National Legal Specialist

Organizational Setting:

FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan is currently implementing “Support for Structural Reform and Strategic Development of Agrarian Services Agency” project under FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme (FAPP, 2016-2021). The project aims to support structural reform and strategic development of Agrarian Services Agency by enabling strengthening the delivery and effectiveness of the veterinary, crop protection, seed management and technical control services in the country.

Reporting Lines:

Ms.Carmen Bullon, Legal officer

Technical Focus:

The development and restructuring strategy of the Agency will be prepared in coordination with the relevant departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey (MoAF), including the Directorate of Strategy Development and the Directorate General of Agricultural Reform under the framework of South-South cooperation. In this regard, under the overall supervision of the Assistant to FAO Representative in Azerbaijan (AFAOR), the technical supervision of the Legal Officer (LEGN), in close collaboration with the direct and operational supervision of the Program Management Specialist (FAPP), the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and responsible FAO Technical Team, the National Legal Consultant will carry out the following activities

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Collect and review the existing FAO reports and national legislation in the areas of seed management, plant variety protection, protection and efficient use of genetic resources of cultivated plants, plant and animal health, pesticide management, as well as the legislation related to the control of agricultural machinery (to be further defined in collaboration with the technical team); • Prepare a report that includes a chapter for each of the areas above. Each chapter will identify and analyse the existing legislation against the international reference standards and good practices, identify weaknesses and areas that could deserve legal reform, and provide concrete recommendations for legal reform, including the elements that should be taken into consideration in the revised or new legislation; • Liaise with the national counterparts in the MoA and other key national stakeholders as needed, to verify the list of legislation collected is sufficiently comprehensive and its interpretation aligned; • Submit the report to the Legal Office for revision and clearance, and integrate all the comments received until the contract is finalized; • If necessary, present and discuss the report, or selected chapters of the report, with the national counterparts; • Collect all analysed legislation in an electronic folder and provide it to the Project Team.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements:

• University degree in Law • Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in agriculture-related legislation • Working knowledge of English • Nationality of Azerbaijan or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies:

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical Focus:

• Analyzing updated list of relevant legislation and preparation of the legal report