UNDP | Legal Aid Expert

Legal Aid Expert  - West Bank, Palestine

          
Agency :UNDP
Title : Legal Aid Expert
Vacancy End Date  : 07/04/2017 (Midnight New York, USA)
Duty Station : West Bank, Palestine
Education & Work Experience : I-Master's Level Degree - 4 year(s) experience
Vacancy Type : Service Contract (SC)

    
Background
   

The UNDP/UN Women/UNICEF Sawasya II Joint Programme (Strengthening the Rule of Law in the oPt: Justice and Security for the Palestinian People) is the United Nations’ foremost programme aimed comprehensively at promoting and advancing the rule of law, justice, security and human rights in Palestine.

During the period 2014-2017 the programme has endeavoured  to enhance the capacities of, and public confidence in, rule of law institutions, and strengthen access to justice, security and protection services, especially for women and girls. Interventions are designed with a view to sustainability and linking activities to ‘system-level’ policy development.  

As part of the second phase of the programme and backed by a consortium of development partners, with numerous national and international actors, Sawasya II supports government institutions and civil society working in justice, security and protection to strengthen access to efficient, equitable and accountable services for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Partnership with UN Women and UNICEF in this joint programme underpins the gender and child rights components throughout the justice chain and within relevant public services.

Civil society partners and academic institutions are vital elements of building an inclusive State of Palestine that respects, protects and fulfils human rights and gender equality, and promotes development, peace and security – the fundamentals of the United Nations’ mission in Palestine. Support rests on a supply and demand equation that combines enhanced service delivery by resilient justice and security institutions with the public’s ability to access such services and hold duty-bearers to account. By increasing public confidence in the sector, support is designed to be catalytic, strengthening state-society relations and creating an enabling environment for development and peacebuilding. Interventions are informed by a coherent theory of change and characterised by flexibility and responsiveness to institutional changes as a result of political developments. The Sawasya II programme is oriented around the following four mutually reinforcing outcomes:

State building efforts are reinforced by legal, regulatory and policy frameworks in line with international standards
Service provision is effective, accountable and inclusive
All Palestinians have access to justice, security and protection without discrimination
Women’s access to justice and security improved through gender-responsive service delivery and empowerment of service users

The Sawasya II Joint Programme builds on the achievements and findings of its predecessor programmes, and the comparative advantages of the involved UN agencies. Importantly, the Joint Programme (Sawasya) uses baselines captured during these earlier programmes as a means to monitor results and inform future planning.

Efforts will be directed towards strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Justice, extending the reach-out of legal aid services and legal awareness programmes throughout the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), setting up the foundation for work with civil society in Gaza, improving gender and juvenile justice conditions and exploring modalities for engagement with the informal justice systems and its linkages with the formal system. Assistance will also be provided to enhance public confidence in the justice system. In doing so, efforts to support networks of legal professionals and provide models for harmonization of the various existing legal systems in the oPt will be made.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist and overall guidance of the Chief Technical Specialist, the Legal Aid Expert will be responsible for the implementation and delivery of the programme’s output 2 (Access to justice at local and grassroots level enhanced) in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in close discussion with the team in Gaza Strip. In his/her capacity, the position -holder will provide overall advisory support and technical guidance on legal aid and access to justice. Justice and Security for the Palestinian People) in the occupied Palestinian territory with an expected duration of Project Duration Three Years, the Service Contract extension will be conditioned to satisfactory performance evaluation as well as availability of funding under the project.
   
Duties and Responsibilities
   
Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist and the overall guidance of the Chief Technical Specialist, and in close collaboration with other team members, the Legal Aid Expert will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following duties:

