the Development of Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Aqaba Governorate (Jordan)

Result of Service

The consultant is expected to deliver: • 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. • Executive Presentation (PowerPoint). All deliverables must be submitted in Arabic (with professional quality and clarity). The completed parts should be edited and saved in MS-Word (*.docx file) or an alternate compatible format. Note that 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 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. Their contents cannot and must not be presented, discussed or published without the express authorization 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, 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 ASEZA 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 Artificial intelligence (AI) has a great role in promoting a comprehensive social and economic development of various sectors and in accelerating the achievement of SDGs. AI could help public agencies to provide better services with reduced costs, in low- and middle-income countries , create new job opportunities in the labour market, and create an appropriate opportunity for innovation and entrepreneurship. By 2030, the expected impact of AI on the economy would range from 5.6% (low-income countries) to 26.1% (China) of GDP . In the world, many countries have developed their own AI Strategies. In France, for example, a budget of 1.5 B Euros is dedicated to transform France into a global leader in AI research, training, and industry. Four components are mentioned in the strategy (2018). The first component is related to initiatives aiming to strengthen France’s AI ecosystem and attract the international talent. Second, France will develop an open data policy to drive the adoption and application of AI in selected sectors. Third, the government will create a regulatory and financial framework to support the development of domestic “AI champions”. Finally, the government will develop regulations for ethics to ensure that the use and development of AI is transparent, explainable, and non-discriminatory. The plan is expected to cover four sectors (healthcare, transportation, environment, and defence). India has taken a unique approach to its national AI strategy by joining the economic growth, to social inclusion. This approach is called #AIforAll. The plan aims to (1) enhance and empower Indians with the skills to find quality jobs; (2) invest in research and sectors that can maximize economic growth and social impact; and (3) scale Indian-made AI solutions to the rest of the developing world. Most Arab countries are interested in harnessing new technologies in general, and Artificial Intelligence in particular, to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Few Arab countries have developed their AI strategies to spell out the needed objectives, identify the role of main national stakeholders and specify the principal focus areas. In UAE, as an example, the aim of the strategy, launched in 2017, was to use AI to enhance government performance and efficiency. The UAE government will invest in AI technologies in nine sectors: transport, health, space, renewable energy, water, technology, education, environment, and traffic. In doing so, the government aims to cut costs across the government operations, diversify the economy, and position the UAE as a global leader in the application of AI . In Egypt they launched their National AI strategy in 2019, which is a key priority for helping achieve Egypt’s sustainable development goals, create an AI Industry in Egypt, including the development of skills, technology, ecosystem, infrastructure and governance mechanisms to ensure its sustainability and competitiveness. The United Nations is involved in enhancing the use of emerging technologies for sustainable development. In September 2024 during the Summit of the Future, world leaders adopted the Pact for the Future and its annexes: the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and Declaration on Future Generations. Among its objectives , GDC aims to enhance the international governance of AI for the benefit of humanity. UN-ESCWA, through its technical cooperation program, is committed to provide technical assistance to its member states to boost national efforts towards the achievement of the 2030 Development Agenda. While Jordan has made progress in digital transformation at the national level, the adoption of AI within Aqaba remains fragmented and at an early stage. There is a clear need for a comprehensive and actionable AI strategy that: • Aligns with Jordan’s National AI Strategy (2023–2027) and Digital Transformation Strategy; • Targets high-impact sectors specific to Aqaba’s economic profile; • Establishes robust governance, regulatory, and ethical frameworks; • Enables data-driven decision-making and service delivery; • Positions Aqaba as a regional model for smart and sustainable economic zones. In this context, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) has requested technical support from UN-ESCWA to develop an AI strategy tailored to Aqaba Governorate. Aqaba represents a unique economic ecosystem, combining tourism, logistics, local community, skills development, Entrepreneurship, industry, and environmental theme. Therefore, a targeted AI strategy is essential to maximize public value, enhance competitiveness, and support sustainable growth. The strategy is expected to support: • Modernization of government and investor services; • Optimization of port and logistics operations; • Development of smart tourism and destination management; • Environmental monitoring and protection (e.g., marine ecosystems); • Data-driven planning, compliance, and decision-making; • Optimization of smart city concepts; • Developing the skills and community making the city more livable city; • Encourage more entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship concepts and initiatives. In addition, this strategy would provide the governance foundation (clear priorities, institutional roles) needed to adopt AI safely and effectively. The provision of this advisory service is the subject of these terms of reference. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The consultant shall propose to the designated ESCWA focal point a detailed version of the national AI strategy for Aqaba Governorate. To produce the draft plan, the consultant is requested to conduct, among others, the main following tasks: 1. Benchmarking and Best Practices • Review the national digital documents and the existing policies in Jordan related to digital transformation, innovation, digital technologies, and other related national development plans; • Review available data infrastructure, governance frameworks, and institutional capabilities • Review best regional and international best practices related to AI Strategies and policies (at least 2 selected regional and 2 international cases); 2. Stakeholder Engagement • Identify main national stakeholders, hold, in coordination with ASEZA, interviews and meetings with the main national stakeholders and realising a minute of each meeting/interview summarizing the discussed points, their remarks, observations and proposals; • Contribute to sectoral workshops to discuss needs and priorities, if needed; • Document findings, priorities, and challenges. 3. Situational analysis • Analyze existing policies, legislation, and regulatory frameworks; • Analyze current initiatives, infrastructure, and institutional readiness; • Assess digital maturity and AI readiness within ASEZA and relevant stakeholders • Conduct a comprehensive gap analysis; • Develop SWOT analysis based on obtained information; • Define Aqaba’s strategic positioning (e.g., Smart Port, Smart Tourism Destination, Green AI Hub). 4. Strategy Development • Prepare the needed AI strategy based on international and regional best practices, gap analysis, national needs (SWOT analysis) and ESCWA guide including the following: o Vision and mission for AI in Aqaba; o Objectives and targets, o Strategic pillars, initiatives and projects; o Priority AI use cases; o Governance mechanism; o Risks management; o Monitoring and evaluation; 5. Validation and Consultation • Present draft strategy in a stakeholder workshop • Incorporate feedback from ESCWA, ASEZA, and stakeholders 6. Finalization • Deliver a refined, actionable AI strategy 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 experience and research in the domain of digital technologies is required. Previous experience in management and planning is required. Previous experience in the delivery of research papers is desirable. Previous experience in the development of national AI strategy 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 Arabic and end English are 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.