Background:
 

The Republic of Tajikistan is implementing comprehensive reforms in its water sector. These reforms aim to strengthen legal and institutional frameworks, enhance infrastructure, and ensure the financial sustainability of water resource management, particularly in agriculture, the country’s largest water-consuming sector.

As part of these reforms, there is an emphasis on developing and refining legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks to ensure efficient, equitable, and sustainable governance of water resources.

To contribute to this process, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) is establishing a roster of qualified national legal experts specializing in water law, irrigation, and drainage. Experts from this roster may be engaged to provide legal advice and review, support the drafting and refinement of legislation and regulatory frameworks, and deliver training to relevant stakeholders, thereby strengthening both the legal foundations of water governance and national capacity in irrigation management in Tajikistan.
 

Objective of Assignment: 
 

The objective of this roster call is to invite qualified National Legal Experts in Water Law, Irrigation, and Drainage to join the OSCE POiD roster to support the drafting and refinement of legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks related to water, irrigation, and land reclamation. The consultant will provide legal analysis and advice to strengthen the clarity and enforceability of these frameworks and deliver training to relevant stakeholders, ensuring alignment with national priorities and international best practices in water law.
 

Duration of Assignment:
 

The duration of the assignment will depend on the tasks and deliverables assigned.

Tasks and Responsibilities:
 

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Economic and Environmental Department, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1.   Legal analysis and advice
•    Provide legal expertise on water, irrigation, and drainage-related legislation, policies, and regulatory frameworks.
•    Review existing laws, regulations, and policies to identify areas for improvement or alignment with best practices.
•    Offer evidence-based recommendations to strengthen legal instruments for water governance and irrigation management.

2.  Policy, regulatory, and legislative support
•    Contribute to the drafting, development, and refinement of policies, legislation, and regulatory frameworks.
•    Advise on legal mechanisms to support sustainable, efficient, and equitable management of water resources.
•    Ensure proposed legal frameworks align with national priorities and international standards in water law.

3.   Reporting and documentation
•    Prepare technical notes, legal analyses, draft provisions, and policy briefs summarizing findings and recommendations.
•    Maintain records of work undertaken and methodologies used to support transparency and knowledge sharing.

4.   Capacity building and knowledge sharing
•    Support workshops, consultations, and training sessions for national stakeholders on legal and regulatory aspects of water management.
•    Provide guidance to institutions on the application and interpretation of water, irrigation, and drainage laws.

5.   Collaboration and coordination
•    Work collaboratively with OSCE teams, government counterparts, and other stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of assignments.
•    Respond to requests for legal expertise on short notice, as roster members may be engaged on an as-needed basis.

6.   Additional tasks
•    Support any other tasks related to the development, review, or refinement of policies, legislation, and regulatory frameworks in water sector, particularly where legal expertise is required.

 

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, please see: https://dushanbe.osce.org/   

Necessary Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in Law, International Law, Environmental Law, Water Law, or a closely related field;
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in legal advisory, legislative drafting, or consultancy related to water resources, irrigation, drainage, or land reclamation;
• Proven experience in drafting, reviewing, or analyzing laws, regulations, policies, or legal instruments for governmental or international organizations, with a focus on policy, regulatory, or institutional development;
• Strong understanding of national and international legal frameworks for water governance, irrigation, and land reclamation;
• Proven experience in training delivery;
• Fluency in Tajik and/or Russian is mandatory, knowledge of English is an advantage;
• Excellent analytical, legal reasoning, and report-writing skills;
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly to diverse stakeholders;
• Strong teamwork, coordination, and interpersonal skills;
• Flexibility to respond to assignments on short notice as part of the roster;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Ability and willingness to work as a member of team, with people of different cultural, and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;

• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization. 

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.