Legal Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

Concerned with the security, humanitarian, human rights and political crisis in the Central African Republic and its regional implications, the Security Council authorized in April 2014 the deployment of a multidimensional United Nations peacekeeping operation, MINUSCA, with the protection of civilians as its utmost priority. Its other initial tasks included support for the transition process; facilitating humanitarian assistance; promotion and protection of human rights; support for justice and the rule of law; and disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation processes. The newly established mission subsumed the UN Integrated Peace building Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA). MINUSCA current uniformed personnel levels stand at 11,650 military personnel and 2,080 police personnel, and are tasked with the strategic objective of creating the political, security and institutional conditions conducive to sustainably reducing the presence of — and threat posed by — armed groups. See http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minusca/.

Context

N/A

Task description

Within delegated authority, the Legal Officer may be responsible for the following duties: Handles a range of issues related to constitutional, international, public, private, administrative, and, for Tribunals, criminal (substantive, procedural and comparative) law, including the interpretation and application of constitutive, legislative and other instruments governing United Nations activities and operations, in consultation with the senior Legal Officer Conducts extensive legal research and analysis and prepare studies, comparative studies, briefs, reports and correspondence. Undertakes basic or extensive review of legal documents, instruments, or other material; identifies important issues, similarities, and inconsistencies, etc. Prepares or assists in the preparation of drafts of background papers, studies, reports, legislative texts and commentaries on those texts, teaching materials in the field of international public and private law, including criminal, human rights law and international humanitarian law• Prepares or assists in the preparation of legal opinions/advice on a wide range of international public or private law issues, including the United Nations Charter, General Assembly resolutions and decisions involving, inter alia, issues relating to privileges and immunities, peace and security, criminal prosecutions, institutional questions, treaty law and practice, procedural issues arising during meetings of United Nations organs, constitutional and administrative law of the Organization. Prepares or assists in the preparation of agreements and contracts with governments, NGOs and other public and private entities, as well as in the negotiation and settlement of claims and disputes and in handling private international law and international trade law matters. Services or assists senior colleagues in servicing diplomatic conferences, commissions, committees, task forces, expert groups and other bodies, including preparation of background materials, summaries, etc.