Country: Iraq
Organization: International Labour Organization
Closing date: 23 Aug 2026
Background and Context:
The International Labour Organization is implementing the EU-UN Joint Programme on Social Protection in Iraq, funded by the European Union. Under this programme the ILO has supported the Kurdistan Regional Government Since 2021 to modernize and expand the private-sector social security scheme for workers, to strengthen the institutions that deliver it, and to extend coverage to those not yet protected.
Since 2021 the reform has produced measurable results. Registered insured workers have more than doubled, from 120,026 to 303,619, and registered employers have grown from 37,664 to 62,748. Women insured have more than tripled, the scheme now reaches over 45,000 migrant workers, and the social security fund has grown in parallel. The administration has begun its digital transformation, the first actuarial valuation of the scheme is under way, and the evidence base has been strengthened, including through the 2026 Labour Force Survey.
As the EU-UN Joint Programme enters its final phase, running to October 2027, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the European Union and the ILO will mark five years of this partnership at a high-level event, recognising the Region's leadership of the reform and setting the shared agenda for the period ahead.
An in-person, high-level event is required. The participants are drawn from the Region's senior government leadership, the diplomatic community and the ILO's regional leadership; the five-year results and the forward agenda are to be presented and discussed in the room; and the standard of delivery expected is that of a national event attended by senior officials.
The ILO will therefore host this event, in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government, in Erbil on Monday 31 August 2026, from 09:00 to 13:00, for 40 to 60 participants, with simultaneous English and Kurdish (Sorani) interpretation and a hybrid connection for participants joining remotely.
The Building Equitable and Inclusive Transformation (BEIT) project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), supports institutionalization and mainstreaming of social dialogue through establishment and operationalization of the Social Dialogue Forum for Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).Under the same event management contract, the ILO will also organize the high-level Launch of the Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum in Erbil on Tuesday 1 September 2026, from 09:00 to 11:00, for up to 80 participants. The launch is supported under the Building Equitable and Inclusive Transformation (BEIT): Towards Decent Work and Affordable Housing in Iraq programme and will provide a formal platform to validate and adopt the Forum Terms of Reference, introduce the Forum membership and working arrangements, and strengthen coordination with the Iraq Social Dialogue Forum in Baghdad.
Objectives of the Meeting of 31 August 2026
• Mark five years of social protection reform in the Kurdistan Region, recognising the Kurdistan Regional Government's ownership and leadership of the reform and the results achieved for workers and employers.
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• Present the Region's five-year results across coverage, the social security fund, the digital transformation of the administration, and the strengthened evidence base.
• Reaffirm the partnership between the Kurdistan Regional Government, the European Union and the ILO under the Joint Programme, and the value of continued support.
Objectives of the Meeting of 01 September 2026
• Formally launch the Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum as a tripartite platform bringing together government, workers’ and employers’ representatives from across the Kurdistan Region.
• Validate and formally adopt the Terms of Reference of the Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum during the launch event.
• Introduce Forum members and agree on initial working arrangements, roles, coordination mechanisms and next steps.
• Strengthen coordination and exchange between the Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum and the Iraq Social Dialogue Forum, including participation of a tripartite delegation from Baghdad.
• Set out the forward agenda for the next phase: extending coverage to workers not yet protected,
managing the social security fund, completing the digital and evidence systems, and exploring social health protection.
The contract therefore covers two distinct high-level events: (i) the Five Years of Social Protection Reform event on 31 August 2026; and (ii) the Launch of the Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum on 1 September 2026. The service provider shall deliver the logistical, technical, interpretation, travel, accommodation, catering, media, visibility, printing and hybrid-event requirements specified for each event.
Purpose for this Service:
The ILO is seeking a qualified event management service provider to deliver the venue, interpretation, catering, printing, media, visibility and logistical services required for the 2 events in Erbil.
High-level Event: Five Years of Social Protection Reform in the Kurdistan Region – Monday 31 August
2026, from 09:00 to 13:00.
The event marks five years of the EU-UN Joint Programme's support to social protection reform in the Kurdistan Region. The standard of delivery expected is that of a national event attended by senior government officials, the diplomatic community and senior ILO representatives.
The service provider will be responsible for ensuring the smooth organization of the event, including venue arrangements, interpretation services, catering, meeting materials, media and visibility requirements, participant support, and all related logistical coordination in line with ILO standards.
Registration opens at 08:30 hrs. The date is indicative and may be moved within the contract period by written instruction of the ILO.
• Facilitate a well-organized high-level launch event on 1 September 2026, from 09:00 to 13:00, for up to 80 participants in a four-star or five-star hotel approved by UNDSS.
