Call for Applications – National Consultants – Supporting Business Continuity, Resilience and Decent Job Retention in Lebanese SMEs in the agriculture and agro-food sectors

Background:

In response to high levels of unemployment and increasing poverty and vulnerability levels of both Lebanese host and Syrian refugee communities, the Government of the Netherlands has launched a new Partnership entitled “Improved Prospects for Forcibly Displaced Persons and Host Communities” or “PROSPECTS” bringing together the ILO, UNICEF, UNHCR, WB, and IFC to jointly focus on nexuses between education, protection and employment. Implemented in eight countries, namely, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, PROSPECTS aims to help transform the way governments and other stakeholders, including the private sector, respond to forced displacement crises. In particular, the Partnership aims to:
(1) enhance the enabling environment for the socio-economic inclusion of forcibly displaced persons (to mitigate their plight during years of exile and to best prepare them for their return);
(2) enhance access to education and child protection for vulnerable children on the move;
(3) strengthen the resilience of host communities through inclusive socio-economic development that also benefits forcibly displaced persons.
Within the framework of PROSPECTS in Lebanon, the ultimate objective of ILO’s intervention is promote access for vulnerable host communities and Syrian refugees to decent work opportunities (rights to work); and to ensure workers from both communities have safe working conditions and social protection (rights at work), in line with international labour standards.

Objective of ILO’s intervention:

As part of the PROSPECTS project and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic and financial crisis in Lebanon, the ILO designed an emergency response plan to help SMEs develop continuity plans, build resilience and preserve their workers’ decent jobs. The main objective is to Increase business continuity, resilience and decent employment retention in 15 to 20 SMEs employing vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees in the agriculture/agro-food sector, through a number of interventions targeting business resilience/continuity planning, business management, productivity and working conditions, occupational safety and health, equal treatment of employees including refugees, social cohesion and gender equality.

The ILO is seeking local consultants with experience of providing a range of business development services to small and medium agriculture/agro-food sector businesses in times of crisis. A pool of 10 to 15 consultants is needed to support the intervention by providing business continuity and business resilience training, coaching and advisory services, and respond to a range of other business development needs namely: 1) Business Planning and Contingency Planning, 2) Digital Marketing (such as the use of social media) and Branding, 3) Improving finances, 4) Managing People and Performance (HR), 5) Improving productivity, 6) Decent Work and 7) Occupational Safety and Health
The aim is to create a pool of consultants who will each work closely with one or more enterprises engaged in the project. The purpose of engaging a pool of consultants is that they can each contribute something from their own specialism as required.