OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : [[Field office]]

Duty Station: [[Ha Noi city, Viet Nam]]

Job Family: [[Social and Human Sciences]]

Type of contract : [[Non-staff consultant]]

Duration of contract : [[From 1 to 6 months]]

Recruitment open to : [[External candidates]]

Application Deadline (Midnight Ha Noi Time) : [[16-AUG-2024]]

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

In 2021 the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was adopted by the 193 Member States of the Organization.

The adoption of the Recommendation constituted a watershed moment in the development of globally-appropriate principles and values to guide the development, adoption and use of AI technologies in ways that uphold human rights and democratic values.

At the regional level, in February 2024, the 4th ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting (ADGMIN) endorsed the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, which offers a regional framework for policy-making, in alignment with the UNESCO Recommendation.

The UNESCO Recommendation entails the establishment of two tools to support in its implementation at a country level: a Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) to guide Member States and their stakeholders in assessing what frameworks, capacities and competencies exist at a country-level to support the ethical use and development of AI, in line with the Recommendation, to evaluate capacity gaps and develop policy recommendations.

The second tool being finalized by UNESCO is the Ethical Impact Assessment, to be used by various stakeholders developing or using AI to assess the real and potential ethical risks and impacts of their technologies.

A critical initial stage in the implementation of the Recommendation is the deployment of RAM, as mandated by the Recommendation, to assist Member States in identifying their status at specific moments of their readiness trajectory along a continuum of dimensions (legal/regulatory, social/cultural, technical/infrastructural, economic and scientific/educational).

The RAM is a macro level instrument that will help countries understand where they stand on the scale of preparedness to implement AI ethically and responsibly for all their citizens, highlighting what institutional and regulatory changes will be needed.

Furthermore, the output of the RAM will also help UNESCO tailor the policy reform and institutional capacity building efforts to the needs of different countries.

This will ensure that the country has in place human capacity, policies, and regulations to address the challenges brought by AI such as reinforcing traditional biases and ensure that people and their interest are always at the centre of AI development.

The RAM provides for the division of country-level analysis into five areas:
1.

Legal and regulatory
2. Social and cultural
3. Scientific and educational
4. Economic
5. Technological and infrastructural

Long Description

UNESCO is seeking a senior expert to oversee the implementation of the activity in Viet Nam, including all research and analytical components, and to lead the preparation of a policy-oriented country report.

This report will build on the results derived from UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and reflect the outcomes of the multi-stakeholder national consultations to be organized in the framework of this report.

The aim of the report will be to inform the country’s comprehensive national AI strategy and to provide an evidence-based framework on the ethical governance of AI, with short-and long-term priorities identified, and using the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI as a blueprint.

The expert will work under the under the authority of the UNESCO Representative to Viet Nam, UNESCO Ha Noi Office, and under the direct supervision of the Regional Advisor for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, in coordination of the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Unit within the Social and Human Sciences Sector.

Candidates may team up to submit their joint applications for this consultancy while UNESCO will sign a contract with the lead expert only.

Approach of the RAM

The deployment of the RAM provides for a rigorous participatory, consultative and multi-stakeholder process, driven at a country-level, and including the establishment of a National Stakeholder Team that could be the continued focal point in the country for monitoring and reporting to UNESCO on Recommendation implementation, every four years.

The approach to this project is fundamentally consultative and participatory with the country-level policy-makers and other stakeholders, in order to support the sustainability of capacities and competencies at a national level that can champion continued implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation in the long-term, and beyond the time-frame of the project.

Accordingly, UNESCO will ensure opportunities for peer-learning and exchange, and networking. The RAM process will be driven by a team of country-level experts in AI ethics (to be formed by UNESCO and the concerned government), who will be overseen by the core team at UNESCO and the national focal point/institution.

The team of country-level experts will:

1.

Ensure overall coordination between UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and the national institution in charge of coordinating AI work.
2.

Develop the Terms of Reference template of the National Stakeholder Team in relation to the RAM implementation.
3. Collect data (primary and secondary) in line with the RAM questionnaire, compile, analyze and draft the results of the assessment.
4. Formulate the policy recommendations in consultation with the government.
5. Develop the template for country report in accordance with UNESCO’s standard model used globally.
6.

Identify in close consultation with UNESCO and the government, and coordinate expert reviewers for the report.
7.

Support in coordination of online and in-person workshops, as required.

Long Description

Key Milestones

The project will be organized into three phases, as detailed below.

Phase 1:
● Inception meeting with key project partners
● Training on UNESCO Recommendation and the RAM by UNESCO
● Launch event
● Regulatory and policy mapping and landscape review

Phase 2:
● Completion of initial draft of the RAM for input from the National Stakeholder Team, or any relevant institutions
● Two national stakeholder meetings for each country to facilitate input into the readiness assessment, including identifying capacity gaps, and agreeing on implementation roadmap and policy recommendations

Phase 3:
● A workshop for country experts to share lessons learned and to ensure alignment
● Drafting of full country report, including the road map toward full implementation
● Validation of country report at a political level
● Finalization and dissemination of country report, including sign-off by UNESCO and the National Stakeholder Team, editing and printing.

The core deliverable for this project consists of one country report (between 30 and 50 pages) on the readiness of the concerned country to implement the UNESCO Recommendation and a roadmap including policy recommendations to support ongoing implementation efforts and address capacity gaps, as per the Readiness Assessment Methodology of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI in both English and Vietnamese.

The country report will provide a state of the art in AI ethics in terms of existing and proposed regulatory frameworks, capacity and regulatory gaps, and a roadmap detailing steps to be taken at a national level to advance full implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation.

Deliverables and timeframe

• By the end of phase 1: Regulatory and policy mapping and landscape review, following UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology
• By the end of phase 2: Draft report on the key outputs from the multi-stakeholder national consultations.
• Final Deliverable by 10 December 2024: Policy-oriented Country Report with key recommendations on policies/approaches needed in the country on the ethical governance of AI.

Deliverables must be in both English and Vietnamese.

Duty station

The lead expert is expected to be based in Viet Nam for the full engagement in the national processes.

He/she will work remotely and can come to the Office of UNESCO in Viet Nam within the UN building located at 304 Kim Ma street, Ba Dinh district if needed.

Long Description

Scope of work

The aim of this consultancy is to lead the development of research and analytical outputs towards the production of a policy-oriented country report.

The Report will be based on the evidence gained through the deployment of UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology and the key outcomes of the broad national consultations.

More specifically, the lead expert will be responsible for:

1. Facilitating the work of a multi-disciplinary national steering committee that will oversee the deployment of the RAM from the government’s side, notably from the Ministry of Science and Technology.
2. Conducting the RAM questionnaire, to gain in-depth understanding of the potential for AI development, the state of the art in the country in terms of institutional and regulatory readiness, as well as the regulatory and institutional gaps to be filled to transform the potential into action.

Interested candidates should click on “Apply Now”, then download and complete the Employment History form (Word file).

At the end of the Employment History form Word file, insert extra pages with the following required information:

1.

A statement indicating how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment;
2. A written proposal comprising:
a. An approach and methodology for the assignment in line with the terms of reference;
b. A timeframe proposed to achieve the tasks;
c. List and CVs of associated experts that will be involved in the process on specific aspects, if needed;
d.

The amount to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in US dollars, and include all applicable taxes and fees.

Please identify any travel costs (including transportation and per diem for each mission) separately.

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview.

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc.

for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.

UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades.

Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States (last update here) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. Individuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.

UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that UNESCO is a non-smoking Organization.