Associate Legal Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The Law Division is the lead Division charged with carrying out the functions of UNEP in the field of environmental law, governance and related policy issues, including those related to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). To fulfill its mandate, the Division’s work focuses on: leading the international community in the progressive development of environmental law; supporting States in the development and implementation of legal, institutional and policy measures that address emerging and important environmental challenges; facilitating cooperation and coordination among MEAs and between UNEP and those agreements; working with MEA Secretariats to support Parties to the respective MEAs in implementing their treaty obligations; and facilitating policy dialogue among States on issues relating to international environmental law and governance.

The Law Division also leads UNEP’s role as Secretariat to the Fifth Montevideo Programme on the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo Programme V).

Programme V is a ten-year intergovernmental programme adopted by the UN Environment Assembly at its fourth meeting in March 2019. Montevideo V Programme will promote environmental rule of law, strengthen the related capacities in countries, and contribute to the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Programme commenced in January 2020 and is a flagship initiative of the Law Division.

The international UNV will support UNEP in its work for successful implementation of Montevideo V Programme.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Montevideo Coordination and Delivery Unit, or her/his designated representative, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Assist activities contributing to the implementation of the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme V, under the identified thematic priority areas of chemicals and pollution, climate change, and biodiversity, and support relevant capacity building and access rights initiatives; • Participate in the development and implementation of environmental law projects and activities, etc.; • Review relevant documents and reports; • Liaise with relevant partners and stakeholders to support implementation of project activities; identify and track follow-up actions; • Attend project and other meetings with partners, liaise with UNEP colleagues as appropriate to prepare for and follow up from meetings; • Prepare or assist in the preparation of drafts of background papers, studies, reports, and legislative texts, and prepare conclusions, commentaries on those texts, and teaching materials in the field of environmental law and sustainable development, in particular, as these relate to national environmental law and related institutions; • Assist in the preparation of legal briefs and in the review of legal documents, instruments, or other material on environmental law in Latin America and the Caribbean; • Assist in the organization and support of events (meetings, workshops and training, roundtables and expert meetings), that are organized face-to-face or electronically, through e.g., liaising with partner entities/organizations and with participants, compiling materials, taking notes and preparing reports; • Assist in the coordination and implementation of activities of the Latin American and Caribbean Platform of Environmental Law Lecturers; • Prepares strategies and undertakes research to support technical legal assistance to Member States for the development and implementation of national environmental laws and policies in Latin America and the Caribbean; • Perform other relevant tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Results/Expected Outputs

As an active UNEP team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNEP and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including through:

• Preparing documents that methodically analyze research information collected and logically lead to the conclusions set out therein;
• Delivering assignments in accordance with agreed standards of quality and within set deadlines;
• Reviewing and providing technical inputs for at least 5 project documents, products and papers;
• Facilitating regional events and forums by coordinating with partners, inviting speakers and setting up programmes.;
• Developing the capacity, through informal and formal on-the-job training, when working with (or supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implement-ing Partners (IPs);
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment;
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in, and capacities developed.

☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Communication ☒ Integrity ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Professionalism ☒ Technological Awareness ☒ Working in Teams

the practice of Law. Out of these, at least two (2) years must be specifically in environmental law and/or environmental governance, legal research and/or coordination of projects.

• Prior experience at the international level is an advantage; so is experience in knowledge management; • Proven ability to carry out research and familiarity with electronic research tools and databases; • Excellent oral and writing skills; excellent drafting and reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision, ability to work with tight deadlines; • Affinity with or interest in the advancement of environmental law, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System. • Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be desirable.

Panama is located in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, be-tween Colombia and Costa Rica. Temperatures are uniformly high, as is the relative humidity, and there is little seasonal variation. Panama's tropical environment supports an abundance of plants. The landscape is dominated by forests, interrupted in places by grasslands, scrub, and crops. Spanish is the official and dominant language. About 93% of the population speaks Spanish as their first language, though many citizens who hold jobs at international levels, or who are a part of business corporations speak both English and Spanish. The Panamanian currency is officially the Balboa. Howev-er, US dollars are legal tender and used for all paper currency. Additionally, Panama's banking centre has a set of stable economic and labour rules; its banks allow free transfers of foreign currencies and favourable tax treatment.

Conditions of Service:

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance.

UN Volunteers receive a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) per month and is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$1,602. The VLA base rate is a global rate, while the PAM is country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the be-ginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided an Entry Lump Sum (US $4,000) at the start of the assignment. UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, an Exit Lump Sum and full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements, if applicable).

Specific UN Volunteer entitlements, including insurance coverage, VLA and Entry / Exit lump sums, among others, are available at https://app.unv.org/calculator.

The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos