BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As an active participant in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), Barbados operates within a regional context characterized by increasing cross-border data flows, digital services, and shared infrastructure. While national digital legislation remains sovereign, choices made at the domestic level increasingly shape the country’s ability to participate seamlessly in regional and international digital ecosystems.Barbados has made meaningful progress in establishing legal frameworks for the digital economy, including legislation addressing electronic transactions, data protection, cybersecurity, and sector-specific areas such as virtual assets. However, these frameworks have largely evolved in a fragmented and sector-specific manner, resulting in multiple legal instruments developed at different times, under different mandates, and without an overarching legislative architecture. At present, there is no comprehensive omnibus digital legislation framework in Barbados or the wider Caribbean that integrates core elements such as digital identity, data governance, electronic transactions, and emerging digital services into a single, coherent legal structure. Barbados therefore intends to develop an Omnibus Digital Legislation Framework to consolidate and modernize digital-related laws. The objective of this consultancy is to constitute to Phase 0 of that process, designed to resolve key legal questions and establish a strategic basis prior to detailed legislative drafting.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Under the guidance of the Regional Director of the Regional Office for The Americas and in coordination with the ITU Area Representative, for the Caribbean Countries. At the national level, the consultant shall report to the Releasing Agency (ITU), with coordination support as required from the designated Government of Barbados focal point and or UN Resident Coordinator’s Office.The Senior Policy and Legislative Strategy Consultant will be responsible for providing institutional, strategic, and policy-level support to the beneficiary country, Barbados, to set a clear legislative direction. Working as part of a duo team, the consultant will focus on structural sequencing, institutional mandates, and executive briefing. The consultant will perform the following activities:
Map key institutional mandates and regulatory responsibilities essential for the newly identified priority pillars of the Barbadian digital economy.
Identify institutional bottlenecks, structural barriers, and alignment opportunities affecting legislative consolidation under an omnibus approach.
Propose the overall structural sequencing, annotated chapter outline, logical chapter layout, and legislative timeline for the proposed omnibus digital law, including a clear matrix of primary versus subsidiary domains.
Differentiate between matters requiring primary legislation and those better addressed through executive decrees or subsidiary regulatory frameworks.
Identify, isolate, and catalogue high-level policy choices requiring formal, baseline Government decision prior to the commencement of full legislative drafting, and surface these in a decision-oriented brief for Cabinet.
Support the development of a "Prioritization Matrix" to determine which domains (ID, Data, Transactions, etc.) require primary legislation versus those that can be handled via subsidiary regulations.
Develop an execution-ready strategic roadmap for subsequent drafting phases, multi-stakeholder national consultations, and formal legislative adoption.
Prepare a concise, decision-oriented brief for Cabinet addressing the rationale for the omnibus approach, implications for Barbados' participation in regional and international digital ecosystems, and a recommended pathway to full legislative drafting, consultation, and adoption.
- Map key institutional mandates and regulatory responsibilities essential for the newly identified priority pillars of the Barbadian digital economy.
- Identify institutional bottlenecks, structural barriers, and alignment opportunities affecting legislative consolidation under an omnibus approach.
- Propose the overall structural sequencing, annotated chapter outline, logical chapter layout, and legislative timeline for the proposed omnibus digital law, including a clear matrix of primary versus subsidiary domains.
- Differentiate between matters requiring primary legislation and those better addressed through executive decrees or subsidiary regulatory frameworks.
- Identify, isolate, and catalogue high-level policy choices requiring formal, baseline Government decision prior to the commencement of full legislative drafting, and surface these in a decision-oriented brief for Cabinet.
- Support the development of a "Prioritization Matrix" to determine which domains (ID, Data, Transactions, etc.) require primary legislation versus those that can be handled via subsidiary regulations.
- Develop an execution-ready strategic roadmap for subsequent drafting phases, multi-stakeholder national consultations, and formal legislative adoption.
- Prepare a concise, decision-oriented brief for Cabinet addressing the rationale for the omnibus approach, implications for Barbados' participation in regional and international digital ecosystems, and a recommended pathway to full legislative drafting, consultation, and adoption.
CONCRETE DELIVERABLES
Planned starting date is 15th July 2026.
The copyright for all documents produced under the project will be exclusively vested with ITU, the RC-Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Barbados Government.
- Submission of the proposed Omnibus Digital Legislation Architecture and Annotated Outline – A structural blueprint detailing the logical chapter sequencing, core guiding principles, and a clear matrix of primary versus subsidiary domains, within 10 working days.
- Preparation of a concise, decision-oriented brief for Cabinet addressing the rationale for the omnibus approach, implications for Barbados’ participation in regional and international digital ecosystems, and a recommended pathway to full legislative drafting, consultation, and adoption, within 30 working days.
COMPETENCIES
- Ability to support senior government decision-making initiatives and work independently and within a team and to maintain effective liaison with related services.
- Strong drafting, written documentation and reporting skills with the ability to prepare documents such as executive briefs.
- Extensive understanding of public administration dynamics.
- Outstanding analytical skills.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
Education:
Advanced university degree in public policy, law, public administration, or a related field OR education from a reputed college of advanced education with a diploma of equivalent standard to that of an advanced university degree in one of the fields above.
Experience:
At least ten (10) years of experience in institutional analysis, legislative strategy, public sector reform, or macro-level digital policy development is required.
Languages:
Knowledge of English at advanced level.
REMUNERATION INFORMATION
Between USD 410 and USD 890 per working day to be defined according to the work experience of the consultant.