ONU Carrière recruits 01 Urban Law Consultant
ONU Carrière
Nairobi, Kenya
vacance de poste
Intitulé publication : Urban Law Consultant
Département / Bureau : Programme des Nations Unies pour les établissements humains
Lieu d’affectation : NAIROBI
Période de candidature : – 29 juillet 2022
No de l’appel á candidature : 22-United Nations Human Settlements Programme-186405-Consultant
Staffing Exercise N/A
Valeurs fondamentales de l’ONU : intégrité, professionnalisme, respect de la diversité
Result of Service
The main Outcomes will be the following:
1. Improved resilience of buildings to extreme weather events though climate friendly building codes.
2. Improved urban resilience through the development of climate responsive urban design guidelines.
Work Location
Nairobi, Kenya
Expected duration
The contract is for 8 months duration.
Duties and Responsibilities
Background and Organizational Setting
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-Habitat is also the lead agency within the United Nations system for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. The Policy, Legislation and Governance Section, within the Urban Practices Branch, coordinates the Agency’s substantive, normative and operational work on various dimensions of Policy, Legislation and Governance, fostering high impact initiatives, programmes and projects to deliver timely, fit-for-purpose and targeted solutions in these areas.
In the past six years, UN-Habitat has been active in over 90 countries around the world helping Member States and development partners to transform cities into safer, resilient and healthier places with better opportunities. The Policy, Legislation and Governance Section is currently supporting several countries, for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda by improving the overall policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks of urban development. Key areas of work include policy, legal and governance analysis of support to countries in their reforms.
During the 1st phase UN-Habitat in partnership with Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) under the “Integrated Spatial Plan for Environmental and Socio-Economic Resilience in Khorog, Tajikistan” project has supported national authorities of Tajikistan as well as the municipality of Khorog by having developed a legal assessment of urban planning governance with a focus on climate change issue and produced recommendations for its improvement. Among findings of the work done the following can be named: lack of cooperation between line ministries regulating urban planning and climate change, verticalization of powers in abovementioned sectors, lack of identification, prioritization and implementation of adaptation options for the risks and vulnerabilities identified as well as minimal regularization of mitigation options (GHG measurement, energy saving in urban planning, etc).
Currently UN-Habitat keeps working with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and the government of Tajikistan, through the Aga Khan Development Network, on the 2nd phase of the project. UN-Habitat’s Urban Lab, in a collaborative process with other units, sections, and branches aims to guide resilient, sustainable development and improve social stability in Khorog, specifically by building the capacity of the local government, providing technical assistance, a set of spatial strategic plans, guidelines and policies, integrated with governance and management plans, to guide the future growth of Khorog.
In terms of the work to be done by the Policy, Legislation and Governance Section, the 2nd phase of the project will aim to bridge the gaps at the legislative level through the revisioning or development and further implementation of documents that, by their legal nature, would fill such omissions, namely urban planning guidelines and building codes. So, importance of planning standards and guidelines consists in introduction of sustainability into urban development. By promoting more compact, inclusive, connected, and resilient cities it becomes possible to create the most suitable and responsive habitat for the population. What is more, their role in climate adaptation and mitigation processes relate to standardization of precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize their causes.
The 2nd phase of the project is expected to conduct transformative neighborhood projects building on the analysis and plans done in the first phase in urban design with legislative aspect focusing on reviewing of building codes and providing recommendations on urban design guidelines. With regard to building codes (equivalent to “SNiP” in Tajik legislation) they, among other, form a part of Urban development rules and regulations (equivalent to GNiP in Tajik legislation) which further become a basis for urban design guidelines (equivalent to “Development standards of e.g. Khorog” under Article 29 of the Town Planning Code) development.
Importance of both SNiP and GNiP review can be traced based in the conducted analysis using UN-Habitat Law and Climate Change Toolkit. It was established they are lacking some valuable options focused on climate change adaptation and mitigation. The current situation in the regulation of construction in the context of the existing climate threat for the country creates certain legislative gaps that require attention. Thus, first objective consists ofthe necessity to conduct review of existing building codes of the Republic of Tajikistan with an enshrined aim to include climate resilient design.
