Legal Officer in Timor Leste
Timor-Leste
- Organization: UNV - United Nations Volunteers
- Location: Timor-Leste
- Grade: Mid/Senior level - Mid/Senior - Internationally recruited position
-
Occupational Groups:
- Legal - Broad
- Closing Date: Closed
TLSR000048--Legal Officer
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long- established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.
General Information
Country of Assignment Timor Leste
United Nations Development Programme
Host Institute
Volunteer Category International Specialist Short Term Number of Volunteer 1
Duration 6 months
Expected Starting Date Immediate
Duty Station Dili [TLS]
Assignment Place Family Duty Station
15 Feb 2018 Page 1 of 9 Assignment Place Remark Living Conditions
Living Conditions:
Timor Leste is half of a tropical island on the Australian continental shelf characterized by a rugged mountain chain running east-west that divides the country into a generally warmer north coast and a milder south coast. The capital city, Dili, is located in the north.
average temperature of 30°C. There are two distinct seasons: the north-east monsoon
season, which runs from November to March, constitutes the rainy season throughout
the country. The south- east monsoon season, which runs from March to October,
constitutes the dry season with some rain on the southern coast but otherwise dry and windy conditions in the rest of the country. The climate inland with its high mountains can be very cold with an annual average temperature of 15°C.
Health: At the moment, Stamford clinic serves as a recommended medical facility for
UN staff. It has two approved UN physicians that can perform primary healthcare and
simpler treatments, or recommend medical evacuation to Singapore. There is a
national hospital with some international staff and a limited number of other private clinics in Dili. For more complex medical treatment and assessment, it is necessary to evacuate to neighboring countries such as Darwin or Singapore.
Diet, Food and Water: Most staple foods can be found in the markets such as rice,
meat, vegetables, cooking oil, salt and sugar. There are many local markets around Dili as well as four supermarkets that are stocked with imported goods, mainly from
Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and China. Dili has a large number of restaurants,
cafes and bars. There is a variety of food ranging from Western to Southeast Asian
fare. You can also find several local warungs with less expensive meals. The price
range for a meal can range from $3 to $20+.
Telecommunications: At the moment, there are three telecommunication providers in
country, Timor Telecom and Telcomcel and Telemor. While Timor Telecom has been
long present, Telcomcel and Telemor were newly launched in Timor-Leste, and started
operating in February 2013. The SIM cards cost $2-3 and pre-paid/pulsa cards range
from $1 to $50. Further, depending on UN Agency, you may receive a PIN code to
15 Feb 2018 Page 2 of 9 make international phone calls that will be charged to your VLA. Hotels: The UNV Field unit in Dili will help arrange your initial accommodation in a
hotel, at your expense. Most of the hotels in Dili are aimed at internationals and offer a
good level of comfort with air-conditioned rooms and en-suite bathrooms. You can
expect to pay from $30 to $50 per night.
Permanent Accommodation: Expect that your accommodation will range from the
very basic to adequate, although many private houses in Dili have been renovated to a
reasonable or even considered ‘luxurious’ level of comfort. The rate of reconstruction
and renovation in the districts has been much slower than in Dili. Accommodation is far
more likely to be of a very basic level.
Assignment Details
Assignment Title Legal Officer
Organizational Context & Project Description
A UN Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) was deployed to Timor-Leste in October
2012, and based on this assessment the Focal Point for Electoral Assistance in the
UN, the Under Secretary General for Political Affairs approved the provision of
electoral assistance to Timor-Leste. In December 2014 the Minister for State
Administration sent another letter of request to the United Nations to support the
Technical Secretariat of Electoral Administration (STAE) through Suco (village)
elections municipal elections, and Presidential and Parliamentary elections between
2016-2018.
The specific areas of support where assistance was requested were: organizing the
elections; legal assistance and delivering training sessions. The Department of Political
Affairs Electoral Assistance Division conducted an updated Desk Review of the above
mentioned NAM, and the Under Secretary General for Political Affairs once again
approved the provision of electoral assistance of electoral assistance to Timor-Leste
from 2015-2018.
The UNDP project entitled Leveraging Electoral Assistance for Regionalized Nation-
Building (LEARN), funded by the Government of Japan and Korea, builds on the
achievements of previous UNDP electoral assistance projects and aims to provide
15 Feb 2018 Page 3 of 9 technical assistance to Timorese Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) throughout the entire electoral cycle, with a strong focus on civic and voter education, taking into
account support already provided to Suco (village) elections in 2016, Presidential and
Parliamentary elections in 2017 and other electoral processes including possible
municipal elections in 2018.
