Legal Specialist

Job Posting: 20/Jun/2025

Closure Date: 11/Jul/2025, 4:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit: OCB - Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location: Italy-Rome

Duration: 11 months

Post Number: N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
- FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
- Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
- Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
- FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
- FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations._

**Organizational Setting**

The Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) works to ensure that countries and stakeholders respond to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. OCB provides a cross organizational coordination role on issues related to climate change, biodiversity and the environment and is the focal point to major multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Office also assists FAO Members in their responses towards the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation including through facilitating access to climate and environmental financing (such as the Global Environment Fun -GEF and the Green Climate Fund-GCF). In addition, OCB hosts the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as well as FAO’s work on environmental safeguards.

The GEF-funded project (EP/GLO/1172/GEF), named FARM: Strengthening investment for adoption of alternatives and sustainable management of agrochemicals and Agri plastics in Africa and Latin America through pilots in Kenya and Uruguay, was endorsed by the GEF on 28 April 2023 with overall value of 7.5 million USD. FAO is the executing agency (EA) and managing the project on a day-to-day basis while the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the implementing agency (IA). The project will facilitate a reduction in the use of harmful agrochemicals and plastics in the agricultural sector and promote sustainable alternative products and practices in Kenya and Uruguay. Specifically, this project is coordinated by the FAO Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) and the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) providing technical coordination and support for the component related to agri-plastics management.

**Reporting Lines**

The specialist will work under the technical supervision of the Legal Officer (LEGN), the operational supervision of the FAO Representative in Kenya, and in close collaboration with the Project Technical Advisor and coordination with the Project team.

**Technical Focus**

The specialist will support agri-plastics activities in Kenya under Output 1.3: Proposed improvements to strengthen the management of agricultural plastics are developed and submitted to relevant ministries. More specifically, the incumbent will support the implementation of the Activity 1.3.2: Draft policy and legislative recommendations for the life cycle management of agricultural plastics, traceability, product standards and alternative products; and will support, upon request, with the implementation of Activity 1.3.3: Draft a set of regulations for the establishment and running of the PRO.

**Tasks and responsibilities**

The specialist will undertake the following tasks:

- Contribute to presentations and discussions at the FARM meetings when needed
- Collect and analyse prior reports prepared under the FARM project, at the baseline study and identify if that information is still relevant in relation to priorities of Kenya
- Collect all national policies and legislation relevant to conventional and biobased agricultural plastics, waste management, and pesticides. Pay attention to potential legal instruments (licensing schemes or waste management statutory documents) approved at the decentralized level. Also include legislation on certification and standards business authorization, chemicals, producer's responsibility and waste