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• Provide simultaneous interpretation in Kurdish (Sorani), Arabic and English, with sufficient professional interpreters, booths/equipment and headsets for up to 80 participants, including access to interpretation channels for remote participants.
• Arrange 2-night accommodation and DSA for eligible participants travelling from Duhok, Sulaymaniyah, Halabja and Baghdad, and arrange round-trip Baghdad-Erbil-Baghdad air tickets for nine Baghdad participants.
• Provide the materials and setup required for formal validation and adoption of the Forum Terms of Reference, including printed ToR copies, an adoption/signing table and an approved branded backdrop/photo area.
High-Level Event: Launch of KRI Social Dialogue Forum – Tuesday 01 September 2026, from 09:00 to 11:00
The launch event seeks at establishing an institutional and formal arrangement for social dialogue within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI)
The service provider will be responsible for ensuring the smooth organization of the event, including venue arrangements, interpretation services, catering, meeting materials, media and visibility requirements, participant support, and all related logistical coordination in line with ILO standards.
• Facilitate a well-organized half-day high-level event in Erbil for up to 60 participants, in a four-star or five-star hotel approved by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security.
• Support all arrangements for simultaneous English and Kurdish (Sorani) interpretation, hybrid connection, catering, printing, media coverage, visibility materials, and accommodation for participants travelling from outside Erbil.
• Ensure logistical and technical arrangements for a half-day event are complete, tested and in place before the opening session, in accordance with ILO branding and operational requirements.
Event date(s) from/to:
High-level Event: Five Years of Social Protection Reform in the Kurdistan Region – Monday 31 August 2026, from 09:00 to 13:00. Registration opens at 08:30 hrs. The date is indicative and may be moved within the contract period by written instruction of the ILO.
High-Level Event: Launch of KRI Social Dialogue Forum – Tuesday 01 September 2026, from 09:00 to 11:00
Venue: Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
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Number of Participants:
High-level Event: Five Years of Social Protection Reform in the Kurdistan Region
Total expected participants: 40 to 60, costed against a ceiling of 60, including:
Kurdistan Regional Government, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs:
• The Deputy Minister, the General Directorate of Labour and Social Security and the Directorates of Social Security (up to 20)
Ministry of Planning and Prime Minister's Office:
• The Ministry of Planning, including the Kurdistan Region Statistics Office and the Department of International Cooperation, and the Prime Minister's Office (up to 15)
Workers' and employers' organizations:
• (up to 8)
International Labour Organization:
• Deputy Regional Director, ILO Regional Office for Arab States, the Social Protection Specialist and the project team (up to 6)
Delegation of the European Union to Iraq, United Nations agencies and other development partners:
• (up to 6)
Launch of the Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum - 1 September 2026:
Total expected participants up to 80, costed against a ceiling of 80, including:
• Representatives from the four governorates of the Kurdistan Region Duhok, Sulaymaniyah and Halabja), including MoLSA, workers’ and employers’ representatives (up to 18)
• Additional Erbil-based participants and high-level guests (approximately 30).
• Iraq Social Dialogue Forum delegation from Baghdad: government, workers’ and employers’ representatives, including the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (9).
• ILO and other invited high-level participants within the overall ceiling of 80.
Indicative Agenda
Conditions that must be met in the hall:
1) The halls should have enough space for sitting, including registration table at the entrance, per each day
2) The Hall should be sufficiently bright with good light and air conditions.
3) The hotel should have full considerations for disability access
4) The hotel shall arrange for fully functional electronic and audio-visual equipment and event materials (such as banners and/ or flags banners, data shows, wireless microphones, audio systems, teleconference equipment and similar items)
5) Fiber link with minimum speed of 32 Mbps.
6) Flipcharts with stands, whiteboard with paper, and markers
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For the 1 September event, the service provider shall arrange round-trip Baghdad-Erbil-Baghdad air tickets for nine participants from the Iraq Social Dialogue Forum.
8) 8) All visibility materials follow the applicable ILO and programme-specific visibility and branding requirements. Designs are provided or approved by the ILO. No photograph, film or other material produced under this contract may be published or released by the service provider without the prior written approval of the ILO.
9) 9) The service provider assigns a named focal point who is present at the venue before registration starts on each event day and remains until the venue is cleared, and who is reachable by telephone from the date of signature.
10) Room on ground floor or higher (not basement floor) Meeting room picture required to be attached
11) Free Wi-Fi internet connection in the training room.
12) A minimum of 5 Universal Adapters.
13) Backup internet line.
14) Pens and notepads per participants per day
Coordination
The company will liaise and report to Ms. Gashaw Shareef, shareef@ilo.org , Mr. Miran Bakragha at bakragha@ilo.org , and Marina Rai at marina@ilo.org
Payment
According to the ILO policy, the payments of services are performed 30 days after receipt of service.
