Legal Advisor (International Consultant)

Result of Service The assignment will be carried out under the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator of the GMCP, based in Libreville, Gabon. The consultant will be based at her / his place with frequent travel to Gulf of Guinea region. More specifically, the consultant will perform the following tasks:

PASSMAR - Provide legal assessment of ECCAS instruments to finalise a hand over agreement - Support on the revision/update of country’s national framework on maritime crime in Cameroun, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon - Support on the development of a handover agreement on transfer of suspects of piracy in ECCAS region - Provide ad-hoc training on the Law of the Sea to strengthen capacity of maritime criminal justice practitioners, in close cooperation with the existing regional training institutions - Liaise with the national authorities of the Central Africa region for assisting the process of following on the legal recommendations issued by UNODC and partners - Provide advisory support to the CRESMAC and ICC on promoting maritime legal reform in ECCAS region

SWAIMS: - Support operationalization of the ECOWAS Supplementary Act among ECOWAS member states; - Support the review and final adoption processes of the Regional Model Agreement on Illicit Maritime Activities similar to the San Jose Treaty by providing legal advice on various aspects of the Act as and when required - Provide advisory support to the CRESMAO on promoting maritime legal reform in ECOWAS region - To support the conduct of a simulation exercise at sea and the transfer procedures to be conducted within the ECOWAS Zone G to test the SOPs developed under the ECOWAS Supplementary Act. - To produce a post evaluation report on the outcome of the Exercise with recommendations

Work Location Home-Based with frequent travels to Gulf of Guinea region

Expected duration 183

Duties and Responsibilities While the incidence of robbery at sea and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) still persists, the capacity of ECCAS costal states to prosecute has come under increased scrutiny. What is plainly evident – from a number of assessments and fact-finding missions conducted by UNODC, thru its Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMC) and other international organizations as International Maritime Organization (IMO), United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and other US agencies, France, and the UK – is that no ECCAS State currently has the necessary mix of jurisdiction, offence creating legislation, and prosecutorial and judicial awareness and capacity to undertake a piracy prosecution. At the same time, in West Africa five ECOWAS, with the support of UNODC GMCP under the framework of SWAIMS project, developed its Supplementary Act to transfer suspects of piracy and more recently, a draft regional model agreement of other illicit maritime activities similar to the San Jose Treaty operating in Caribbean region to further strengthen enforcement action at sea. The GMCP effort particularly in the case of piracy has been possible because of the fact that five (5) countries Togo, Nigeria, Cabo Verde, Liberia and Senegal have universal jurisdiction to prosecute suspects of piracy. Before the region can see any effective prosecution of a piracy case, as it is the case now in ECCAS region. These legal gaps in such region needs to be covered.

UNODC GMCP has been promoting legal reform and training maritime criminal justice practitioners on the Law of the Sea and transnational organised maritime crime matters in the region under 2 EU-funded regional projects called SWAIMS and PASSMAR. The geographical scope of the SWAIMS project covers West Africa countries administrated by UNODC ROSEN and CONIG: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo. On the other hand, the geographical scope of the PASSMAR project covers Central Africa countries administrated by ROSEN and ROSAF: Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), Gabon and Sao Tomé-et-Principe (STP).

The support has comprised of legal assessments conducted with regard to piracy and maritime offences, establishing legal frameworks, and support in developing solid legislation in line with the UN Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other international maritime instruments.

Qualifications/special skills Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in law, criminology, police administration or a similar field, focused on international maritime affairs, international security policy, criminal justice and / or the application of the law is required. An first level university degree in similar fields with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. - At least ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of countering maritime crime and implementing law of the sea is required - Proven experience in legal research and analysis, proposals and training plans, and excellent drafting skills is required - Experience in development work and legal systems in West and Central Africa is required - Proven experience in dealing with national and regional counterparts from various cultural backgrounds is desirable - Previous work experience with the UN or other International Organizations will be considered is desirable

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations Secretariat language 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.