corruption, the enhancement of the technical capacities of control bodies (Court of Audit and Central Inspection
Board), the implementation of operational tools for pilot administrations, and an increased awareness among public service users.
These objectives will be achieved through technical assistance, equipment procurement and grants to Lebanese SCOs and NGOs.
The project is structured around three components:
  - Support national effort on Transparency and Anticorruption
  - Strengthen the Control bodies' technical capacities to prevent and fight corruption
  - Raising awareness on corruption

2. Beneficiaries and Stakeholders

Direct beneficiaries: Central Inspection and its staff.

3. Description of The Needs to Be Addressed:

Lebanon suffers from a very high degree of corruption in both public and private sectors. Oversight bodies (Court of Audit, Central Inspection) are in charge of detecting and prosecuting fraud and corruption. In order to better fulfill its role as a supervisory body and take its place in the fight against corruption, the CI needs to acquire or improve methods and tools that reflect international good practices. The various tasks to be carried out have been defined and will be entrusted to recognized practitioners.

Rationale of the Activity
Several activities are or will be carried out to enhance the capacities of the Central Inspection, in particular designing a strategic plan, professional standards, methods and tools. Experts who have been or will be entrusted with the conduct of activities must be assisted by an expert on site. This expert will have to contribute to the collection of the necessary information, to participate in the organization and the realization of the various works (interviews, work meetings, workshops), to contribute to the drafting of the various documents (reports, deliverables ...). He may be called to make translations.

4. Description of the Assignment And Expected Results:

Context of the assignment
The Central Inspection needs to better fulfil its role as a control body and take its full place in the fight against corruption to develop or perfect methods and tools that reflect good international practices. The various tasks to be carried out have been defined and are or will be entrusted to recognized practitioners.

Objective of the Assignment
The objective of this assignment is to provide the designated experts assistance in the collection of the necessary information, the organization and conduct of the work (interviews, working meetings, workshops, training actions,...) and the drafting of the various documents (reports, deliverables...).

Outputs
As the key-expert and senior experts on Component 2 are not based in Lebanon the essential task is to ensure the follow-up of the activities of the project at the Central Inspection.
In close coordination with the project coordinator (Beirut based) and the key-expert the officer will provide the following services:
- Contribution to the implementation of all the work carried out: gathering information, preparing and holding interviews, working meetings, workshops, writing reports, drafting of deliverables, carrying out training actions.
- Translation of documents from Arabic to English and vice versa.
- Support to the Central inspection team
- Coordinate with other projects supporting the Central Inspection
- Meet with various stakeholders when relevant

Deliverables
- Strategic plan
- Professional standards
- Audit manual and forms to be used by the inspectors
- Training modules
- Minutes and reports for the different activities
Deliverables need to clearly outline activities, provide analytical inputs and propose recommendations of further actions

Criteria to Assess the Quality of the Expert’s Work
General Criteria
- Adherence to TOR.
- Understanding the topics covered
- Quality of collaboration with the experts designated for the various tasks
- Relevance and clarity of deliverables

5. Expert Profile

Qualifications and skills
- Degree in Public administration
- Knowledge of activities carried out by Oversight bodies
- Knowledge of the commonly accepted standards in the domain of audit
- Ability to collect information
- Excellent command of written, read and spoken Arabic and English. French would be an asset
- Ability to work in a team

General professional experience
- Experience in audit and advice to public institutions would be a plus

Specific professional experience
- Experience in technical assistance to public administrations would be a plus