Legal Officer, Juba

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Organization: UNMISS – United Nations Mission in South Sudan

Country: South Sudan

City: Juba

Office: UNMISS HQ Juba

Closing date: Wednesday, 30 March 2022

General

Description of assignment title: Legal Officer

Assignment country: South Sudan

Expected start date: 06/01/2022

Sustainable Development Goal: 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist

DoA reserved for persons with disabilities: No

Host entity: UNMISS

Type: Onsite

Duration: 13 months (with possibility of extension)

Number of assignments: 1

Duty stations: Juba

Details

Mission and objectives

Under Resolution 2567 (2021), the Security Council determined that the situation in South Sudan continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region. The Council extended the UNMISS mandate until 15 March 2022. It also determined that the Mission should advance a three-year strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war, build durable peace and support inclusive, accountable governance and free, fair and peaceful elections in accordance with the Revitalized Peace Agreement. Under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, UNMISS is therefore authorized to use all necessary means to implement its mandate which includes: (a) Protection of civilians (b) Creating conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance (c) Supporting the Implementation of the Revitalised Agreement and the Peace Process (d) Monitoring, investigating, and reporting on violations of humanitarian and human rights law: The overall ceiling for uniformed personnel is maintained at 17,000 troops and 2,101 police, including 88 corrections officers. Please refer to https://unmiss.unmissions.org/mandate for more information.

Context

UNMISS was established in 2011 under the auspices of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO); subsequently, UNMISS mandate has been renewed through resolutions 2057 (2012), 2109 (2013), 2155 (2014), 2187 (2014), 2223 (2015), 2241 (Dec. 2015), 2304 (2016) and 2327 (2016), 2392 (Dec. 2017), 2406 (Mar. 2018), 2459 (Mar. 2019), 2514 (Mar. 2020), 2567 (Mar. 2021).

Task description

Under the direct supervision of Senior Legal Advisor, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Assist other members of the Legal Affairs Unit in reviewing legal documents, instruments, or other material; identifying important issues, similarities and inconsistencies, etc.;

Assist in preparing drafts of background papers, studies, and reports;

Conduct legal research and assist in preparing legal opinions/advice on a wide range of international public and private law issues, including the United Nations Charter, General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions, UN/UNMISS internal Rules and Regulations, UNMISS Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), UNMISS mandate, particularly its protection of civilians aspect, privileges and immunities, peace and security, institutional questions, treaty law and practice, UN administrative law;

Assist in preparing agreements, Memorandums of Understanding and contracts with governments, international organisations, and other public or private entities including drafting and resolving claims and disputes;

Assist in providing legal advice on human resources and other administrative matters;

Assist in servicing and advising as well as serving as a member of, as appropriate, diplomatic conferences, commissions, committees, boards, task forces and other bodies, including preparing background materials, summaries of issues and views of delegations, etc.;

Assist with presenting the UNMISS induction programme on UNMISS SOFA and distribution of information and sensitizing local authorities and the local population to SOFA;

Perform or undertake other duties as requested from time to time by other members of the Legal Affairs Unit. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);

Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; dARqQLb CWdGWD

Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;

Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

Promote capacity development activities and transfer of skills to national personnel during the assignment;

Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 27 – 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

3 years of experience in law with progressive responsible professional legal experience, including legal analysis, research and writing, at a law firm, governmental legal office, legal office of an international organization or of an NGO. Computer skills, including full proficiency in various MS Office applications and other IT applications and office technology equipment is required. Experience in administrative law and in a multicultural environment is desirable.

Area(s) of expertise

Legal affairs

Driving license

Manual Transmission Required

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required Arabic, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level

Master degree or equivalent in law or a relevant related field. A first level university degree in law is required. Admission to a Bar or licensed to practice law in a national jurisdiction is required.

Competencies and values

Integrity and professionalism

Accountability

Commitment to continuous learning

Planning and organizing

Teamwork and respect for diversity

Communication

Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently

Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

Living conditions vary between UNMISS duty stations. Each duty station where UNMISS has a field presence has basic residential camp facilities, which includes running water and electricity. Candidates should be aware that accommodation may be austere with the possibility of water shortages and power blackouts. On arrival in Juba accommodation will be on a share basis. Ablutions will also be shared. As the accommodation situation improves single unit accommodation, with an attached ablution, should become available in all locations. Hard wall accommodation is available in Juba. All UNMISS duty stations apart from Entebbe, Uganda are considered non – family duty stations. The security level of UNMISS duty stations is classified by the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) who will brief on arrival. A number of locations in South Sudan are prone to conflict. Primary health care services (preventive and curative) are provided in 11 United Nations Owned Equipment (UNOE) Level-I clinics, 21 Contingent Owned Equipment (COE) Level-I clinics, 4 COE Level-II medical facilities within the mission area and the establishment of contractual agreements for Level-III and Level-IIII care outside the mission area. The 4 Level-II facilities available in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Wau, run by the Troop Contributing Countries (TCC), take referrals from the Level-I clinics and provide hospital-based care. The climate is tropical with a rainy season in many areas, which should normally span from around April to October. Ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions is essential.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

website: https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1686969675559168