The second objective of the 2nd phase, urban design guidelines, existfor Khorog city in a draft form; establishing the procedure for passing permitting procedures for the placement and construction of new or change of existing real estate and temporary structures, regulating relations related to the implementation of architectural, urban planning and construction activities in the city of Khorog. Within the framework of the existing document, a comparative analysis of the legislative regulation of the issue of urban design guidelines in other mountain cities with focusing on those from Central Asia as well as land regulation in other countries possessing full monopoly on land (e.g.Cuba, the Republic of Congo, Venezuela) will be conducted. Such a comparative approach will help to trace the main problems that countries and, more specifically, cities face when regulating the issue of urban design and subsequently assess and propose changes considering not only regional problems, but also generalized ones.
Improvement of the legal framework and technical documents together with colleagues engaged in urban planning in the context of the development of a pilot project for certain areas in Khorog, will lead to a full-scale approach to urban planning development both on local and national level and will also lay the foundation for integrating climate change issues into such documents.
Thus, the main Outcomes will be the following:
1. Improved resilience of buildings to extreme weather events though climate friendly building codes.
2. Improved urban resilience through the development of climate responsive urban design guidelines.
Duties and Responsibilities
The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the Chief, Policy, Legislation and Governance Section and under the direct supervision of the Legal Specialist, Policy, legislation and governance section;
The main objective of this consultancy is to provide the Policy, Legislation and Governance Section the following results:
1. Revision of building codes in Tajikistan with recommendations for improvement:
– Detailed analysis of existing building codes in Tajik legislation through the lens of climate change issues;
– Identification of gaps in Tajik building codes in terms of consideration of options to climate change adaptation and mitigation implementation;
– Comparative analysis of changes done to building codes of CIS countries as well as adaptation of worldwide best practices of building codes regulation into Tajik legislation with subsequent analysis of the applicability of the proposed changes in terms of legislation with practical application in the urban development sphere with urban planning colleagues;
– Preparation of the final document suggesting changes required for Tajik building codes revision.
2. Drafting of public space design guidelines for Khorog city:
– Definition, in collaboration with UN-Habitat planning colleagues, of the objectives and requirements for public space and urban design guidelines;
– Identification and analysis of public space and urban planning guidelines in both Central Asian cities and mountainous cities in other regions of the world with subsequent comparative analysis of public space and urban planning guidelines analyzed;
– Preparation of a document with recommendations for provisions to be included into urban design guidelines for Khorog city;
– Drafting of the urban design and public space guidelines and subsequent assessment of the feasibility and impact of the proposed guidelines.
3. Finalized guidance publication on “Child Responsive Urban Policies, Legislation and Standards”
Qualifications/special skills
Competency: Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to land-use planning, land management, development control, urban governance as well as the impact of climate change on urban planning. Ability to develop sound substantive reports; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professionalism rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with challenges; remain calm in stressful situations.
Communication: Excellent written and oral presentation skills in English and Russian. Listen to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; ask questions to clarify and exhibit interest in having two-way communication; tailor’s language, tone, style and format to match the audience; demonstrate openness in sharing information and keeping people informed
Teamwork: Works collaboratively to achieve organisational goals; solicit impact by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; places team agenda above personal agenda; shows credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team’s shortcoming.
Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Skills:
• Knowledge of, and ability to apply legal principles, concepts and procedures and terminology for review, examination, and processing of a range of legal documents.
• Knowledge of various legal research sources, including electronic, and ability to conduct research and analyze information on a wide range of legal issues.
• Ability to interpret and apply legislative instruments, develop and present results, recommendations, and opinions clearly and concisely.
Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law or relevant field is required. A first level degree with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
Experience:
• Two years of professional experience in the field of urban law issues including planning laws, land laws, housing laws, human rights-based approaches to development, basic services, building and construction, urban governance, influence of climate change to urban planning etc. is required.
• Previous experience working with urban planning, land management and development control is desirable.
• Previous experience working with the United Nations will be an added advantage.
Language: English and Russian are working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, proficiency in spoken and written in both English and Russian is required.
Aucun frais de dossier
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.POSTULER