The consultant will prepare a report based on inputs and analysis on barriers on trade in goods, Investment, trade in services, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), and Competition Policy.
This final report containing strategic plan of actions on “the Implication of Libya’s accession to the Free Trade Zone of African Continental and Its adherence strategy, will have the suggested outline below:
- Present the progress made in the negotiations in the different segments of the agreements.
- Present and analyze the opportunities and challenges for the adoption of each segment of the agreement on the concerned sectors in Libya.
- Evaluate the implications of implementing the AfCFTA according to the current terms on the economic performance of Libya using appropriate techniques.
Develop a road map to facilitate the Libyan accession to the agreement consisting specific policies to be adapted (commitments and accompanying policies) in order to maximize profits from the accession.
Remotely
Expected duration4 Months
Duties and Responsibilities
Libya has signed the AfCFTA but didn’t ratify it yet. Meanwhile, The Libyan government is currently embarked in evaluating the challenges and opportunities of joining the AfCFTA through the estimations of costs and benefits and formulating the most appropriate commitments and accompanying policies that will go in parallel to offset any mitigation costs and ensure that the accession is aligned with the country long term development goals.
In this context and based on the request from the Ministry of Economy and Trade in Libya to the accession process through enhancing their knowledge on the agreement’s modalities, its expected impacts and policy options; ESCWA is requesting the services of an international trade consultant to prepare a detailed study on challenges and opportunities of accession to the AfCFTA.
The overall objective of the study is to inform Libyan policymakers about the potential impact on the Libyan economy from Libya’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement and to develop a strategic plan of action and recommendations.
1- To identify priorities and foresee challenges in the AfCFTA negotiations, and to ensure that the assumptions used in the quantitative analysis are as realistic as possible.
2- To conduct a quantitative assessment of the impact of Libya joining AfCFTA under alternative scenarios, through the application of a global CGE model and/or a spatial partial equilibrium model, including analysis of the trends and patterns of trade in goods and services and FDI flows between Libya and the AfCFTA member countries.
3- To assess the impact of acceptance of commitments on selected horizontal issues on goods and service sectors that would arise from commitments in AfCFTA on the ability of Libya to pursue its economic and social objectives including the improvement of business conditions and access to technology. The areas to be covered in the focused sections are barriers on trade in goods, Investment, trade in services, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), and Competition Policy.
4- To Recommend a strategic plan of actions, including negotiation strategies, aimed at ensuring that participation in AfCFTA results in a net gain to Libya.
A Master’s degree in applied Economics or related area is required.
All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
A minimum of 15 years of experience in trade negotiations and trade analysis including qualitative and quantitative analysis of preferential trade agreements is required.
Strong knowledge of Trade agreements in the Arab and African regions is desirable.
Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA.
For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is Required.
Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.