Reporting LinesThe incumbent reports to the Chief, LEGN, while day-to-day supervision is provided by the Programme's Coordinator and/or designated LEGN Legal Officer(s), and an International Legal Consultant, in close coordination with the relevant FAO technical divisions, and FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa.
Technical Focus Legal research and advisory services to the Government of either Zimbabwe, Eswatini, or Lesotho (countries).
The specific country assigned to each successful candidate will consider their residency, as national expertise and experience will be essential.
These services will focus on the implementation of legislation related to food and agriculture, as well as compliance and enforcement.LEGN seeks to identify candidates who may cover one or more of the technical areas under the Development Law Service per FAO's mandate:• Agricultural law, including agricultural health (food safety, phytosanitary and veterinary legislation; antimicrobial resistance), sustainable agricultural production (seeds, pesticides, organic farming and other marketing systems) and other areas of agricultural law (supply chain regulation mechanisms, contract farming, agricultural finance, cooperatives and other farmers' organisations, agricultural insurance schemes);• Food and nutrition security, right to adequate food, school meals and nutrition;• Climate change laws in relation to agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture and forests;• Enabling environment for responsible investments in agriculture and food systems;• Fisheries and aquaculture; • Food systems transformation; • Forests, wildlife, grazing;• Gender mainstreaming within legal frameworks;• Social protection in rural areas and decent rural employment; • Sustainable land management, sustainable water management, sustainable wildlife production;LEGN is particularly interested in identifying qualified candidates to support its work in the ACE Programme in the areas of:• Implementation of food and agriculture and related legislation; • Compliance and enforcement;• Regulatory impact assessments.Tasks and responsibilitiesThe tasks and responsibilities of the selected Legal Consultant will be defined in the Terms of Reference for the specific assignment under the ACE Programme.
The incumbent will carry out her/his tasks within FAO's Strategic Framework -31 for the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the FAO Policy on Gender Equality.
The incumbent will work under the supervision and close guidance of the Programme Coordinator, designated Legal Officer(s), and an International Legal Consultant, also in close coordination with the relevant FAO technical divisions, and FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa.
The incumbent will also support and work closely with the Working Group, composed by members of the Government of each of the countries, and led by a designated National Project Coordinator.It is anticipated that the incumbent will be undertaking the following tasks and responsibilities under the ACE Programme:• Support the preparation, review and update of work plans, project documents, and the drafting of regulations, Memorandum of Understanding, agreements and other legal instruments;• Collecti policy documents, legislation and regulations in support of the legislative review to be undertaken under the ACE Programme and provide on the ground support during missions of the international legal consultant and other ACE Programme experts; • Support the preparation, and provide technical inputs to the establishment of the Working Group in charge of assisting the development of the key outcomes of the inception workshop;• Facilitate liaison with the judiciary, prosecutors, inspection services, among other relevant national authorities;• Support the development of an assessment report, based on desk review of the countries' legal framework related to agrifood systems to identify gaps and challenges in the implementation, compliance and enforcement of the assessed legislation, with a view to propose recommendations and/or legislative options to address such gaps and challenges;• Support and provide technical inputs to the development, review and finalization of assessment tools, guidance material, and curricula for training courses and eLearning courses;• Assist the delivery of a technical workshop that will validate the assessment report;• Assist the support the development and implementation of training and capacity-building activities;• Prepare materials, conduct legal research, prepare legal notes, reports and written advice;• Prepare or contribute to legal publications and analyses; • Attend internal and external meetings, and report as per the reporting line on the results achieved, and;• Undertake other work related to the above tasks and responsibilities on the direction of or with the agreement of the Chief, LEGN.The incumbent is also expected to become familiar with the documents that will be developed under the ACE Programme at the global level, and provide inputs as necessary.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING Minimum Requirements• University degree in Law.• Advanced Legal (LLM) degree in Law would be considered an asset.• At least 10 years of experience in food and agriculture law, with particular emphasis on implementation, compliance, enforcement, sustainable management and development of agrifood systems and natural resources.• Proven track record of working on similar projects, especially concerning implementation, compliance and enforcement of legislation, and relating to agricultural practices for climate resilience.• Expertise in either regulatory impact assessment, behavioral science, or capacity analysis is an asset.• Working knowledge of English is required and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish).FAO Core Competencies• Results Focus• Teamwork• Communication• Building Effective Relationships• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous ImprovementTechnical/Functional Skills • Demonstrated interest in the technical areas listed above, as well as strong analytical, legal research and writing skills.Selection Criteria • Degree of knowledge and experience in legal issues related to a relevant technical areas;• Degree of experience in developing national legislative and regulatory measures to implement international agreements, codes, guidelines or other instruments;• Experience in legal drafting and development in Africa;• Ability to conduct legal research and analysis;• Ability to write clear and concise reports and draft legal texts, legislative and regulatory instruments;• Experience working with international or regional organizations or other entities in a relevant field;Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing) Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The list can be accessed at For more information, visit the FAO employment website Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
