FAO recruits 01 National Trade Specialist
FAO
Lusaka, Zambia
Humanitaire (ONG, Associations, …), Projet/programme de développement
Job Description: 2100389 National Trade Specialist
Closure Date: 19/Feb/2021, 11:59:00 PMOrganizational Unit: FRZAMJob Type: Non-staff opportunitiesType of Requisition: PSA (Personal Services Agreement)Grade Level: N/APrimary Location: Zambia-LusakaDuration: 40 daysPost Number: N/A
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member countries are encouraged to apply.
Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Organizational SettingThe Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and malnutrition.
The Flexible Multi-Partner Mechanism (FMM) project (FMM/GLO/131/MUL) is a two-year project titled “Sustainable, resilient and inclusive food systems development”. The project was developed by a team from FAO Headquarters in close collaboration with the Regional Offices including the Regional Office for Africa (RAF). The project is global and will be implemented in 13 countries including four countries in Africa, i.e. Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The expected outcome is coherent, supportive and enabling policies, strengthened capacities of public and private sector actors in relevant government ministries and national institutions, agriculture value chains, academia and research and civil society organizations, as well as increased public and private sector investments targeting agribusiness development, trade and food loss and waste (FLW) reduction.
To achieve this outcome, activities will be implemented to deliver three mutually reinforcing outputs: Output 1: Policy tools and improvements to support value chain and market system development, trade and FLW reduction; Output 2: Value chain platforms for public-private dialogue and partnerships, networks for upscaling agri-food small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the Save Food Initiative FLW reduction platform; and Output 3: Capacity strengthening on trade agreements, implementation of international food quality and safety standards, value chain and market system development and FLW reduction. Moreover, with the current situation regarding COVID-19, it is expected that the project will also contribute towards addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 disease in the relevant thematic areas.
Reporting LinesUnder the Overall Supervision of the FAO Representative, the consultant will report to the Trade Policy Specialist under the overall technical guidance of the Senior Nutrition Officer (SP4). He/she will work in consultation with other FAO Technical Officers and consultants involved in the FMM project.
Technical FocusThe consultant will contribute to the activities and outputs of the FMM project in Zambia, in particular Output 3: Capacity strengthening on trade agreements, implementation of international food quality and safety standards, value chain and market system development and FLW reduction. The trade component of the project will focus in part on an assessment of the gaps and weaknesses of policies, strategies and institutional arrangements in place with a view to improving future nutritional outcomes using trade-related measures and solutions based on best practices and supporting the formulation of appropriate COVID-19 policy responses. The analytical work will inform the development of a draft policy framework on trade and nutrition to mainstream trade and harmonise national food laws, standards and nutrition security policies. Included will be capacity strengthening on trade agreements, e.g. the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement; and on trade data and market information systems to facilitate policy analysis and formulation including regulation and monitoring of food prices and food trade.
Tasks and responsibilities
In close collaboration with all team members, the consultant is expected to:• Conduct analysis related to the relationship between trade policies on nutrition outcomes, and of nutrition policies on market and trade development, including desk review of existing trade laws and policies aimed at mainstreaming nutrition and existing relevant documents on trade and nutrition, analysis of trends in imports and exports of selected food products, market prices, tariff schedules, local taxes, non-tariff measures like labelling and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements as well as the incidence of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to low quality foods as well as imports/exports.
• Recommend objective qualitative and quantitative indicators to track and assess the impact of traded commodities on nutritional outcomes, i.e. malnutrition, obesity and other NCDs. The indicators must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART) with readily available sources of information for verification. Also include a baseline for each indicator. Examples of indicators are retail food prices, changes in the domestic supply quality and values, trade policy measures on healthy foods versus non-healthy foods, etc.• Review COVID-19 response actions, including trade and market policy options (e.g. tariffs, border restrictions, trade facilitation, price ceiling), and their likely impacts on food trade flows, food access and the food supply chain. Refer to the UN socioeconomic analysis guidelines for the COVID-19 outbreak to support the COVID-19 country response, i.e. “A UN framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19” (https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/UN-framework-for-the-immediate-socio-economic-response-to-COVID-19.pdf).• Recommend appropriate short and medium-term trade-related actions, measures, etc. to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food trade and markets in consultation with the FAO country office.• Provide an annotated outline of proposed revised trade policies/strategies/regulations/standards – to promote healthy diets and positive nutritional outcomes, identify gaps and areas for improvement, design training programmes, analyse policy choices and unintended consequences, review best practices and identify nutrition-sensitive interventions and investments.• Incorporate findings, conclusions and recommendations in the final report. • Perform other related duties as required.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements • Advanced university degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, Agri-Business, Public Policy, Agricultural Sciences or related field.
• At least three years of relevant experience with trade policy analysis, inter-governmental coordination on trade and markets issues and research institutions or international organizations.• Working knowledge of English.• National of Zambia
FAO Core Competencies• Results Focus
• Teamwork• Communication• Building Effective Relationships• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills • Work experience in more than one location or area of work.
• Extent and relevance of experience in trade policy analysis and international trade.• Experience in the field of nutrition issues and food systems in East, Central and Southern Africa and Zambia in particular.• Experience with advising governments and/or agricultural sector stakeholders on trade and markets issues.• Extent and relevance of experience in project formulation and technical backstopping and leading multidisciplinary teams for technical implementation.• Capacity to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team.• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information and present ideas and recommendations in a clear and understandable manner.• Ability to work independently, strong analytical skills and problem-solving• Computer literacy with Word, PowerPoint and basic spreadsheets (Excel).• Excellent communication (both written and oral) and presentation skills.
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
HOW TO APPLYTo apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
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