Environmental Law Expert at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Responsibilities:

The consultant will undertake the following activities to support the improvement and development of solid waste management legal frameworks and the advancement of environmental rule of law in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau:

• Review and provide substantive inputs and comments to the two reports which will be delivered by national legal experts in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau: a report including a legal mapping, gap analysis and needs assessment of the waste management framework (one report for each country); ( a report on specific measures relating to the labor workforce in waste management for consideration in legislative reforms (one report for each www.unep.org 2 country).
• The consultant will be required to guide the national legal experts and ensure that the analysis and research on the existing regulatory and institutional frameworks governing waste management in the three selected countries are harmonized and in line with principles of integrated waste management and those for the protection of the health and rights of the waste labor force, especially the informal workers.
• Based on the careful review conducted in paragraph 1, the consultant will draft a comparative analysis of the three reports including a legal mapping, gap analysis and needs assessment of the waste management framework in the three selected countries, and a comparative analysis of the three reports on specific measures relating to the labor workforce in waste management for consideration in legislative reforms in the three selected countries.
• Support the national legal experts in the development of recommendations for reform of the legislative and institutional frameworks for waste management in the three selected countries, with due consideration to the informal labor sector, and based on the reports delivered under paragraph 1. The recommendations will integrate the findings/evidence collected by the use of UN-Habitat’s Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT), which will monitor the performance of municipal solid waste management systems at city level in Abuja, Freetown and Bissau, and will include draft clauses/provisions of legislation.
• Based on the analysis conducted in the three selected countries and on the recommendations provided, the consultant will draft general recommendations for legislative and institutional reform in the waste management sector that may be replicated in other countries in the region. 5. Support the preparation and organization of two series of stakeholder and expert consultations for each country (including feedback sessions with UNEP and other project implementing partners), one provisionally scheduled in 2024 Q3 and the second in 2024 Q4 or 2025 Q1, to discuss the impact of the existing regulatory waste management frameworks in the informal structures and the need to adapt the frameworks to integrated waste management principles. During the consultations, the deliverables mentioned in paragraphs 1 to 4 above will be presented and reviewed.
• The consultant will support the integration of the outcomes of the consultations/validation workshops in the final versions of the reports including recommendations on specific measures and draft provisions for enhanced legislative frameworks, and will provide comments and input to the stakeholder consultations’ reports. 6. Work in close collaboration with UNEP, UN-Habitat and stakeholders involved, provide regular updates on the progress of the activities to UNEP, as required, and carry out any other tasks which may be assigned under the project.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Masters degree or equivalent) in law, specializing in environmental law or waste management law (required). A minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of environmental law is required. Experience in leading collective research projects in Environmental law is required. Experience in research and analytical report writing on legal and policy issues related to waste management is desirable and would be considered as an advantage. Working experience in Africa and especially in Western Africa is desirable.

Deadline : Apr 23, 2024