Consultant for Conducting a Comprehensive Revision of RAM

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 31-03-2025

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

BACKGROUND

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

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) has played a pivotal role in supporting UNESCO’s efforts to position ethics as the cornerstone of building AI governance. Through the implementation of two projects (2023 and 2024), UNESCO has facilitated a multistakeholder process of evidence gathering through national consultation and the deployment of RAM in Brazil, Chile, Morocco and Senegal in the first phase and in the ongoing phase in Argentina, India, Indonesia, Tanzania and Türkiye. The partnership also advances key knowledge products that will further reinforce capacity-building efforts on the ground and empower stakeholders to navigate the complex AI landscape.

The goal of the new project—Scaling Inclusive, Human Rights-Based Ethical AI Governance (2025)—is to consolidate the results delivered to date, build on the achievements made, expand the reach and depth of diagnostic and policy development efforts, and deploy globally the tools, methodologies, knowledge and experiences from the recent efforts of building AI governance ecosystem. The actions will be organised around three main pillars/expected outcomes: a. empowering civil society, b. expanding and deepening engagement with countries for ethics of AI through RAMs and other tools; c. producing new knowledge on AI governance. UNESCO Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) is currently being implemented in over 61 countries, including 22 African Countries and 14 SIDs.

UNESCO has gathered firsthand evidence through the RAM, and specific RAM Recommendations have influenced the development of national AI policies, such as the Draft Kenya National AI Strategy, published in January 2025. Since the RAM was published in 2023 and used around the world, valuable feedback has been provided on its content and application. The aim of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive revision of the RAM that would ensure that the tool remains relevant and continues to address emerging needs and challenges effectively.

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Consultant will work under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences Sector (ADG/SHS) and under the direct supervision of the Head of Ethics of AI Unit at UNESCO Headquarters. The consultant will lead and coordinate the process for a comprehensive revision of the RAM.

The outputs and activities the Consultant will engage in are: 

Output 1. Conducting a Comprehensive Revision of RAM: 
• Collating Feedback on Different Areas of the RAM: Focus groups will be organised with the leading institutions and networks partnering with UNESCO on the implementation of the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (AI Experts without Borders, Women for Ethics of AI platform, Global Network of Civil Society Organizations), and written inputs will be sought of priority areas of the RAM that have been flagged as needing to be revised.
• Produce the Revised Version: This version will reflect the outcome of the discussions and consultations.
• Organising Meetings of the High-Level Expert Group that Developed the RAM: The group will be invited to reflect on the proposed changes and requested to ensure a coherent structure.
• Follow two of the four new RAM processes of the project to understand how the data used for the Meta-Analysis of RAMs Report is produced.
• Collaborate and coordinate the inputs on specific topics—such as Gender and Environment—provided by other members of the team.
• Conduct interviews with competent authorities, experts and other relevant stakeholders for input into the research if needed.
• Integrate inputs of the Ethics of AI team as needed and contribute to dissemination, communication and briefing outputs as necessary.

Long Description

Output 2. Contributing to the ongoing work of the Ethics of AI Unit:
• Support the Meta-Analysis of RAMs report, needing a cross-cutting analysis of all completed RAM reports.
• Identifying synergies between this revision of RAM and knowledge and experience from the relevant projects on ethics of AI being delivered around the world, including capacity building for AI governance for different countries. The goal is to enrich and cross-fertilise the overall work.
• Contribute to ongoing research and analysis conducted by the Ethics of AI team in AI policy and governance.
• Participate in meetings and present the work to different stakeholders.
• Support the team with preparing different materials such as speeches, presentations, blogs, white papers, etc.

The duration of the contract is 9 months (until December 31st, 2025) with a monthly payment. The consultant may work remotely and shall attend missions in person related to the project implementation. The exact dates are to be confirmed by the Secretariat in due course.

Before submitting the Employment History form (Word file) to the My Employment History Form / My Documents section of the online application, the candidate must add the following elements at the end of the file: 
• A one-page statement laying out how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment and explaining how they would approach the work.
• The salary expectations for the assignment, which should be quoted in US dollars on a monthly basis for a 9-month period (full-time working).

Only applications with the above-requested information can be considered.

Please note that the consultant salary 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 Individual Specialist may be liable in respect of any payments made to him/her under the terms of this contract.

Long Description

DELIVERABLES AND TIME FRAME

Month 1, by April 30th, 2025
• Preliminary materials for the Comprehensive Revision of RAM, including the research methodology/approach and identifying all leading institutions and networks that will need to get involved.

• Draft timeline for the focus groups with various stakeholders, including coordination between other members of the team providing inputs on specific topics.

• Social network post to announce the coming Comprehensive Revision of RAM.

Month 2, by May 30th, 2025
• First draft of the synthesis report on the key outputs from the online focus groups.

Month 3, by June 20th, 2025
• Coordinate logistics to organise in-person focus groups during the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI.

• Mission to participate in the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI in Bangkok, Thailand, from the 24th to the 27th of June.

Month 4, by July 31st, 2025
• Second draft of the synthesis report on the key outputs from the focus groups held during the Global Forum.

• Draft contribution to the Meta-Analysis of RAMs report.

Month 5, by August 29th, 2025
• First draft of the RAM Revised version reflecting the outcome of the discussions and consultations, to be circulated among the Ethics of AI Team for feedback.

Month 6, by September 30th, 2025
• Second draft of the RAM Revised version reflecting the outcome of the discussions and consultations.

Month 7, by October 31st, 2025
• Organising a meeting of the High-Level Expert Group that Developed the RAM.

• Material for the meeting of the High-Level Expert Group (speeches, TPs, social network posts, etc.).

Month 8, by November 28th, 2025
• Final RAM Revised version reflecting the discussions of the High-Level Expert Group meeting.

• Material for the official launch of the Comprehensive Revision of RAM (speeches, TPs, social network posts, etc.).

Month 9, by December 31st, 2025
• Final contribution to the Meta-Analysis of RAMs report.

• Blog post – accompanying article to introduce the revisions and discuss the key findings.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

-

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

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

Work Experience
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in AI ethics, governance, and policymaking, particularly in conducting research and producing policy-oriented reports. A PhD can count as work experience.
• Demonstrated experience in leading multi-stakeholder consultation processes and synthesizing diverse inputs into coherent, policy-oriented documents.
• Proven experience in developing and/or revising assessment methodologies, policy tools, or governance frameworks, particularly in the context of AI ethics or digital governance.
• Experience in coordinating international projects, including organizing expert groups, managing contributions from multiple stakeholders, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.

Skills and competencies 
• Very good understanding of artificial intelligence's ethical, legal, social and governance issues and related digital technologies.
• Excellent knowledge about the dynamics of governance of AI, including policies, legislative and regulatory frameworks, institutional mechanisms, organisational structures and processes, and initiatives by different stakeholders in this field. This includes broad familiarity with UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology, as well as the ability to translate lessons learned and good practices into practical guidance for policymakers.

• Proven ability to conduct high-quality policy research, synthesize complex information, and produce clear, concise, and impactful reports or toolkits.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple interrelated deliverables within tight deadlines.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English (spoken and written).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education
• Advanced university degree (PhD) in the governance of artificial intelligence, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence or digital technologies, law and technology, computer science, data science, computational social science, or other related fields.

Work Experience
• Experience conducting research and analysis and/or implementing programmes/projects on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies is strongly desirable.
• Prior experience producing policy-oriented publications for international organizations or government agencies.

Languages
• Knowledge of another UNESCO official language (French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, or Chinese).

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Footer