International Legal Specialist
Job Posting: 28/Jun/2021
Closure Date: 15/Jul/2021, 4:59:00 PM
Organizational Unit: FRNAM
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)
Grade Level: N/A
Primary Location: Home-Based
Duration: 105 days
Post Number: N/A
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background, and culture
Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations, and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct and to uphold our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination
All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is currently implementing a technical cooperation project, “Support to the revision of legislations regulating plant quarantine and the management of fertilizers, animal feed and agricultural remedies’’’ (TCP/NAM/3806). The project’s objective is to support the revision of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act 36 of 1947 which will result in the formulation of a renewed legislation on pesticides management and feed safety and quality. While Namibia has many pieces of legislation for the management of chemicals,there is also a need to develop a framework of legislation for pesticides management and the binding multilateral environmental agreements to which Namibia is party, such as the Stockholm, Rotterdam and Basel conventions..
Concerning fertilizers, the national legislation in place is outdated and there is need to review the acts and align to the Fertilizer Code.
Namibia needs to improve its capacity in order to be able to prove equivalence of its SPS System to international standards. The Plant Quarantine Act of 2008 is the main plant protection legal and institutional framework. However, a further alignment of its provisions with IPPC standards remain necessary. The current plant health management practices are suboptimal and present unacceptably high risks to plant health and food security.
Animal feeds is also a critical component of the food chain that has a direct impact on animal food safety and public health. According to the WTO-SPS Agreement, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission are responsible for setting standards in the domains of animal feed, including animal production food safety, to manage risks arising from the farm level through to primary processing.
Feed and feed ingredients are widely traded internationally. For example, Namibia is known as one of the first African country to export red meat to the United States and to Europe. To maintain this opportunity, national laws and regulations shall comply with international standard and feed chain control system shall be risk-based.
Reporting Lines
Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Namibia and the technical supervision of the Legal Officer, LEGN, and in close collaboration with the project Lead Technical Officer, the Project Coordinator, the counterpart authorities in the Government of Namibia, the International Legal Consultant with the National Legal Specialist will perform the below tasks.
Tasks and responsibilities
Draft a work plan jointly with the International legal consultant and submit to the Legal Officer, LEGN for clearance;
Under the guidance of the International legal consultant, collect, review and analyse the relevant policy and legal instruments pertaining to plant health, pesticides and fertilizers management, feed safety and quality and consult with FAOLEX database in the process;
Map relevant national stakeholders pressing needs and expectations (priorities) regarding the above mentioned legislative areas;
Under the guidance of the International legal consultant, draft reports analyzing the legislation, highlighting legal inconsistencies and gaps, ensuring that the gender equality is addressed, and providing recommendations to improve the legislation and to bring it in line with international and regional legal requirements as well as best practices;
Jointly with the International legal consultant, submit the reports to the Legal officer for clearance;
Share the relevant policy and legal instruments collected in the process of desk review and not available in FAOLEX with the Legal Officer;
Conduct a national consultation workshop to present and discuss the findings and key recommendations for the legal reform in collaboration with the International legal consultant;
Prepare the summary of workshop outcome and agreed on recommendations;
Assist the International legal consultant during his meetings with national counterparts;
As requested, conduct bilateral meetings with selected stakeholders to seek their views on the drafting instructions prepared by the International legal consultant;
Based on the drafting instructions provided by the International legal consultant, draft a new plant health bill, pesticides management bill, fertilizers management bill and feed safety and quality bill, taking into consideration the legal drafting traditions and rules of Namibia;
Submit the draft bills to the International legal consultant for review and improve them pursuant to his/her recommendations, as necessary;
Conduct a national validation workshop to present and discuss the draft bills, in collaboration with the International legal consultant;
Prepare a summary of workshop outcome with agreed recommendations to improve draft bills;
Finalize the draft bills in light of the comments received from the stakeholders;
In collaboration with the International legal consultant, prepare a joint final report with the draft bills, list of priority areas to be addressed under subsidiary instruments and submit the report to the Legal officer for final clearance;
Carry out any other activities relevant to this assignment, including ensuring and monitoring women’s participation.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
University degree in Law.
At least seven years of relevant experience in legal analysis and research and legal drafting in the field
Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another FAO official language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian) for Consultants. Working knowledge for English for PSA.SBS.
FAO Core Competencies
Results Focus
Teamwork
Communication
Building Effective Relationships
Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
If you are in possession of language certificate/s from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT), please attach the certificate/s when submitting the application.
For more information, visit the FAO employment website
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.
We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline
If you need help please contact: [email protected]
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
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