Legal Specialist

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Position Title: Legal Specialist
Location: Rome
Country: Italy
Deadline Date:

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Established in 1945, FAO is headquartered in Rome, Italy, and operates in over 130 countries worldwide. The organization aims to achieve security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO's mission is to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition, make agriculture, forestry, and fisheries more productive and sustainable, reduce rural poverty, and enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. The organization employs thousands of staff members and collaborates with various stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, and the private sector, to promote sustainable agricultural practices and improve food systems globally.

Job Overview:
The Legal Specialist position at FAO is focused on providing legal research and advisory services to governments on forestry legislation, sustainable forest management, and related development law issues. The specialist will primarily support the ForestLEX and the ACE Programme, which aim to enhance governance frameworks for agrifood systems and strengthen national legal frameworks for sustainable resource management. The role involves conducting legal research, drafting legislation, and providing technical inputs to legal assessments and policy recommendations. The Legal Specialist will also engage in capacity-building initiatives to support the development and implementation of forestry laws and policies, ensuring that they align with international commitments and promote sustainable practices.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Legal Specialist will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including:

• Providing legal advisory services to FAO Members on forestry legislation, focusing on sustainable forest management, land tenure, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and indigenous peoples' rights.
• Supporting awareness-raising and capacity-building initiatives to enhance national capacities for developing, enacting, and implementing forestry laws and policies.
• Assisting in the drafting of legislation, including constitutional provisions, framework laws, and sector-specific regulations related to forest governance and community-based forest management.
• Conducting legal research and analysis on national and international legal frameworks related to forestry and documenting comparative legal approaches.
• Identifying synergies between forestry legislation and related areas such as land tenure, food security, environmental governance, and climate change adaptation.
• Providing technical inputs to legal assessments, guidelines, and policy recommendations to support FAO’s work on forestry governance.
• Contributing to FAO’s engagement in global and regional initiatives on forest-related legal frameworks, ensuring compliance with international treaties and voluntary partnership agreements.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (LLM) in law, with demonstrated academic work or research in international law, forestry law, environmental law, or natural resource governance. Additionally, candidates should have at least one year of relevant legal work experience in development law, climate-related law, natural resources, or forestry law. Proficiency in English (level C) is also required, along with strong knowledge of legal issues related to forestry governance and environmental protection. Experience in developing national legislative measures to implement international agreements and legal drafting experience, particularly in developing countries, are highly valued.

Educational Background:
The position requires an advanced university degree (LLM) in law, with a focus on international law, forestry law, environmental law, or natural resource governance. This educational background is essential for understanding the complex legal frameworks that govern sustainable forest management and related areas.

Experience:
Candidates should have at least one year of relevant legal work experience in the fields of development law, climate-related law, natural resources, or forestry law. This experience is crucial for effectively advising governments and supporting legal initiatives related to forestry and sustainable resource management.

Languages:
A working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English is mandatory for this position. Additionally, knowledge of another official FAO language, such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, is considered an asset and may enhance a candidate's qualifications.

Additional Notes:
The position is likely to be full-time and may involve international collaboration with various stakeholders, including governments and international organizations. Specific details regarding contract duration, seniority level, and compensation are not provided in the job description, but candidates should be prepared for a role that requires significant engagement in legal frameworks and governance issues related to forestry and agrifood systems.