International Consultant - Trade Policy Expert

Consultant Programme & Policy Finance & Economy

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Result of Service

The expected outputs and timelines are as follows: Activity 1: Carry out research, through desk review, on the regulatory and institutional frameworks in ECOWAS affecting agri-food trade with focus on nutrition and food security, food related border procedures, Output 1: Research work undertaken and compiled in a document to be submitted to ITC Timeline: August 2024 Activity 2: Engage consultations and targeted interviews with relevant public and private sectors stakeholders at regional and national levels Output 2: Stakeholder meetings and interviews undertaken, and reports submitted to ITC Timeline: August - September 2024 Activity 3: On the basis of activities 1 and 2, prepare draft report highlighting SWOT analysis of regulatory framework and recommendations for policy reforms. Output 3: Draft report prepared and submitted to ITC Timeline: September 2024 Activity 4: Present the policy reforms recommendations at policy dialogue workshop Output 4: Presentation material is prepared and submitted to ITC prior to event, and presentation delivered during event. Timeline: October 2024 Activity 5: Develop a draft policy note on reform recommendations and finalize it after receipt of feedback Output 5: Draft policy note is prepared and submitted to ITC for feedback; final policy note is submitted after review of feedback Timeline: October 2024

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

Three (3) months

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND: The International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint agency of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations (UN), is the only multilateral agency fully dedicated to supporting internationalisation of SMEs. ITC’s mission is to foster inclusive and sustainable growth and development through trade and international business development. ITC’s projects and programmes contribute to the global efforts to achieve UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and Aid for Trade Agenda. ITC is one of the implementing agencies of the project Strengthening agri-food trade in the ECOWAS region through institutional coordination and business support West Africa Competitiveness (“the project). The other co-implementing agencies are GIZ and OECD. The overall objective of the programme is to create a more conducive policy, regulatory and business environment for MSMEs in the agri-food trade sector in West Africa, ensuring that institutional and technical prerequisites for intra-regional agricultural trade are improved in selected countries of the ECOWAS region. This will be achieved through technical assistance designed to support the ECOWAS Commission coordination process at the regional level and dedicated interventions at the border and country level to ensure that best practices are applied to reinforce agri-trade. The project will also seek to provide information on regional trade on agri-food in order to inform policy dialogue and reform design. In this view, the project is structured around three key outputs: - Output 1: The internal coordination between ECOWAS Commission technical directorates (agriculture, trade, customs) on sustainable, agricultural trade and gender sensitive policies is strengthened. - Output 2: Sustainable, gender-sensitive agricultural trade facilitation measures are tested and available to the ECOWAS Commission for regional implementation - Output 3: Improved agri-food trade related services and related business models are available for formal and informal entrepreneurs and traders of selected countries. ITC’s Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business section (TFPB) is, jointly with the other co-implementing agencies, responsible for achieving the aforementioned outputs one and two. To this end, a number of activities have been planned under each output, with the aim of facilitating the creation of a conducive policy and regulatory environment to support agri-trade. With respect to output 1, strengthening coordination within the ECOWAS commission on the topics of trade and agriculture, the first step required the preparation of a mapping and preliminary assessment study on the regional policy frameworks on agriculture and trade in West Africa, in relation to specific policy topics already identified by GIZ in consultation with key stakeholders, and namely: • Women in agri-food trade (to be developed by ITC) • Food loss at border for perishable products and live animals with impact on nutrition and food security is available (to be developed by ITC) • Harmonization and implementation of ECOWAS and MS agri-food trade policies is available (to be developed by ITC) • Member States mechanism for grouped fertilizer and seed trade in the ECOWAS region (to be developed by GIZ) • Private sector’s perception of constraints and opportunities to food trade in the region (to be developed by OECD-SWAC To this effect, ITC is looking for an international consultant (IC) to undertake research on agri-trade policy frameworks in ECOWAS and develop one policy paper on food loss at border for perishable products and live animals in accordance with the present terms of reference (ToRs) DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: The IC, working under the direct guidance of Associate Programme Adviser DMD/TFPB and under the