Background
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Strengthening accountability and tackling corruption are essential pre-requisites for Iraq's long-term stability, economic recovery, and development. Both Iraqi and regional Kurdish governments have recently initiated steps to drive an ambitious anticorruption agenda. However, significant gaps remain in legislative and strategic framework, investigation and adjudication, integrity of institutions fighting corruption. Iraq adopted in May 2021 the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, but implementation measures are needed. UNDP in Iraq launched a project in May 2021 to support public partners at federal and the Kurdistan Regional Government to improve their capacity and legal framework to combat corruption and conduct commercial dispute resolution. 

The project titled “support to justice initiatives curbing corruption and promoting commercial dispute resolution” (hereinafter, Anti-Corruption & Arbitration Initiatives, ACAI) is funded by the European Union for a period of four years. The project works closely with the Prime Minister Office in Baghdad and supports directly the Commission of Integrity (CoI), the Higher Judicial Council (HJC) and the Legal and Integrity Committees of the Council of Representatives. In Erbil, the project follows a similar mechanism of collaboration. Further, the project works with key civil society and investigative media organizations.

The project has the following specific outcomes: (1) Improved Legislative and Strategic Framework for Anti-Corruption Reforms; (2) The justice sector, lawyers and CoI are better equipped to process corruption offences due to  (2.1) improved technical skills relevant for corruption investigation, prosecution, adjudication and (2.2) improved integrity rules of the justice sector; (3) Improved capacity, institutional and legal frameworks to conduct commercial dispute resolution (4) Create a climate of support in Parliament for anti-corruption reforms; (5) Increased transparency and public accountability.

Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work 
Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Senior Integrity Specialist will provide advisory and technical support to assess, review and draft the integrity rules including codes of conduct for the federal and KRI Commissions of Integrity, judiciary powers, bar associations and Parliaments, develp training material and provide training to justice professionals and Parliamentarians on codes of conduct and international standards for professional conduct. Specifically, the Specialist will undertake the following:

•    Develop ToRs for Task and Finish Committees within Federal and KRI judiciaries, CoIs, Parliaments and bar associations to draft standalone codes of conducts for prosecutors and judges, CoI investigators, independent lawyers and members of Parliament;  lead on consultation sessions with relevant institutions to ensure buy-in and agreement to establish committees and hold regular meetings to finalize draft codes of conducts; Support the Task and Finish Committees in drafting stand-alone codes of conduct; Support the Judicial Supervisory Authorities in hosting multiple consultative sessions and discussion with a wide range of judicial stakeholders, including members of bar associations, civil society and legal academia / experts in the development of revised framework on Code of Conduct and Ethics for the judiciary in Iraq;
•    Lead on design and conduct of surveys to determine the level of awareness of justice professional including lawyers and the Parliamentarians on standards of conduct or judicial integrity as per project timelines;
•    Provide high quality technical assistance to federal and regional Judicial Supervisory Authorities and the bar associations to review disciplinary and integrity measures within each institution; Analyze Iraqi and Kurdish standard operating procedures of the judicial integrity in line with international legal instruments and best practice to establish a system of background checks and vetting upon entry into the service of the judiciary and promotion or assignment to specialized courts; identify and validate by the Judicial Supervisory Authorities shortcomings and proposed measures; Mobilize, promote and advocate for institutionalization of global judicial standards such as the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, 2002, the International Framework on Court Excellence (IFCE) as well as under Article 11 of the UNCAC during the assessments and review of integrity standards;
•    Support in institutionalizing a culture of integrity within institutions involved in fighting corruption by organizing awareness workshops and biannual integrity conferences; Find innovative solution for judicial integrity adapted to Iraq and Kurdistan that capture success and learn from failture in legislative design in other countries;
•    Assist the Judicial Supervisory Authorities in the publication and wide dissemination of the Code of Conduct and Ethics in the form of pocket booklets for all members of the judiciary as well as make it available for public dissemination on the website and through other public legal awareness initiatives of the Higher Judicial Councils of Iraq and Kurdistan;
•    Support the Judicial Supervisory Authorities and the Judicial Training Institutes to review curriculum and develop comprehensive training materials for initial courses for newly hired judges and in-service courses for practising judges and prosecutors to increase their awareness of the new standards of conducts; Support the Judicial Supervisory Authorities and the Judicial Training Institutes to develop training material and conduct ToTs from among the judicial supervisors to improve their understanding of ethics and integrity;
•    Build the capacity of executive and administrative staff of bar associations to enforce the codes of ethics and develop training material for their members; Work closely with the integrity committees of the Council of Representatives and of the House of Representatives in Kurdistan Region of Iraq to advise on parliamentary codes of conduct to support initiative to strengthen the integrity of parliament; Develop training material, ToR and train public officials from federal and KRI Commissions of Integrity on codes of conduct 

Institutional Arrangement

  • The Specialist shall report directly to the Project Manager, Anti-Corruption & Arbitration Initiatives (ACAI), to whom all the tasks should be delivered within agreed timelines.
  • The Specialist will closely work with a team, a Specialists and management support.
Competencies
Core
  • Achieve Results: LEVEL 4: Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact
  • Think Innovatively: LEVEL 4: Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight
  • Learn Continuously: LEVEL 4: Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
  • Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 4: Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes
  • Act with Determination:  LEVEL 4: Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
  • Engage and Partner: LEVEL 4: Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 4: Create ethical culture,  identify/address barriers to inclusion
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 
  • Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights: Development of Institutions in Justice Sector 
  • Governance: Transparency and Anti-Corruption 
  • Governance: Constitution/ Legislative drafting
  • Governance: Parliamentary Institutions 
  • Governance: SDG 16 
  • Ethical Implications of Policy Development: Consult on the ethical implications within all policy development and standard setting. 
  • Ethical Implications of Policy Development: Ability to provide education and training on ethics, values, and standards and promote staff awareness of ethical behaviour and ethical decision making; 
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
  • A master’s degree in law
Experience:
  • A minimum of 7 years of experience as an investigator, a prosecutor or a judge, of which , a minimum of 4 years of experience in integrity rules of judiciary, police, anti-corruption agencies, Parliament or other similar institutions.
Required  skills:
  • Extensive experience in rebuilding of governance, rule of law and justice in post-conflict countries.
  • High analytical skills oriented towards problem-solving 
  • Ability to engage in substantive legal and technical discussion with public officials
  • Ability to train public officials on legal issues and code of conduct
  • The ability to model the UN's values and ethical standards, and to promote UNDP’s and the UN’s vision, mission, and strategic goals 
  • Sensitivity and adaptability to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age.
     
Desired skills:
  • Experience in teaching and training on legal issues
  • Skilled legal analyst with track record of published legal studies
  • Excellent knowledge of judicial integrity rules & international standards
  • Experience and knowledge of the Middle-East and preferably of Iraq
     
Required Language(s):
  • Fluency in English is required. 
  • Fluency in Arabic is preferred.
Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
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