Result of ServiceThe Individual Contractor will perform tasks of the National Convention Liaison Officer as per ToRs approved by the Parties to the Tehran Convention including, inter alia, to act as the liaison between the Convention Secretariat and those responsible for the Convention implementation process in his/her country, contribute to the recruitment of national consultants and the organization of events related to the implementation of the Programme of Work, including Caspian Day; promote and service capacity building and a national coordination mechanism for the implementation of the Convention; coordinate country positions and promote and organize national Protocol ratification and approval processes; continue to secure the annual contribution of his/her country to the Convention budget, and support and mobilize additional resources for the Convention process, as appropriate.

Work LocationTurkmenistan

Expected duration2 months

Duties andResponsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. Further to the decisions of the second Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP II) to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention), the Government of Azerbaijan nominated a National Convention Liaison Officer (NCLO) and started transferring its annual contributions to the budget of the Tehran Convention. The Convention Programme of Work (PoW), adopted at COP5 on 30 May 2014, requires the establishment of a fully operational system of five national liaison officers to be financed from the countries’ contributions. The NCLO will act as the liaison between the interim Secretariat of the Tehran Convention and those responsible for the Convention implementation process in his/her country. In accordance with the Terms of reference and arrangements for National Convention Liaison Officers the Individual Contractor will: • Support and assist the Convention Secretariat in carrying out its functions in accordance with article 23.4 of the Convention; • Support and assist the National Focal Point (NFP) in the exercise of his/her functions and responsibilities, including active involvement in the Tehran Convention national reports’ preparation; • Assist in the development and implementation of the national action Plans for the Tehran Convention. • Promote, collect and analyze information on planned actions or actions already in the process of implementation, undertaken within the framework of program documents of Governments, Local Authorities, the private sector and communities, and aimed at the protection of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea; • Assist the NFP in the development, approval, signing, ratification and implementation of Protocols to the Convention; • Provide organizational and technical assistance to the NFP in attracting additional resources for the Convention process implementation; • Review and provide comments on Convention and its Protocol documents; • Assist in organizing activities related to the implementation of the relevant Programs of Work of the Tehran Convention; • Promote and support the increased civil society engagement in the Tehran Convention process. Including assistance in organizing and arranging the Caspian Day celebrations and the submission of the corresponding reports to the Secretariat of the Convention; • Assist in identifying, storing and sharing the information, relevant to the work of the Convention Secretariat; • Assist in identifying and engaging the national institutions and experts to undertake different tasks related to the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols; • Promote stake-holders and private sector engagement, especially the oil and gas sector, in the Tehran Convention process; • Undertake activities related to the Convention outreach and provide the national inputs to the Convention related reports and publications; • Contribute to the maintained and regular update of the information at the Caspian Environment Information Center.

Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university degree or equivalent academic qualifications in environmental law/policy/information science or related field of study. A first university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. At least 5 years of relevant experience with the environment protection of the Caspian Sea or with the Caspian Environment Programme or involvement to the work of the Tehran Convention. Familiarity with the problems and opportunities of the Caspian Sea and its legal issues and challenges.

LanguagesFluency in English, Russian and Azeri is essential.

No FeeTHE 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.