-    Lead, develop and customize MIZAN2 across justice security sector institutions
-    Support the establishment of legal aid financing modalities that will strengthen the sustainability of legal aid provision while enhancing access to legal aid services in close consultation with the Ministry of Justice, the Palestinian Bar Association and other relevant partners.
-    Establish and manage strategic partnerships with specialized civil society organisations to strengthen and expand the provision of quality legal aid services and to strengthen human rights advocacy in conjunction with relevant actors.
-    Facilitate the creation and management of a legal aid database in collaboration with relevant actors.
-    Develop strategies and activities to strengthen the quality and reach of legal aid services, particularly for the poor and disadvantaged, in consultation with relevant actors, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Palestinian Bar Association, and civil society organisations (CSOs).
-    In partnership with the EC, EUPOL COPPS, the Palestinian Bar Association and other interested donors and under the guidance of the Ministry of Justice, provide technical expertise to develop a legal aid policy framework, a multi-year strategy and an action plan.
-    Support relevant partners including universities and CSOs to organize regular public awareness campaigns and outreach meetings on initiatives related to promoting the rule of law and access to justice and improving the legal literacy of citizens.
-    Facilitate the organization of community-level meetings on legal rights and duties, particularly initiatives that target the population in rural areas, and marginalized and disadvantaged groups.
-    Organize events and training sessions on various topics related to promoting access to justice.
-    Ensure an inclusive process with the participation of youth and university students to create synergies in targeting different groups such as youth in rural areas.
-    Develop a strategy to explore models for potential linkages between formal and informal justice systems based on existing studies.
-    Involve CSOs and law students in the design and implementation of documentation systems for informal justice.
-    Support the Ministry of Justice in research on policy options regarding rapprochement of formal and informal justice systems
-    In cooperation with the Rule of Law Advisor based at the Ministry of Justice, support the Ministry of Justice in research on policy options regarding rapprochement of formal and informal justice systems.
-    Provide monthly reports to the Chief Technical Specialist and liaise with Gaza-based programme staff on a regular basis.
-    Perform other duties as and when required by the Programme Specialist.
   
Competencies
   
Functional Competencies:   
Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda
Level 1.2: Preparing information for advocacy

    Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP’s mandate and comparative advantages.
    Applies principles of gender and social inclusion as the cross-cutting issue in every aspect of the project implementation and management

Results-Based Programme Development and Management
Level 1.2: Contributes into results through primary research and analysis
Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work

    Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration
    Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation
    Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development
    Participates in the formulation of project proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly

Building Strategic Partnerships
Level 1.2:  Maintaining a network of contacts

    Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors, at senior levels;
    Develops networks with relevant academic and policy organizations at national and local level such as think tanks, university departments, professional associations, civil society organizations etc.
    Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues
    Establishes and nurtures positive communication with partners

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing
Level 1.2: Basic research and analysis

    Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
    Conceives and proposes innovations in the development and implementation of UNDP initiatives and government activities
    Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches
    Identifies and communicates opportunities to promote learning and knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise
Level 1.2: Fundamental knowledge of own discipline

    Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position
    Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
    Analyzes the requirements and synthesizes proposals
    Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning
    Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
    Plans and organizes training in the public administration and other relevant areas

Promoting Organizational Change and Development
Level 1.2: Basic research and analysis

    Researches and documents ‘best practices’ in organizational change and development within and outside the UN system
    Demonstrates ability to diagnose problems and identifies and communicates processes to support change initiatives
    Gathers and analyses feedback from staff

Design And Implementation of Management Systems
Level 1.2: Research and analysis and making recommendations on management systems

    Maintains information/databases on system design features
    Develops simple system components

Client Orientation
Level 1.2: Establishing effective client relationships

    Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion
    Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines
    Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients
    Actively supports the interests of the client by making choices and setting priorities to meet their needs
    Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly

Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management
Level 1.2: Basic monitoring

    Gathers, analyses and disseminates information on best practice in accountability and results-based management systems

Core Competencies:

    Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity
    Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
    Self-development, initiative-taking
    Acting as a team player and facilitating team work
    Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively
    Creating synergies through self-control
    Managing conflict
    Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
    Informed and transparent decision making

 
   
Required Skills and Experience
   

-    Master’s Degree in Law, International Relations, Business, Political Science, Management or related subject from an accredited university
-    Minimum 4 years of relevant and congruent experience in legal advisory/representative role on Legal Aid with PA institutions, local or international civil society organizations
-    Formal qualifications and/or operational experience in justice sector reform, access to justice, legal reform, human rights or related issues desirable.
-    Sound and proven management skills, training experience, strong leadership, people development skills and proven ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with counterparts in a complex political situation desirable.
-    Experience of working with public institutions as well as with community organizations and civil society desirable.
-    Strong analytical skills with the ability to deal with a range of complex legal issues would be an asset.
-    Strong understanding of the linkages between access to justice, human rights and human development.
-    Experience in programme/project planning and implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation of projects is essential.
-    Familiarity with MIZAN2
-    Fluency in both of the Arabic and English languages.
 
   
Disclaimer
   

Important applicant information

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