Legal Consultant – Labor Law Review and Recommendations for a Mentally Healthy Workplace in Lebanon

I. Background

The National Mental Health in the Workplace (MHiW) initiative was launched by the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in Lebanon to strengthen the protection and promotion of employees’ mental health within workplace settings. The initiative is built on the National Charter for Mental Health in the Workplace, which is anchored in three pillars: protecting mental health, promoting mental wellbeing, and supporting recovery at work.

Following its relaunch in 2025, the MHiW initiative has focused on supporting organizations to adopt sustainable, rights-based approaches to workplace mental health through policies, procedures, and organizational practices. The NMHP in collaboration with Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy, and Applied Care (IDRAAC) as the implementing partner, and in coordination with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the initiative seeks to align workplace practices with national mental health priorities and existing legal and institutional frameworks.

To strengthen national advocacy efforts, IDRAAC seeks a Legal Consultant to analyze the current Lebanese Labor Law and relevant decrees, identify gaps related to mental health protections, and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations for legislative and regulatory reform. This work will serve as the foundation for policy briefs, stakeholder engagement, and broader national advocacy to promote mentally healthy workplaces in Lebanon.

II. Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive legal analysis of the Lebanese Labor Law and related regulations through a mental-health lens and ensure alignment with WHO’s Guidance Note on Mental Health in the Workplace and the National Mental Health Charter, and to propose concrete recommendations that can inform national advocacy, reform processes, and organizational policy guidelines.

III. Objectives

•        Review the Lebanese Labor Law, Ministry of Labor circulars, occupational safety and health (OSH) provisions, and relevant decrees or policies affecting psychosocial well-being at work.
•        Identify legal gaps, ambiguities, or barriers that limit mental-health protection for workers or perpetuate stigmatizing language or actions.
•       Summarize key labor law elements related to the MHiW initiative in a handbook to be shared with Mental Health Champions (contracts, sick leave, overtime, grief, maternity/paternity, misconduct, escalation protocols, rights and responsibilities, NSSF, recruitment laws, etc.).
•       Benchmark international standards and good practices, including ILO conventions, WHO guidelines, and mental-health workplace frameworks.
•        Develop actionable legal and policy recommendations in English and Arabic.
•        Produce a final advocacy-oriented report for engagement with government, private sector, and civil society.

IV. Scope of Work

1. Legal Review & Analysis

• Retrieve the Lebanese Labor Law and all relevant decrees, regulations, and OSH provisions; organize and analyze them.
• Review mechanisms related to workplace safety, employee rights, discrimination, harassment, accommodations, sick leave, etc.
• Examine how current law addresses (or fails to address) risks to mental health in physical, psychosocial, community, and personal health resources sections; and mental-health support practices and support systems at the workplace level or individual level, preventive or
  interventional.
• Map gaps hindering a mentally healthy workplace and recommend that promote mental health in-line with evidence.

2. Comparative and International Benchmarking

•        Review internation standards including ILO Convention 155, ILO guidelines on stress guidelines, WHO “Mental Health at Work” guidelines and policy briefs, and best-practice laws internationally.
•        Compare and contrast the Lebanese Labor Law to these standards and identify strengths and areas of improvement by dimension.
•        Identify legal models that Lebanon can adopt or adapt, including proposed adaptations of international recommendations and country examples.

3. Stakeholder Consultations (Optional)

•       Conduct interviews with Ministry of Labor officials, legal experts, HR professionals, labor unions, and mental-health specialists to inform advocacy strategies and milestones.
•        Summarize insights to align findings with practical realities.

4. Recommendations & Reform Proposals

•        Draft clear, feasible legal recommendations for strengthening mental-health protections.
•        Provide guidance on employer obligations, employee rights, grievance mechanisms, worker support resources and psychosocial risk prevention and management.
•        Propose amendments to specific articles of the Lebanese Labor Law.
•       Develop policy recommendations for private sector adoption.

5. Final Advocacy Report

•        Prepare a comprehensive report summarizing analysis, gaps, benchmarks, and recommendations.
•       Submit all resources obtained through desk review and analysis phase.
•        Include an executive summary for policymakers.
•       Provide a one-page advocacy brief for external communication.

V. Deliverables

1. Inception Report (Week 1–2)

•       Methodology
•        Workplan
•        List of documents to be reviewed

2. Legal Analysis Report (Week 4–6)

•       Full review of labor law and OSH provisions
•       Gap analysis and international benchmarking
•       Handbook summary of key laws for Mental Health Champions

3. Draft Recommendations for a Mentally Healthy Workplace (Week 7–10)

•       Legal and policy recommendations (English & Arabic)
•        Advocacy plan
•       Proposed amendments to specific articles

4. Final Report (Week 12)

•        Consolidated legal analysis, findings, benchmarks, and recommendations
•        Executive summary
•        One-page advocacy brief
•        Folder with resources obtained (international examples, models, legislation, etc)

VI. Duration & Level of Effort

• Duration: 3 months      
• Level of Effort: 30–35 working days over 12 weeks.

     VII. Required Qualifications

•     Advanced degree in Law, Labor Law, Human Rights, or related field.
•     Minimum 5–7 years of experience in legal analysis or labor law reform.
•     Experience in occupational health, mental health, human rights, or workplace wellbeing (asset).
•        Familiarity with Lebanese legal context and public sector structures.
•        Strong analytical, writing, and policy research skills.
•       Advocacy-oriented report writing experience.
•       Advanced English and Arabic proficiency.

VIII. Reporting & Coordination

•        The consultant reports to NMHP and IDRAAC.
•        All deliverables to be submitted in English, with only the recommendations report being submitted in Arabic as well.
•        Bi-weekly check-ins with the project team will be scheduled to ensure alignment