Legal Officer

About UN-Habitat

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), is the UN agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable town and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. This post is located in the UN Habitat Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (ROAP) at the Kabul duty station.

UN-Habitat Afghanistan

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, has been working within Afghanistan since 1992 with funding support of USAID, Japanese and Australian Governments, EU, DFID, CIDA, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Kingdom of the Netherlands and several bilateral donors as well as the World Bank. During this period, its Programme expanded to include a wide range of human settlements initiatives, from small-scale neighborhood level improvement schemes to community 

Job Summary

The “Land And Property Tax Revenues for Service Delivery, Reconstruction, Citizenship Building and Sustaining Peace in Fragile States” project aims at enhanced land-based revenue in fragile states. Revenue through land and property taxation increased and contributing to investment in local service delivery and reconstruction in Afghanistan. Diagnostic assessment of UN-Habitat methodologies and Afghan policy, legal, institutional frameworks with respect to safayi and expenditure. Analyze in detail what has been done at the national and local level since the start of UN-Habitat interventions three years ago.

Duties & Responsibilities

The Legal Officer will be under the day-to-day instruction of the Deputy Ministry of Municipalities’ Director of Revenue but will be under the overall supervision of the Project Manager. The Legal advisor will report to the Project Manager and his/her duties and responsibilities will include the following:

Responsibilities

• Undertaking an assessment of the existing legislation, policies and frameworks including the Municipal Law, relevant regulations, and associated SOPs, administrative procedures, and guidelines;

• Consult recommendations for improvements to the legal, policy and decentralization framework on improving accountability and incentives for local governments to enhance land a property taxation

• Holding a series of discussions with stakeholders (including UN Habitat, IDLG/DMM, Kabul Municipality, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Finance), including at least one consultation workshop, to identify i) aspects of the municipal revenue system in need of reform, and ii) legal practices and procedures which will be suitable to the legislative and institutional context, and acceptable to key stakeholders;

• Supporting the drafting of new regulations and policy instruments, as required. These may include an updated safayi fee regulation, instruments concerned with participatory budgeting and financial transparency/accountability. 

• Identifying areas for development of additional regulations under the law for improved land based financing

• Holding consultation workshops to gather and incorporate feedback on the draft Law; and

• Submission of a final recommendations incorporating comments from consultation workshops, IDLG/DMM, UN Habitat, and other stakeholders.

Results Expected

 Regulatory framework of land and property taxation is strengthened; ensuring that legislation and regulations are legally sound and fit for purpose, providing for effective, equitable and transparent collection and expenditure of revenue at local level.

Job Requirements

Competencies :

• Professionalism: Ability to identify and resolve budgetary problems and identify sources for data collection. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

• Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Qualifications 

a) Education: 

Interested applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Law, political science or related field.

b) Experience

The applicants must uphold at least five years of experience in delivery of legal services, drafting legal documents or organize legal activities with UN-Agencies, international organizations and NGOs.

c) Language

 For the position of Legal Officer fluency in oral and written English, Dari (and or Pashto) are required

d) Other: 

The interested applicants must be familiar with the Afghan Government legal framework, context, and jurisdiction.

Assessment Method:

Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment

which will be followed by a competency-based interview.

Submission Guideline

Interested Afghan National Candidates should submit their signed P-11 form and cover letter to vacancies@unhabitat-afg.org indicating on the SUBJECT line the vacancy number of the position, please note that applications received after the closing date (20 July 2020) will not be given consideration. Only short-listed candidates whose applications respond to the above criteria will be contacted for an interview.

Note: Subject line must be: (2020-07-174) or your application may not be considered

Submission Email: vacancies@unhabitat-afg.org

For more details about UN-HABITAT and UN-HABITAT Afghanistan Country Programme refer Website: www.unhabitat.org and www.unhabitat.af

Functional Area

Programme

Legal

Countries

Submission Email

vacancies@unhabitat-afg.org

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