overall supervision of the Senior Officer, Trade Policy and Investment Facilitation Unit, will undertake the tasks outlined below: Develop a policy paper on minimizing food losses at border crossing points 1. Conduct research on the regulatory and institutional frameworks in ECOWAS affecting agri-food trade, with a specific focus on instruments related to food related customs procedures, systems resilience and sustainability, nutrition and food security. To this end, the IC will use as a starting point the mapping study prepared by ITC and will also undertake additional research on food losses at border crossing points. The IC will also liaise closely with other implementing partners and ITC sections (Trade facilitation) 2. Engage consultations and targeted interviews with relevant public and private sectors stakeholders at regional and national levels to assess the effectiveness of the regulatory and institutional instruments governing agri-food with a specific focus on instruments relating to food security, nutrition, food systems sustainability. These consultations will also help in gathering information for analysing the impact of loss of perishable products at border on nutrition and food security.This task will necessitate identifying the key stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, industry experts, academics, and representatives from relevant organizations) and preparing a set of structured questions for the interviews. Relevant stakeholders to consult shall include: ECOWAS Commission directorates (Trade; agriculture and rural development; Gender; private sector and industry; research and statistics; environment), Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food; Business associations such as the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade, in Agro-forestry-pastoral and Fisheries Products (WACTAF) 3. On the basis of work undertaken under activities 9 and 10, conduct a SWOT analysis, with a focus on the gaps or shortcomings in the regulatory and institutional frameworks and develop policy reform proposals (at policymaker, institutional and enterprise levels) for minimizing food losses at border crossing points. These may include updating of existing instruments (policies, laws, regulations, instruments etc.) with specific sustainability related provisions, or recommending new instruments. The SWOT analysis and the policy reforms recommendations will be consolidated in a brief report. 4. The IC will present the policy reforms at the occasion of a validation workshop with public and private sectors actors. The workshop will also be an opportunity to obtain additional feedback from stakeholders 5. On the basis of the above activities, develop a draft policy paper on the proposed reforms for minimizing food losses at border crossing points trade. The draft policy paper shall be concise and straightforward, clearly describe the specific issues that are addressed, present the methodology and explain the reform proposals, their rationales and strategies for effective implementation. The draft will be submitted to ITC and ECOWAS for feedback before finalization. The Consultant is obliged to provide full access to documents and information when requested by ITC external and internal auditors. In addition, it shall comply with any audit undertaken in line with the financial regulations and rules of the United Nations. The Consultant is responsible for all submitted documents and must ensure that they are not plagiarized. Any plagiarism, copying or closely reproducing another’s work without accrediting the legitimate author, in the documents submitted would result in a refusal of the submitted document. Copyright Clause: The Consultant has to ensure that s/he has obtained the necessary permissions with regard to intellectual property rights required to perform his/her services under this consultancy contract and for the subsequent dissemination by ITC in any form. Documentary proof is to be submitted to ITC. Should any license fee be due for the use of copyrighted materials of third parties, the Consultant shall request prior written permission from ITC. S/he has further to ensure to obtain accreditation to event(s), if required. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree in development studies, law, international business, international trade, economics, international trade law or related fields is required. Extensive relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the university degree. Minimum 8 years work experience in the fields of International Trade and Agricultural trade Previous experience in trade-related projects in West Africa/ECOWAS region with a focus on gender related issues will be considered a strong asset Previous trade-related assignments involving engagements with private and public sector stakeholders within the ECOWAS region would be an added advantage Skills: Excellent knowledge and understanding of regional and international trade, as demonstrated by knowledge/insight into ECOWAS regional trade Good communication and presentation skills, at ease with high-level representatives of the public and private sectors Proven ability to work independently with minimum supervision and effectively within a team

Languages

Fluency in English and French. Knowledge of Portuguese and/or Spanish 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.

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Added 1 hour ago - Updated 1 hour ago - Source: careers.un.org