Call for Researcher to produce a policy paper on Good Governance in Reconstruction Efforts of the Port of Beirut

Entity Background

About LTA

The Lebanese Transparency Association - No Corruption was established in 1999 with the aim of reducing rampant corruption in Lebanon, promoting the principles of transparency and accountability, establishing the rule of law and respecting the fundamental rights inaugurated in international laws and the Lebanese Constitution, by focusing on systematic improvement, building alliances, and encouraging civil society organizations to take measures towards transparency and accountability. LTA later became the national chapter of Transparency International.

LTA has worked to enhance transparency in the public and private sectors in Lebanon for more than a decade, by implementing a number of projects that ranged from contributing to the development to lobbying the anti-corruption laws (such as the draft law on the Right to Access to Information, the Whistleblowers Protection Law, the Asset and Interest Declaration and the Punishment of Illicit Enrichment Law etc....), and the monitoring of parliamentary and municipal elections since 2009, in addition to other projects aimed at empowering youth and municipalities on issues related to good governance.

LTA was chosen as a member of the first Independent Oversight Board (IOB) for the Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF), which was launched in response to the aftermath of the Beirut Port explosion.

Vision

A Lebanon with well governed, transparent and accountable institutions, free of corruption and built on the rule of law.

Mission

To promote transparency and integrity as well as prevent and fight corruption through collaboration, advocacy and active engagement, in public, private and non-governmental organizations.

Project Background

The project is a multi-partner effort funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and driven by two local Lebanese based organizations: LTA and Lebanese Crisis Observatory (AUB), and supported by the expertise and networks of TI-S.

The goal of this two-year project is to ensure greater accountability and transparency of humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts particularly for those most affected by the Beirut port explosion. To produce this change, the project will apply a multi-stakeholder approach targeting local civil society including journalist networks, Lebanese state actors and citizens, particularly those most affected by the port explosion.

With a civil society that is better equipped to play its role as watchdog, a greater mass of informed and empowered citizens ready to hold duty bearers accountable, and state actors who feel confident, supported and pressured to advance and implement accountability reforms; this will produce a more sustainable ecosystem of actors better able to identify, monitor and reduce the risks of corruption and ultimately nurture a stronger culture of accountability, integrity and transparency in Lebanon to avoid future tragedies similar to the port explosion.

This project aligns with the German Federal Foreign Office’s Transformation Partnerships objectives to promote a strong civil society able to both hold state accountable, as well as support state structures to implement accountability reforms.

Scope of work

In the direct aftermath of the Beirut Port Explosion, efforts have converged to respond to the immediate recovery of the city, with a particular focus on the reconstruction of the blast-affected areas and the Port premises. Under the 3RF Sector Working Group on Improving Services and Infrastructure, one is dedicated to the reconstruction process of the Port. In light of its previous and ongoing policy research under the EARREL project, LTA aims to delve into the assessment of good governance practices in the reconstruction process of the port, including the assessment, community engagement, procurement and transparency aspects of the process.

The latter scope would focus on applying the benchmarks on the international best practices in reconstruction efforts to better assess the application of good governance practices in the aftermath of the Port of Beirut explosion. The paper will build on the previously developed Transparency in Aid policy paper as well as the recent work the Association has conducted on the new public procurement law and aid disbursement post crisis. The aim of this paper is to apply internationally recognized good practices in the governance of reconstruction efforts post-disasters to the reconstruction process of the port, identify loopholes in their implementation and determine redress opportunities for related stakeholders.

Proposal Submission

Required Competencies:

The Researcher should have the following knowledge and experience:

• PhD in social sciences (preferably Law, Political Science, or a specialized master in the topic of the study, in this case anti-corruption regulations or legislative tools is required).
• Proven record of relevant publications.