National Legal Officer

Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP works through its divisions as well as regional, liaison and out-posted offices and a growing network of collaborating centres of excellence.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading organization within the United Nations system in the field of environment and has as a major area of focus of its global mandate, the conservation, protection, enhancement and support of nature and natural resources, including biological diversity, worldwide. UNEP coordinates the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) volunteer position is located in the Legal Unit of the Corporate Services Division.
The Legal Unit is under the Corporate Services Division. It is responsible for providing guidance on legal matters relating to UNEP’s mandate and programme of work; the mitigation of legal, financial, and reputational risk; and UNEP’s compliance with UN and UNEP regulations and rules. Areas of review include but are not limited to operational arrangements and legal instruments, due diligence or partners, privileges and immunities, intellectual property, internal justice administration, and Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) activities. As Corporate Services Division is UNEP’s audit focal point, the Legal Unit also supports submissions to auditors, and the monitoring of the implementation of audit recommendations relating to legal issues.

Under the direct supervision Senior Legal Officer, the UNV volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
1. Provision of legal support to UNEP through the Corporate Services Division /Legal Unit
i. Serve as National Legal Officer supporting the provision of corporate legal advice to UNEP through the Corporate Services Division/Legal Unit, and contribute to the work of the Corporate Services Division / Legal Unit providing the necessary assistance, as required.
ii. Review and draft legal instruments and other agreements and amendments, and when deviations from UN/UNEP templates are requested by counterparts provide legal advice with regard to those instruments including agreements with implementing partners.
iii. Support the review of the due diligence process of potential partners, both non-for profit and for-profit entities.
iv. Support Corporate Services Division’s work on audit processes by oversight bodies, including the review of recommendations and their implementation.
v. Support the work of the focal point for the Corporate Services Division/Legal Unit on the UNEP Intranet page (WeCollaborate); and other content management systems for online platforms that contribute to-wards information and knowledge management.
vi. Assist in handling Legal Unit’s Case Management and workflow system.

2. Support the development and/or revision of legal template instruments and conduct legal research
i. In coordination with relevant offices, support the development of new and/or review of existing legal agreements templates.
ii. In coordination with relevant offices, support the revision of UNEP policies and their implementation, and the drafting of summaries and/or briefing notes relating to policy matters.
iii. Support the Legal Unit’s by the preparation of a compendium of core legal advice delivered by the Legal Unit with a view to ensure consistency for the benefit of UNEP.
iv. Under the guidance of legal officers, conduct research on legal issues pertaining – inter alia – to general international law, international organization, privileges and immunities, multilateral environmental agreements etc. and draft legal notes and memos for the use of the Legal Unit.