Collection of cases related to illicit firearms (Individual Contractor)

Result of Service Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Chief of the Firearms Trafficking Section and the direct supervision of other staff of the section, and in collaboration with relevant sections of UNODC, the contractor will carry out the following tasks:

(i) Support the development and drafting of the Digest of Illicit Firearms Cases that is led by a senior Consultant, through, inter alia, the collection and preparation of relevant cases and legislation related to illicit firearms;

(ii) Provide support to the organization of Expert Group Meetings to review and improve the draft Digest, including inter alia: preparation of draft agenda, correspondence and other written outputs; identification of and follow up with experts; preparation of presentations and facilitation of expert discussions; drafting of substantive report with findings of the meetings etc;

(iii) Support the preparation of side-events such as the Conference of the Parties to UNTOC inter alia, as well as of other expert group meetings and liaise with external partners accordingly;

(iv) Contribute to dissemination tools such as newsletters and the UNODC/Firearms webpage;

(v) Support the design and development of educational, policy and best practice tools, including issue papers, manuals, handbook, training guides and teaching material;

(vi) Carry out other tasks as required, including: drafting and revising briefing notes and presentations; organizing meetings and missions, etc.

Work Location Home-based with travel to Vienna

Expected duration 127 working days within the period from 3 June to 30 November 2022.

Duties and Responsibilities In 2011, UNODC launched the Global Firearms Programme (GFP) to assist Member States in preventing and countering transnational illicit trafficking in firearms through the ratification and implementation of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition (FP), supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). The Programme develops around different complementary clusters, which include advocacy and awareness raising; legislative and policy development; technical assistance and capacity building; technical support in firearms control; international cooperation; research and analysis.

Amongst others, the GFP focuses on strengthening the capacity of the criminal justice system to detect, investigate and prosecute firearms criminality, and making effective use of mechanisms of international law, including enforcement cooperation and information exchange. As a follow-up step, the GFP facilitates the development of various tools, which criminal justice practitioners can use to counter firearms trafficking. In this context, the GFP works on the development and dissemination of comprehensive training curricula and tools, such as standard operating procedures, guidelines, as well as the delivery of specialized training courses for criminal justice practitioners to strengthen the investigative and prosecutorial capacity to detect and address complex and domestic and transnational cases of firearms trafficking and their links to organized crime and terrorist activities.

Against that backdrop, and in line with recommendation 21 adopted by the Working Group on Firearms at its fifth session (Vienna, 8 – 10 May 2017) that UNODC should continue “to collect and analyse relevant cases and good practices to investigate and prosecute firearms trafficking cases, including cases linked to terrorism and organized crime, and to produce a compendium of good practices and measures that helps States to efficiently prevent and address the illicit trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition”, UNODC, through its Global Firearms Programme (GFP), is developing a Digest of Illicit Firearms Cases. The purpose of the Digest will be to illustrate and promote the practical implementation of the Firearms Protocol and the parent UNTOC by collecting and analyzing relevant cases of illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition from different countries and regions and contribute to establish operational protocols and good practice guidelines related to the investigation and prosecution of those cases. The Digest will be presented as a compilation of illustrative cases and related good practices in criminalization, investigations, prosecution and legal experiences in dealing with these forms of crime. By providing policy-makers, criminal justice officials, and investigative police with practical perspectives and insights based on practitioners’ experience and associated good practices it is hoped that the Digest could serve those involved in complicated investigations and prosecutions. In that context, the digest aims at supporting them in overcoming the many pitfalls and challenges in order to conduct an efficient investigation and prosecution. Moreover, the Digest will help contribute to improving judicial understanding and strengthening international cooperation in criminal matters.

In parallel, the cases and legislation are compiled in the digest, as well as additional relevant national firearms cases, legislation and national action plans that will be uploaded to the UNODC platform for Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws on Crime (SHERLOC). SHERLOC is a UNODC on-going initiative aimed at facilitating the dissemination of information regarding the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocols thereto, including the Firearms Protocol.

It currently hosts six databases: (1) the Case Law Database, (2) the Database of Legislation (3) the Bibliographic Database, (4) the Directory of Competent National Authorities, (5) the Database of Strategies and (6) the Database on Treaties. SHERLOC intends to enable judges, prosecutors, policy-makers, media, researchers and other interested parties to take court decisions relating to these instruments into account in dealing with human trafficking and/or smuggling of migrants issues, to promote the uniform interpretation and application of these instruments, to consult on practices in different jurisdictions, and to broaden the knowledge of human trafficking and/or smuggling of migrants crimes.

The purpose of the assignment is to support a senior Consultant in the development and drafting of the Illicit Firearms Digest and to collect and prepare relevant cases, legislation and national action plans related to firearms to be published on SHERLOC. In addition, the Individual Contractor will perform a varied range of tasks as relating to the day-to-day necessities of the Global Firearms Programme.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent is required. A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Law, Political Sciences and/or Social Sciences or related field is desirable. Experience: - A minimum of one year of relevant professional work experience in legal affairs is required; - Knowledge of the collection of case-law and legislation is required; - An understanding of the international framework against organized crime, particularly with regard to firearms, is desirable; - Experience in organizing information in knowledge portals or databases is desirable; - Experience in advocacy related tasks (writing of newsletters, articles, social media, etc.) is desirable. Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English, i.e. oral and written proficiency, is required. Knowledge of other official UN languages is an advantage.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.