Development of Digital Identity Policy in Libya

Result of Service

• The report prepared should be in Arabic and in electronic format. • The report submitted should not be less than 30 pages. • A 2 to 4 pages executive summary of the report. The completed parts should be edited and saved in MS-Word (*.docx file) or an alternate compatible format. PDF format will not be accepted. It should include a table of contents to be automatically updated followed by a list of all tables and figures. The various parts should be submitted in electronic form and sent to the email address of the designated focal point. Attention is kindly drawn to the need to ensure that the final draft of the outputs be thoroughly reviewed prior to submission and to indicate the sources of tables and diagrams. References to reports and other substantive material should be clearly indicated within the text and noted at the end. It is also essential to send, with the completed output, photocopies or scans of at least the first page of books, reports and bulletins, used as reference material as well as copies of the pages quoted. The content of the generated document shall be the sole property of ESCWA. The consultant shall keep in mind that UN-ESCWA routinely checks all deliverables for plagiarism, using readily available electronic tools. All previously published content, even if written by the selected consultant, must be clearly referenced where required within the text and end-noted at the end of the study. The report submitted by the consultant must not contain quoted and/or previously published text equalling more than 20 per cent of the total number of pages. The consultant shall not publish or announce or reveal the content of the report, partly or entirely, on social media or any other public channel, without ESCWA and GIA permission. The content of the generated document shall be the sole property of ESCWA.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

16 weeks

Duties and Responsibilities

GENERAL SCOPE Digital identity (e-ID) is increasingly recognized as a foundational enabler of sustainable development because it underpins access to services, rights, and economic participation. The UN Sustainable Development Goals explicitly include “legal identity for all” (SDG 16.9), highlighting its role in inclusion and governance. In fact, e-ID allows individuals to securely prove their identity in digital environments, which improves access to healthcare, education, financial services, and social protection while reducing costs and improving efficiency in delivery. Identity verification is also essential for the resilience of societies and economies. Well-governed digital identity systems are now viewed as critical digital public infrastructure necessary for long-term sustainability and trust in digital transformation . Globally, the impact of e-ID is transformative but uneven. The World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights that around 850 million people still lack legal identification, limiting their ability to participate fully in society and the economy. Expanding digital identity systems can significantly improve inclusion, enabling access to digital services, financial systems, and labor markets while enhancing privacy and user control when properly designed. Regionally, especially in developing economies, e-ID is expected to accelerate digital economies and public sector efficiency; however, gaps in infrastructure, governance, and interoperability remain major barriers. Evidence also shows that lack of ID restricts access to essentials such as mobile connectivity, banking, healthcare, and voting, demonstrating the broad socio-economic consequences of identity exclusion. Two widely cited global success cases are Estonia and India. Estonia’s e-ID is considered a global benchmark, where over 99% of public services are accessible online and citizens use digital identity for voting, healthcare, taxation, and business, demonstrating how e-ID can anchor a fully digital society . Its success is grounded in strong legal frameworks, interoperability, and universal adoption. Another example is India’s Aadhaar system , which has enabled large-scale inclusion in financial services and targeted welfare delivery. These cases illustrate that successful e-ID systems combine policy, technology, and governance to drive adoption and trust . For Libya, developing a robust e-ID policy is critical to advancing its digital transformation agenda and overcoming governance and service delivery challenges. Given Libya’s high internet penetration, a clear, comprehensive e-ID policy would strengthen trust, improve interoperability across government services, and address gaps in data protection and digital governance. The General Information Authority (GIA) in Libya requested the technical assistance of ESCWA to develop the national digital identity policy. The objective of this consultancy is to provide an advisory service to assist ESCWA team in suggesting the digital identity policy to the GIA. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The consultant shall propose to the designated ESCWA focal point a detailed version of the digital identity policy. To produce the draft policy, the consultant is requested to conduct, among others, the main following tasks: 1. Review the national digital documents and the existing policies and strategies in Libya related to digital transformation, innovation, digital technologies, and other related national development plans; 2. Review best regional and international best practices related to digital identity policies and frameworks (at least 2 selected regional and 2 international cases); 3. Identify main national stakeholders, hold, in coordination with GIA, interviews and meetings with the main national stakeholders and preparing minutes of each meeting/interview summarizing the discussed points, their remarks, observations and proposals; 4. Contribute to sectoral workshops to discuss needs and priorities, if needed; 5. Prepare the needed digital identity policy based on international and regional best practices, gap analysis, national needs (SWOT analysis); 6. Present the draft report in a national workshop or meeting (physically or remotely) and capture the main comments and findings of the discussions; 7. Update the draft proposal according to all received feedback and comments during the reviewing process by ESCWA and GIA. ESCWA promotes gender equality and integration of youth through its publications and therefore the consultant should pay attention, with the help of ESCWA staff, to gender considerations and youth dimension throughout the research work to ensure that the report gives equal attention to the needs of both men and women, as well as girls and boys. Writing should use gender-sensitive language.

Qualifications/special skills

A Master's degree in ICT, technology, engineering, computer science or a related field is required. A Ph.D. degree is desired. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. At least 5 years of professional experience and research in the domain of digital technologies is required. Previous experience in the delivery of research papers is desirable. Previous experience in the development of digital identity plans is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.