Associate Legal Officer (Climate Law)

Details

Mission and objectives

Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP works through its divisions as well as regional, liaison and out-posted offices and a growing network of collaborating centres of excellence.

Context

The Law Division also leads UNEP’s role as secretariat to the Fifth Montevideo Programme on the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo Programme V). Montevideo Pro-gramme V is a ten-year intergovernmental programme adopted by the UN Environment Assembly at its fourth meeting in March 2019. Montevideo V Programme will promote the environmental rule of law, strengthen the related capacities in countries, and contribute to the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Programme commenced in January 2020 and is a flagship initiative of the Law Division. The UNEP Law and Environment Assistance Platform (UNEP-LEAP) is the central digital platform to receive requests for support under Montevideo Programme V and to organize all environmental law information from UNEP, governments, and partner organizations.
One of the Programme’s strategic activities is to encourage research, including studies and reports, on emerging environmental issues and the relationship between environmental law and other, related legal fields. UNEP’s vision is among others to develop responses and deploy solutions that aspire to achieve “climate stability” where net zero greenhouse gas emissions and resilience in the face of climate change are achieved, and the Montevideo national focal points have identified that legal responses to address the climate crisis is a key area of development under the Programme.
The international UNV will support UNEP in its work for successful implementation of Montevideo V Programme, with a special focus on the thematic area of legal responses to address the climate change, including the conduct of cutting-edge research on evolving legal frameworks, and the provision of targeted technical legal assistance, capacity building, and knowledge management functions to maintain the UNEP-LEAP (Law and Environment Assistance Platform).
Data Analytics – You Can’t Know What You Don’t Measure:
UNEP-LEAP is the digital backbone of the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme, which provides a platform for the submission of technical legal assistance requests, databases of legislation, and importantly legal toolkits on climate, plastics, and ambient air quality (under development). The UNV will be expected to draw data from the LEAP and support reporting to the integrated planning, management, and reporting solution (IPMR) for the Division’s programmatic work on climate law.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Montevideo Coordination and Development Unit, or her/his designated representative, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
· Support the work of the Law Division in the area of climate and law of the atmosphere more in general, for the preparation of knowledge materials and reports on this area of environmental law;
· Assist in administering technical support and capacity-building activities for Member States on environmental law under Montevideo Programme V, as well as on regulatory frameworks on climate legislation to support transition to a green economy;
· Assist in the preparation of legal briefs/advice and in the review of legal documents, instruments, or other material on environmental law;
· Assist in work related to the maintenance and development of the Law and Climate Change Toolkit and the development of the ambient air quality Toolkit;
· Assist in performing UNEP’s roles and functions as Secretariat under Montevideo Programme V – a global programme on supporting countries to advance environmental rule of law – including the servicing of meetings, preparation of background documents, and preparing meeting reports;
· Assist in the organization and support of events (meetings, workshops, and training, roundtables, and expert meetings), that are organized face-to-face or electronically by the Unit or in which the Unit is involved to raise awareness about the Unit’s and the Division’s activities, through e.g., liaising with partner entities/organizations and with participants, compiling materials, taking notes and preparing reports;
· Perform other relevant tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
In undertaking these duties, the International Specialist (climate law) will establish and maintain relationships to support collaboration with other specialists in the Division, as well as technical staff across UNEP and in UN as well as representatives in national govern-ments, international organizations, consultants, and NGOs.
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 instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day).
· Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
· 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 publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
· Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers.
· 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.
Results/Expected Outputs
· As an active UNEP team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support rendered to UNEP and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including through:
o Supporting Member States with UNEP-LEAP information products and assistance on environmental law, with a focus on climate and the law of the atmosphere in genera;
o Preparing documents that methodically analyze research information collected and logically lead to the conclusions set out therein;
o Delivering assignments that are delivered in accordance with agreed standards of quality and within set deadlines;
· The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring, and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs);
· Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
· A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed