Legal Expert

Result of Service

UN-Habitat will benefit from this consultancy as the consultant will provide the legal backstopping for the policy dialogue and legal reform, as well as facilitating the modernisation and digitisation of Oraq’s land governance and management system. UN-Habitat will be able to support the Government of Iraq in initiating policy dialogues on the existing land legal framework of Iraq and identifying key areas for improvement through detailed policy recommendations. In doing so, UN-Habitat will be able to facilitate the reform of Iraq’s existing land legal framework to better support, address, and protect the HLP rights of all IDPs and returnees, and an improved operational framework for regulating e-governance can be established.

Work Location

1 in (Baghdad) and 1 in (Erbil)

Expected duration

12 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. Background: UN-Habitat has been active in Iraq since 1996 under the Oil for Food Programme. After 2003, UN-Habitat was largely engaged in early recovery efforts, particularly those supporting internally displaced persons through the provision of shelter and reconstruction solutions. After more than five years since the official declaration of the ‘end of war against ISIL’ by the Government of Iraq in late 2017, there are still approximately 5.6 million people in Iraq affected by missing or outdated HLP documentation while it is estimated that 2.4 million people face issues due to a lack of HLP documentation or have issues with establishing security of tenure. Female-headed households remain the most affected population facing increased risk such as violation of HLP rights, secondary displacement, and violence. IDPs and returnees face major challenges in proving their ownership or occupancy rights, particularly where there is an absence of cadastral data, registry information, maps delimiting property rights, and a lack of official documents. Also there is no central cadaster that manages and administers data on HLP rights in Iraq. The project titled “Policy Dialogue on Legislative Reform to Improve Land Governance and Secure Tenure Rights by Registering and Resolving Land Claims for vulnerable IDPs in Iraq” aims to initiate policy dialogues on the reform of the existing land legal framework, to improve land governance by establishing an inclusive and effective land management system that will increase security of tenure for all Iraqis including IDPs and returnees and protect the housing, land, and property rights of internally displaced people. As part of the EU-funded project, “Modernising Urban Land Knowledge (MULK)”, UN-Habitat seeks to reform and modernize the land governance and management framework of Iraq by supporting the creation of a land record digitization system and in developing the technical specifications and implementation plans for the digitized e-land administration and e-cadastre systems. The project aims to initiate the necessary processes for improving security of tenure and land governance systems through initiating legislative and regulatory reforms, developing the framework for streamlining and making transparent land-related administrative processes, and by promoting access to data that can influence investment and land use decisions. The main objective of this consultancy is to support the initiation of the policy dialogue and legal reform by organizing workshops, supporting the government on identifying potential laws for review, and liaising with central al local government to work on the revision of the land legal framework with their expertise in policymaking and policy analysis, backed by their strong understanding of land management and governance in the Iraqi context. The consultant will support RERD and CSOs in developing a deep understanding of e-land governance systems and their implications, allowing them to advocate more effectively for policies that prioritise transparency, data security, and the protection of HLP rights and to lay the foundation for the development of a comprehensive e-land registry digital platform under the UN-Habitat project. He/she will support the Project Manager in the capacity-building training and development of technical specifications for digitising land records with their expertise in land management and governance. Reporting Line: The incumbent will be based in Erbil, at the UN-Habitat Office, reporting to Head/Deputy Head of the UN-Habitat Iraq Programme and/or his/her designate. Duties and responsibilities: Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Head of the UN-Habitat Iraq Programme and/or his/her designate, the Legal Expert will be responsible for the following duties: • Conduct a comprehensive assessment on the existing land legal framework of Iraq; • Identify weaknesses and opportunities for improvement in the existing land legal framework of Iraq, including the means of collecting and managing data; • Liaise with relevant members of the UN-Habitat Iraq Country Programme team to plan, organize, and coordinate multistakeholder policy dialogues/workshops/roundtables to discuss the land legal framework of Iraq with government counterparts, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders; • Coordinate and facilitate working group meetings with key stakeholders to discuss the reform of the existing land legal framework; • Develop concrete recommendations for improving the land legal framework of Iraq, presenting the detailed recommendations to various stakeholders including government counterparts; • Design capacity-building initiatives, training modules, and awareness campaigns for the Real Estate Registration Directorates (RERD) and CSOs based on the results of a capacity gap analysis; • Conduct trainings and seminars on e-land governance for RERD and CSOs; • Formulate a full implementation plan that outlines the step-by-step process for building and deploying the e-cadastre system; • Support the Project Manager in preparing progress reports, monitoring reports, and other relevant documents related to the project;

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced degree in Law, Social Sciences, Politics, International Relations, Development Studies, or other relevant field of studies is required; A first-level university degree with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. • Minimum 5 years of legal experience on land and property in Iraq is required; • Experience in coordination and facilitation of multi-stakeholder forums, workshops, roundtables etc. is required; • Experience in policy analysis and policy advice is required; • Legal experience in the field of land management and/or governance is required; • Experience working with cadasters, cadastral maps, cadastral GIS data, is required; • Thorough understanding of land records is required; • Previous experience on digitising records/digital transformation is required; • Demonstrable experience working with Government Agencies/Ministries is desirable. • Motivated to contribute towards peace and development and to serve others is desirable. • Excellent interpersonal, networking and communication skills is desirable. • Wiliness to contribute and work as part of the team is desirable. • Flexible and open to learning and new experiences is desirable. • Respect for diversity and adaptability to diverse cultures, environments and living conditions is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; for this position fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required. And fluency in Kurdish is a distinct advantage.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.