Chief of Section, Legal Affairs, P-5

UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme

Geneva, Switzerland

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional levels. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between states. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. The CITES Secretariat is administered by UNEP and is located in Geneva, Switzerland. This post is located in the CITES Secretariat at the Geneva duty station. Under the general/direct supervision of the Secretary-General, CITES, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Responsibilities

Plan, formulate, oversee, and implement the work of the Legal Unit. The Legal Unit supports the effective implementation of the Convention by monitoring the compliance of Parties and by supporting the implementation of the resolutions and decisions allocated to the unit professionally and in accordance with the values and rules of the UN and the Secretariat. The specific tasks of the Unit include:
- Ensure implementation of relevant Resolutions and Decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties and recommendations agreed upon by its permanent committees. Includes decisions related to the National Legislation Project, support to national legal officers, prosecutors, and the judiciary; livelihoods and related social or economic aspects; permit confirmation and the monitoring of legal trade; national reporting; and general compliance with the Convention; provide legal support and advice to CITES intergovernmental processes, e.g., CoP(Conference of the Parties), SC(Standing Committee), AC(Animals Committee), PC(Plants Committee), to the Parties, the Secretary-General and the Secretariat;
- Monitor compliance and assist in the implementation of the recommendations with particular attention to Article XIII processes, National Legislation Project, Annual reports, and the National Ivory Action Plans (NIAP) process;
- Coordinate the implementation of the Compliance Assistance Programme;
- Assist and provide advice on the development and amendments of Resolutions, Decisions, Annotations, rules of procedure, and Notifications to the Parties;
- Manage the CITES permit system and provide legal advice and oversight on the regulatory aspects of electronic permitting systems;
- Collect annual reports on legal trade and implementation reports; oversee the Secretariat’s work on Livelihoods and engagement of Indigenous People and Local Communities;
- Lead the Secretariat’s work on Demand Reduction and behavioral change;
- Monitor the implementation of other Resolutions and Decisions emanating from the Conference of the Parties that are allocated to the Unit;
- Direct and coordinate the review of and provide technical assistance related to the implementation of CITES legislation of individual Parties and dependent territories to ensure that it is adequate;
- Direct and coordinate actions aimed at building Parties' capacity for national permitting and reporting as well as related compliance monitoring and feedback; support the development and application of guidelines on compliance with the Convention and stay abreast of relevant compliance activities in other relevant fora;
- Liaise with and expand the network of relevant contacts within national, regional, and global bodies related to sustainable development policy; national legislation; social/economic instruments; legal officers, prosecutors, and judges; general legal issues within the UN; environment and trade; and compliance and enforcement of multilateral environmental agreements, including WTO (World Trade Organization), OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development);
- Monitor activities related to projects that focus on or have implications for legal and compliance matters and provide technical input and materials for training activities undertaken by the Legal and other Units.
Provide substantive and general legal advice:
- Serve as a recognized expert in national and international environmental law, particularly related to CITES;
- Provide authoritative legal advice and make recommendations to officers within the Secretariat on a range of legal issues;
- Contribute to the review and design of new or new applications of relevant legal instruments, policies, guidelines, and systems, among others;
- Guide and supervise the work of junior legal officers, oversee and participate in preparing legal publications of the Unit, and liaise with other UN legal officers and advisers.
Manage the programmatic, human, and financial resources of the Unit:
- Review the evolution and execution of the Legal Unit work programme to ensure its conformity with the priorities established by the Conference of the Parties;
- Develop work plans under the UN Performance Management Cycle, discuss and develop performance indicators with staff, and ensure that deadlines are met for completion. Provide guidance to staff and foster teamwork/communication within the Unit and with other Units and ensure Unit staff comply with mandatory activities of the UN;
- Prepare the Unit's programme and budget and monitor the financial resources available for the execution of the work programme and ensure their optimal use in line with UN rules and regulations;
- Provide oversight of the activities with Implementing Partners and monitor the implementation of legal instruments and the Unit's activities to ensure milestones are achieved and outcomes are obtained satisfactorily;
- Ensure the proper establishment and maintenance of databases and website tools related to the Unit's work;
- Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of environmental law, legal procedures and instruments, including multilateral environmental agreements . Ability to apply legal expertise to analyzing a diverse range of complex legal issues in the field of the environment and in developing innovative and creative legal response in addressing environmental issues. Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on a range of issues, including those of a unique and/or complex nature; proficiency in legal writing and expression and ability to prepare legal briefs, opinions, and a variety of legal instruments and related documents. Discretion and sound judgment in applying legal expertise to sensitive, complex legal issues. Ability to work tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases. Knowledge of diverse national legal systems in different countries, contemporary international relations of UN system, organization and interrelationships. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Shows pride in work and achievements;
LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Empower others to translate vision into results. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing;
JUDGEMENT/DECISION MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and quickly comes to the heart of the problem. Gather relevant information before making a decision. Considers the positive and negative impacts of decisions before making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and the Organization. Propose a course of action or recommend based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary;
CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client;
TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in general, international, or environmental law is required. A first-level university degree, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics, or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible legal experience at national and international levels is required;
At least five (5) years of experience at the international level dealing with legal issues related to the implementation of treaties is required;
Professional legal experience in preparing, servicing, or supporting meetings of intergovernmental bodies is required;
Experience with policy development and implementation, as well as drafting, reviewing, applying, and implementing national legislation, is required;
At least two (2) years of professional legal experience in the legal office of a government department or ministry or of the Secretariat of the United Nations, a specialized agency of the United Nations, or a related intergovernmental organization, is desirable;
Experience in an international environment is desirable;
Professional legal experience in advising on procedural and institutional issues within an intergovernmental organization is desirable;
Experience in leading and managing a multicultural team is desirable;
Experience in data analytics or related areas is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French or Spanish is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable. NOTE: "Fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand), and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of "confident" in two of the four areas."

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