LEARN project is aligned with a Key Result Area of UNDP Strategic Plan:
Parliaments, constitution making bodies and electoral institutions enabled to perform
core functions for improved accountability, participation and representation, including
for peaceful transitions Electoral Systems and Processes.
LEARN Project Outputs:
Output 1: Enhanced civic knowledge, awareness, and engagement of citizens in local
and national democratic processes Output 2: Increased political participation of women
and youth at the local and national level Output 3: Enhanced institutional capacity of
EMBs to manage and implement national and local elections through an electoral cycle
approach Output 4: Increased sustainability of voter registration and electoral results
management systems
Sustainable 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Development Goals
UNV Focus Area Securing access to basic social services
Task description
Under the direct supervision of Chief Technical Adviser the UN Volunteer will
undertake the following tasks:
· Provide necessary legal advise to the electoral management body of Timor-Leste o
n electoral processes
· Assist in the preparation of proposals for legislation, and regulation affecting Elec
tion Management Body.
· Support the Election Management Body in the analysis of legislative proposals
and/ or respective electoral regulation
15 Feb 2018 Page 4 of 9 · Advise Election Management Body during its work meetings for the purpose of discussing and approving legislative proposals
· Carry out comparative studies of national and foreign electoral legislation and
provide advise to Election Management Body for including the best practices
· Provide advice and information on any legal matter that may be committed in t
he framework of the activities carried out by the Election Management Body
· Provide support in developing the skills of national counterpart in understandin
g the electoral legal framework of Timor-Leste
· Support Election Management Bodies in preparing meeting minutes, contracts,
agreements, memorandum of understandingsand other technical documentation req
uested.
· Provide support to Election Management Body in the dissemination of electoral
laws.
· Perform additional tasks as assigned by the Chief Technical Adviser.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:- Strengthen their knowledge and
understanding of the concept of volunteerismby reading relevant UNV and external
publications and take active part in UNVactivities (for instance in events that mark
International Volunteer Day)- Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local
forms ofvolunteerism in the host country- Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary
action that they areundertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities-
Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for
UNVpublications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.- Assist with the UNV
Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers- Promote or advise local groups in
the use of online volunteering, orencourage relevant local individuals and organizations
to use the UNV OnlineVolunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/Expected Outputs
The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job
training, when working with national staff or governmental counterparts, including
15 Feb 2018 Page 5 of 9 Implementing Partners (IPs);
Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated
and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during
the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities
participated in and capacities developed
• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job
training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-)
governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); • Age, Gender and
Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all
activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards
volunteerism for peace and development dur-ing the assignment, such as reporting on
the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed
Qualifications/Requirements
Required Degree Level Master degree or equivalent
Education - Additional Comments
University degree (Masters or equivalent) in international law and other specialised
related area
Required experience 36 months
Experience Remark
relevante or similar experience as per description of task (TOR)
Language Skills
English (Mandatory) , Level - Working Knowledge
AND - Portuguese (Mandatory) , Level - Fluent
And One of these - Tetum (Optional) , Level - Working Knowledge
Area of Expertise
Election management Mandatory
15 Feb 2018 Page 6 of 9 Other rule of law or governance related experience Mandatory Election support activities Mandatory
Area of Expertise Requirement
Expertise in the area of election management body and law and regulation. details see
task description.
Need Driving Licence No
Conditions of Service and other information
Condition of Service Click here to view Conditions of Service
Conditions of Service:
The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to
availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there
is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.
UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is composed of the
Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family Allowance (FA) for those with dependents
(maximum three).
The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing,
utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be
computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$
1,602. The VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty
station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living.
This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power
at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the
International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every
15 Feb 2018 Page 7 of 9month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org.
For example, kindly enter the link Calculator
In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the
ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly
basis.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the
assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to
taking up the assignment) and in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty
station.
UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel,
annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security
reimbursements).
UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels,
flight ticket for the final repatriation travel (if applicable).
UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of
Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.
15 Feb 2018 Page 8 of 9 Application Code TLSR000048-2485
Application procedure
* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?
Please first register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup. Important: After
creating your account, complete all sections of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My
Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’
hyperlink. Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.
* Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?
Please first update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile. Then go to ‘My
Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink
to select the special call to which you would like to apply.
Application deadline: 22 February 2018
Disclaimer
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes
applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms
of gender, nationality and culture.
15 Feb 2018 Page 9 of 9
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