Legal Research Assistant

Result of Service The Individual contractor will be responsible for:

An updated ABLF report assessing the current business regulatory climate in the region, focusing on legislations related to: Competition, FDI, Consumer Protection, Anti-Corruption, and Corporate. The assessment will reflect all the reforms in laws related to the mentioned topics, that were adopted during the last two years.

- A developed methodology for the assessment of the new legislation to be included in the ABLF - An updated Arab Legislation Portal

Work Location UN-House ESCWA

Expected duration 6 Months

Duties and Responsibilities The growing interest in legal and institutional reform, business facilitation and better governance in the Arab region has led governments, donors, and development agencies to increasingly focus their attention on improving the regulatory framework for doing business and ensuring a fair balance between the rights and obligations of various social players. Legal reform, however, is not merely about the production of legislation, but ensuring that such legislation is well understood, enforced and integrated into the overall legal framework.

Regulatory reforms are the core of efficient markets and effective governments, they are necessary for successful national development planning towards establishing healthy competition, innovation and sustainable growth that benefits all people. To use the definition of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), “regulatory reform reduces barriers to competition and market openness, and fosters market dynamics, while ensuring essential social and environmental welfare. Incorporating practices for consultation, transparency and access to law, regulatory reform also contributes to reduced corruption”. Consequently, and noting the challenges of implementation Agenda 2030 and the achievement of the SDGs in the region, acting on addressing this need is necessary.

In this regard, ESCWA launched in 2021 the Arab Business Legislative Framework, a report based on the assessment of the current business regulatory climate in the region, looking at the legislation related to competition, anti-corruption, foreign direct investment (FDI), and consumer protection; as part of its project entitled: “Enhancing Integrated National Development Planning in the Arab Region”. This year, the assessment will also include all the legislations related to the Corporate Law in the region.

ESCWA also developed the Arab Legislation Portal (ALP), a portal that provides ESCWA member States with access to a repository of regulatory frameworks in the region pertaining to the business environment. Giving the fact that existing laws are continuously changing and reformed, every year ESCWA updates the report and the portal, by reflecting and collecting all the reforms in legislations related to the business environment.

During the required months, The IC will support updating and reflecting the peer reviewers' comments of the new version of the developed ABLF and will also update the portal "Arab Legislation Portal" with final results and documents to prepare the report for release.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Giving the above, ESCWA is currently seeking the service of an Individual Contractor to continue updating the ABLF report and the ALP, and to support the overall implementation of the project. The Main Duties and responsibilities of the Individual Contractor are the following: - Continue conducting basic research on assigned issues, using existing legal files and alternative sources - Provide general project support services; processes, drafts, edits, proofreads a variety of correspondence and other communications, and specialized legal documentation - Adjust reported data from different sources and load data into computerized database system - Assist in the evaluation and examination of data sets and information for accuracy, clarity and validity - Support the preparation of a variety of papers, reports, and presentations related to the 1st Consumer Protection Forum and 5th Competition Forum and other workshops. - Assist in the maintenance of a body of a legal electronic reference files to ensure rapid retrieval of critical information - Undertake related tasks on ad hoc assignments as requested by supervisor

Qualifications/special skills A Master's degree in Law or related area is required.

All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 6 years of professional work experience in legal analysis is required. Experience in business and international law is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA.

For this position, fluency in English, Arabic and French are required.

Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Additional Information Recruitment for this position is on a local basis. The incumbent is required to have the legal right to live and work in the specified working location.

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.