The incumbent will report to the Chief, LEGN, while day-to-day supervision will be provided by the Programme’s Coordinator and/or designated LEGN Legal Officer(s), in close coordination with the relevant FAO technical divisions, and FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa.

Technical Focus

Legal research and advisory services to Governments in relation to implementation of legislation relating to food and agriculture and the management of renewable natural resources, 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 food and nutrition;
–    Climate change laws in relation to agriculture, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture and forests;
–    Enabling environment for responsible investments in agriculture and food systems;
–    Livestock, 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 responsibilities

The tasks and responsibilities of the incumbent 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 2022-31 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 and designated Legal Officer(s), in close coordination with the relevant FAO technical divisions and the FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa. The incumbent will also work closely with the National Working Groups, which will be composed by members of the respective Governments of Eswatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, and led by the designated National Project Coordinators.

It is anticipated that the incumbent will undertake the following tasks under the ACE Programme:

–    Lead, or provide assistance with, the preparation, review and update of work plans, project documents, and draft regulations, Memoranda of Understanding, agreements and other legal instruments;
–    Provide guidance to, and assist, if required, the legislative review to be undertaken under the ACE Programme;
–    Lead or provide assistance with the preparation and provision of technical inputs to the establishment of the National Working Groups in charge of assisting the development of the key outcomes of the inception workshop;
–    Liaise with the judiciary, prosecutors and inspection services, among other relevant national authorities;
–    Lead, or provide assistance with the drafting of an assessment report, based on desk review of the selected countries’ national legal framework related to agrifood systems in order 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;
–    Lead or provide assistance with the delivery of a technical workshop that will validate the assessment report;
–    Lead or provide assistance with the development, review, and finalization of assessment tools, guidance material, and curricula for training courses, and eLearning courses;
–    Lead or provide assistance with the development and implementation of training and capacity-building activities;
–    Prepare materials, legal notes, reports and written advice, conduct legal research;
–    Prepare or contribute to legal publications;
–    Coordinate and jointly supervise a group of national legal consultants to deliver their tasks. Guide them to develop their national legal reports and revise and complete the reports, as necessary;
–    Travel to the focus countries, meet with the national counterparts, participate in training activities and contribute to deliver the activities in the work plan;
–    Attend meetings, both internal and external to FAO, and report on the results achieved, following established reporting lines, and;
–    Undertake other tasks and responsibilities, as may be directed by the Chief, LEGN.

The incumbent is also expected to become familiar with the documents that will be developed by the Programme at the global level and provide inputs as necessary.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced University degree in Law (equivalent of LLM and/or PhD).
•    At least ten (10) years of relevant legal work experience in development law, with additional experience in implementation, compliance and/or enforcement of law, an advantage.
•    Working knowledge of English.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

Applicants must have 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 and Asia;
•    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;