national consultant for conducting the ai readiness assessment in kazakhstan

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station: Kazakhstan

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 30-SEP-2025

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

Long Description

1. Background

UNESCO has the mandate to promote the development of science and technology from an ethical and human rights perspective. Within this framework, in November 2021 UNESCO developed the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which was adopted by acclamation by the 193 Member States at the 41st session of its General Conference. UNESCO is now spearheading its implementation through innovative tools and methodologies, such as the Readiness Assessment Methodology and the Ethical Impact Assessment (EIA). By applying these tools, UNESCO is moving beyond principles to develop a range of concrete and practical solutions to ensure fair, inclusive, sustainable and equitable outcomes of AI.

In this regard, with the support of the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ICESCO, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty is seeking a Consultant to oversee the implementation of the project in Kazakhstan, including all research and analytical components, and to lead the preparation of a policy-oriented country report. This report will build on the results of UNESCO's AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and reflect the outcomes of the multi-stakeholder national consultations organised as part of the project. The purpose of the report is to inform the country's comprehensive national AI strategy and to provide an evidence-based framework for the ethical governance of AI, identifying short- and long-term priorities, and using the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI as a blueprint.

The Consultant will work under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty and the direct supervision of the National Programme Officer for Social and Human Sciences.

Candidates may team up to submit their joint applications for this consultancy. Number of team members shall not exceed three. In case of the joint submission, each proposed team member's CV will be assessed against all requirements in the Terms of Reference.  One person in the team shall be designated as a team lead and will be assigned a coordination role with overall responsibility for team performance. Separate contracts will be signed with each expert.

2. Scope of the Work

The aim of this consultancy is to lead the development of research and analytical outputs towards the production of a policy-oriented RAM 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 Consultant will be responsible for:

i.    Establishing and facilitating the work of a multidisciplinary national steering committee that will oversee the deployment of the RAM from the government's side. This should include identification of the key stakeholders to be engaged for data collection purposes.

ii.    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. To this end, lead in data collection, data curation and analysis, ensuring a high level of quality, and inputting answers to the questionnaire. The Consultant will proactively engage with national stakeholders and ensure the alignment of the country's activities and outputs with the global RAM implementation by UNESCO.

iii.    Preparing a diagnostic report based on the outcomes of the RAM questionnaire. 

iv.    Organizing five broad-based multi-stakeholder national consultations to present the results of the readiness assessment and to facilitate discussions leading to the identification of needs, concerns, and policy priorities for government, civil society, academia and the private sector.

v.    Drafting the final policy-oriented RAM Country Report, based on the outcomes of the RAM data collection and multistakeholder national consultations. This report may be complementary to the existing national AI strategy or serve as the blueprint for reviewing/upgrading/consolidating such a strategy, and will feature recommendations concerning the regulatory and other policy reforms, institutional design, and capacity-building programmes needed for effective and responsible governance of AI in the country, based on the short- and long-term priorities identified, and using the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence as an overall framework. The report should follow the format which will be provided by UNESCO, and should include qualitative and quantitative information, relevant data visualizations, examples of good practices, highlights, etc.

vi.    Ensuring the editing and layout of the final report in English and assisting in the accuracy of the translation, editing and layout of the final report in the Kazakh and Russian language versions. 

vii.    Facilitating and aligning the project activities with the broader adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI to ensure coherence and integration with Country-level AI strategy and policy activities. 

viii.    Participating in the high-level National Forum on AI to showcase the outcome of the project.

ix.    Ensuring overall coordination with the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, the national stakeholders, and other relevant stakeholders involved throughout the RAM processes.

Long Description

3. Deliverables

Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM)

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.

Long Description

Deliverables and timeframe:

I.    Month 1:

• Preparation of the Terms of Reference and establishment of a multidisciplinary national steering committee.
• Coordination of logistics with the Government, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, and UNESCO HQ for the kick-off/launch event.
• Preparation of materials for the kick-off/launch event (speeches, talking points, social media posts, etc.).
• Organisation of the kick-off/launch event with high-level political participation.

II.    Month 2: 

• Organisation of two offline consultation workshops (in Almaty and Astana) and three online workshops.
• Preparation of the Diagnostic Report in English language on the country's readiness, presenting and contextualising the data gathered through UNESCO's AI Readiness Assessment Methodology questionnaire.

III.    Month 3:

• Preparation of the Synthesis Report in English language, incorporating the key outputs from the multi-stakeholder national consultations into the Diagnostic Report.

IV.    Month 4:

• Organisation of an event to validate the draft policy-oriented RAM Country Report.
• Preparation of the final policy-oriented RAM Country Report in English language, incorporating key policy recommendations from the Synthesis Report and stakeholder feedback, to support policy reform on the ethical governance of AI in the country.

V.    Month 5:

• Coordination of logistics with the Government, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, and UNESCO HQ for the RAM Country Report launch event.
• Preparation of materials for the RAM Country Report launch event (speeches, talking points, social media posts, etc.).
• Organisation of the RAM Country Report launch event with high-level political participation.
• Translation of the RAM Country Report into Kazakh and Russian.

VI.    Month 6:

• Preparation of a short summary of key insights and data in English language about the country for the UNESCO Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory country page.
• Drafting of the project closure document and organisation of a discussion meeting with UNESCO HQ to identify future potential engagement on RAM.

4. Duty Station 

The Consultant shall be based in Kazakhstan.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)
Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Professionalism (C) -
For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

5.    Qualification Requirements

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in governance of artificial intelligence, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence or digital technologies, law and technology, or other related fields.

Work experience

• A minimum of five years of professional experience on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies, at the national and/or international level.
• Experience with the relevant government agency on artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan, including the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, would be an asset.
• Proven experience in conducting research and analysis and/or implementing programmes/projects on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies, as well as standards related to these issues.
• Experience in producing policy-oriented reports or recommendations is strongly desirable.

Skills/Competencies

• Very good understanding of the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies.
• Excellent knowledge of the dynamics of governance of AI in the implementing country, including policies, legislative and regulatory frameworks, institutional mechanisms, organisational structures and processes, and initiatives by different stakeholders in this field.
• Experience in undertaking policy review and assessments both qualitatively and quantitatively on topics related to governance of AI or related digital technologies.
• Proven ability to draft clearly and concisely and to produce high quality policy-oriented analysis and synthesis documents.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of Kazakh and Russian languages, and fluency in English language.

6.    Sample RAM Country Reports: 

Chile:  
Indonesia:  
Kenya:  
Netherlands:  
Saudi Arabia:  
Thailand:  

7.    Application process: 

Please note that all candidates must complete an online application. Please ensure to attach the following documents with your application:

1)   An up-to-date CV.

2)   A statement outlining how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment.

3)   A written proposal, comprising:

• An approach and methodology for the assignment, in line with the terms of reference.
• A proposed timeframe for completing the tasks.
• A list and CVs of associated experts that will be involved in specific aspects of the assignment, if applicable.
• The fee to be charged for the assignment, quoted in US dollars. Any travel and subsistence requirements should be indicated separately, if applicable. Payment will be made in local currency KZT using UN Operational Rate of Exchange on the date of payment).

Only complete applications will be considered.

Please note that the Consultant's fee expectations must be expressed in gross amounts. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties in accordance with local laws. UNESCO will not reimburse any taxes, duties or other contributions for which the Consultant may be liable in respect of any payments made to him/her under the terms of this contract. 

If selected and before contracting, consultant will be required to complete and submit to UNESCO the Designation of Beneficiary form and the Declaration of Medical Self-Insurance Responsibility form.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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 an 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.

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