UNDP recruits 01 Senior Legal Officer

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Cameroon Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC), which is co-located with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and chaired by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and Head of UNOWAS.

Responsibilities

The mandate of the Mixed Commission on Cameroon and Nigeria is to ensure the peaceful implementation of the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 19 October 2002, and to prevent related tension between Cameroon and Nigeria from escalating into conflict. In this connection and under the overall guidance of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG), Chairman of the CNMC, and the direct supervision of the Chief of Staff, the Senior Legal Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Assist the Chairman of the Mixed Commission in all legal issues; •Provide advice on the understanding of the ICJ judgment of 10 October 2002;
• Analyse arguments and opinions presented by both Nigeria and Cameroon with regards to the ICJ judgement and principles of law;
• Analyse the content and the scope of the Mixed Commission Communiqués; – Assist the Chairman and the UN CNMC Support Team in the preparation and the proceedings of the meetings of the Mixed Commission and the Sub-Commissions;
• Give advice to the Chairman on written communications (letters, documents, position papers etc.) to and from both parties;
• Provide authoritative legal advice on diverse range of issues such as the rights of the population affected by the ICJ judgement, demarcation and maritime boundary;
• Prepare background materials, summaries of issues and reports of meetings of the Sub- Commissions;
• Serves on various committees, ad hoc working groups and task forces, as required; – Promotes the work of the United Nations and represents the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, etc.
• Contributes to the review and design of new, or new applications of, legal instruments, policy, guidelines, systems, etc.
• Provide authoritative legal advice on substantive and procedural questions of law which may include those related to the administration and the management of the Office.
• Perform other duties as required. Work implies frequent interaction with the following: Senior government officials.
• Results Expected: Contribute to the outputs of the CNMC through effective coordination and supervision of work/projects, ensuring the overall quality and consistency of technical work. Provide high-level in-house legal counsel capacity, to include timely and authoritative advice, services and representation on highly complex or novel legal matters that can be readily implemented without substantive revisions. Effectively determine strategy and approach to legal issues and develop innovative solutions to major problems/issues, which may arise.
• Contribute to the development of policy, directives and guidelines and to the dissemination of policies and best practices.
• Demonstrate professional leadership and a high degree of persuasiveness and diplomacy to generate consensus with relevant parties on divisive legal issues.
• Provide support to both UNOWAS/CNMC on legal issues.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Professionalism: Knowledge of international legal procedures and instruments, including criminal law, both substantive and procedural. Ability to apply legal expertise to analyzing a diverse range of complex and unusual legal issues and problems and in developing innovative and creative solutions in prosecuting complex criminal cases. Strong analytical skills and ability to conduct comprehensive legal research on a range of issues, including those of a unique and/or complex nature; proficiency in legal writing and expression and ability to prepare legal briefs, opinions, indictments or legal submissions/motions, and a variety of legal instruments and related documents. Discretion and sound judgment in applying legal expertise to sensitive, complex legal issues. Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement. Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/cases. Knowledge of contemporary international relations and of UN system, organization and interrelationships. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication, tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
• Judgment/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

• An advanced university degree in law with a specialization in international, administrative, or commercial law is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional international legal experience, including legal analysis, research and writing and extensive experience in the field of public international law is required. Experience as Legal Adviser in boarder dispute is desirable. Experience as Legal Adviser within the United Nations or an international organization is desirable. Experience in drafting boundary statements and ICJ ruling interpretation is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English, with a good working knowledge of French is required.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include written assessment which may be followed by competency-based interview.