Deputy Legal Counsel

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is the specialized Agency of the United Nations leading international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to high quality food.

As part of the Office of the Director-General, the Legal Office (LEG) provides authoritative legal advice and assistance on a wide range of issues to the Director-General, units in headquarters and in the field, the Governing and Statutory Bodies and Members of the Organization.

LEG is composed of:

(a) the Office of the Legal Counsel, which ensures that the Organization's activities are carried out in accordance with its Constitution and the other Basic Texts of the Organization, in a manner consistent with its status as an intergovernmental organization of the United Nations system.

(b) the General Legal Affairs Service (LEGA), which provides legal advice to all units of the Organization, and its Governing and Statutory Bodies, on constitutional questions, the interpretation of its Basic Texts, international treaties, internal legal rules and policies, as well as on legal aspects of relations with the Host and other Governments, other international organizations, private sector and other entities, and specific legal aspects of personnel matters. It represents FAO in judicial proceedings and in settlements of disputes.

(c) The Development Law Service (LEGN), which provides legal advisory services to governments on sustainable food and agriculture and utilization of natural resources (including land, water, fisheries and aquaculture, plants, animals, food, forestry, wildlife, environment and biodiversity), as well as general agricultural issues (institutions, trade, economic reform). LEGN conducts legal analyses and disseminates information on matters relevant to FAO’s mandate and houses the database on laws on food, agriculture and natural resources, FAOLEX.

The Deputy Legal Counsel reports to the Legal Counsel.

Summary of Functions and Duties

The Deputy Legal Counsel assists the Legal Counsel by providing strategic and technical leadership of the work of LEGA and LEGN. In particular, under the general guidance of the Legal Counsel, the Deputy Legal Counsel:

• Assists the Legal Counsel in the overall management of the office, monitoring the provision of legal services, ensuring maintenance of high professional standards, the delivery of technically excellent legal advice taking into account new developments in areas of international and national law relevant to FAO’s mandate, and responsiveness to client needs;
• Exercises day-to-day administrative responsibility and managerial oversight over the Legal Office’s human and financial resources, including planning and budgeting for LEG’s programme of work, within the framework of the FAO Strategic Framework and the Medium Term Plan, and initiates actions on budgetary and administrative matters;
• Coordinates and guides the provision of legal support and advice to:
• all units of the Organization on legal and constitutional aspects of their operations, including through the interpretation of the Basic Texts of the Organization, the Administrative Manual and other relevant instruments, and assistance in the negotiation or implementation of agreements, including agreements addressing funding and other forms of collaboration, the Organization’s relations with governments (including the Host Government), international organizations and other entities (including the private sector);
• the Governing and Statutory Bodies and Members of the Organization, including in respect of the interpretation and implementation of the Basic Texts, international binding and non-binding instruments, and the collection, analysis and dissemination of legal information of relevance to FAO’s mandate.
• Supports the revision of existing policies and rules and the development of new policies and other instruments on diverse and complex matters, including but not limited to frameworks for partnerships and other forms of engagement with non-state actors, human resources, donor relations, the use of new technologies for delivery of FAO’s mandate;
• Addresses matters pertaining to the status of the Organization as an Agency of the United Nations System, and consults and coordinates with other United Nations Agencies on legal issues of common interest;
• Coordinates the performance of depositary functions with respect to treaties for which the Director-General is the depositary;
• Represents the Organization in judicial and arbitral proceedings and in settlements of disputes, in particular, the handling of cases under the internal appeals mechanisms and before the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization;
• Advises the World Food Programme (WFP) on matters involving the status and immunities of the Programme and Complaints filed by WFP staff before the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization;
• Supports the Secretary in providing services to the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM);
• Performs other duties as required.