The payment schedule will consist of a single payment, issued after the completion of the service and upon receipt of the invoice and required documents from the supplier, in line with ILO's satisfaction with the service.
Means of payment: the payment will be paid via wire transfer to the designated bank account of the supplier.
The supplier will be billed to ILO based on the actual number of participants and service.
Important Notes:
The hotel will be billed to ILO based on the actual number of participants and service.
1) This Terms of Reference also serves as the request for quotation. Bidders complete the Unit Price and Total Price columns in the table above and return this document, signed and dated, as their quotation. Prices are quoted in United States dollars, or in Iraqi dinars with the exchange rate applied stated on the quotation, and are inclusive of all taxes and charges. Ǫuoted prices are held valid for the whole of the contract period stated above.
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2) The quantities in the table above are ceilings and not commitments. The ILO is billed on the actual number of participants and on the services actually delivered.
3) The dates in this Terms of Reference are indicative. The ILO may move the date of the event to any other date within the contract period by written instruction to the service provider. Such a change does not require an amendment to this contract and attracts no additional cost, fee, penalty or rebooking charge.
4) The ILO may postpone or cancel the event for any reason, including but not limited to the security situation, the availability of participants, and the instructions of the co-hosting institution. Postponement or cancellation notified at least 72 hours before the start of the event is free of charge, and no fee, penalty or rebooking charge is payable. Where the venue's own terms do not permit cancellation or postponement on 72 hours' notice without charge, the service provider states this in its quotation, identifies the lines affected, states the notice period the venue requires and states the maximum charge that would fall due. A quotation that states no such limitation is taken to offer free cancellation and postponement on 72 hours' notice on every line, and a cancellation charge not disclosed in the quotation is not payable.
5) The service provider may not assume that any requirement set out in this Terms of Reference is met under a separate ILO contract. The service provider may not draw on any other ILO framework or call-off contract for interpretation, translation, event management or travel services in order to meet these requirements. Every item listed above is supplied under this contract.
6) For the 31 August event, the quotation shall state separately, as unit prices, the incremental cost of extending room hire and interpretation from a half day of up to four hours to a full day of up to eight hours, and the incremental cost of adding Arabic as a third interpretation language. For the 1 September event, simultaneous interpretation in Kurdish (Sorani), Arabic and English is required as part of the quoted service.
7) Participant daily subsistence allowance and travel reimbursement are administered by the service provider under instructions from ILO, where a quantity is entered against the relevant line in the table above. The participant signs a receipt together with a declaration that no subsistence payment is being received from their own institution for the same days.
8) All visibility materials follow the ILO Branding Guidelines and the European Union visibility requirements. Designs are provided by the ILO. No photograph, film or other material produced under this contract may be published or released by the service provider without the prior written approval of the ILO.
9) The service provider assigns a named focal point who is present at the venue from 07:00 hrs on the day of the event until the venue is cleared, and who is reachable by telephone from the date of signature.
10) Interpreters, technicians, photographers and other staff provided by the service provider are additional to the participant numbers stated above and are not billed as participants.
Indicative Agenda
High-level Event: Five Years of Social Protection Reform in the Kurdistan Region
31 August 2026, Erbil, 09:00 to 13:00
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09:00 Registration and welcome coffee, and distribution of the event pack
09:00 to 10:05 Opening session: the Kurdistan Regional Government, the International Labour Organization, and the Delegation of the European Union to Iraq
10:05 to 10:15 Group photograph and media 10:15 to 10:30 Coffee break
10:30 to 11:00 Session 1: Five years of reform, the Kurdistan Region social security story 11:00 to 11:40 Session 2: A modern, digital and evidence-based social security administration
11:40 to 12:20 Session 3: Protecting the fund, financial sustainability and international best practice 12:20 to 12:50 Session 4: The road ahead, extending coverage and social health protection
12:50 to 13:00 Conclusions and next steps
The agenda is indicative. Session times and content may be adjusted by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the ILO without any change to the services required under this contract.’
High-level Event: Launch of the Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum 1 September 2026, Erbil, 0G:00 to 11:00
08:30 to 09:00 Registration, welcome coffee/tea and distribution of event materials
09:00 to 09:45 Opening session: KRG Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; Federal MoLSA/Deputy Minister; ILO; workers’ representative; employers’ representative
09:45 to 10:15 Presenting founding paper of Kurdistan Social Dialogue Forum 10:15 to 10:30 Signing Founding Vehicle
10:30 to 11:00 Closing
How to apply
To apply for the job, please click on the provided link and follow the instructions on the website. Make sure to read the job description carefully before submitting your application. You may be asked to create an account.
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