National legal consultant to provide technical support to Shock Responsive Social Protection agenda

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, protection

There is growing interest globally in how existing national social protection systems can be leveraged to respond to these kinds of slow-onset shocks to deliver the same level of aid in a shorter time frame and with much lower administrative costs (for example by using their targeting systems or payment systems rather than establishing new ones through parallel humanitarian responses of short duration). There is also growing interest in how enabling households prone to disaster to engage in greater preparedness; a key emerging aspect of this is how early warning systems can help alert households, communities, and local authorities to these risks, so that assistance can be provided in advance of the actual onset of a shock or disaster.

The Government of Azerbaijan (GoA) has committed in the 5-year National Social-Economic Strategy Implementation Plan to establish shock-responsive social protection measures (SRSP) into the national social protection (SP) system by 2026 (activity 2.2.1). UNICEF Azerbaijan office gives technical support to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan (MoLSPP) in the development these of mechanisms.

UNICEF Azerbaijan is supporting the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population (MLSP) to ensure goals set out in the National Socio-Economic Strategy Implementation Plan (2022 -2026) related to establishing shock-responsive social protection (SRSP) mechanisms, including legal proposals and scenario-based plans, are met in a timely fashion.

UNICEF Azerbaijan has worked with stakeholders from a range of government Ministries and with local authorities to identify 3 potential SRSP models upon which the mechanisms can be built, as well as a number of workstreams around which the work is being carried out:

• Legal and regulatory framework
• Clear design parameters, protocols and procedures to implement SRSP interventions (Guidelines and Manuals)
• Flexible social protection management information systems
• Flexible and Scalable Delivery Mechanisms (i.e., Targeting and Payment)
• Linkages of SRSP to Early Warning Systems 
• Institutional Arrangements & Formal Coordination Mechanisms
• Financing Strategy
• Human Resource Requirements & Capacity Building

The UNICEF Azerbaijan Country Office is currently in search of a qualified legal expert to work closely with the UNICEF-MLSP SRSP Team and the MLSP legal department to draft legal proposals to establish SRSP based around the work described above by October 2024.

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose:

Under the direct supervision of the Social Policy Specialist and international consultants to:

(1) conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing legal-regulatory framework against the planned SRSP mechanisms which will allow social protection cash transfers to be paid to individuals and households as part of government disaster/shock risk management and response activities;  and

(2)  Develop a list of legislation and amendments required to advance current SRSP work (including to scale up cash assistance as part of a national humanitarian response) based on the inputs from various experts engaged by UNICEF.  

Scope of Work:

In close collaboration with the Social Policy Specialist and other key Officers in UNICEF, as well as with MSLP,  assessing and making proposals for the legal-regulatory framework to support the work conducted under the SRSP:

• Building a solid understanding of the goals and expected outputs of the national SRSP mechanisms by conducting meetings with the SRSP team at UNICEF and the MLSP, and reviewing the relevant documents and work plan;
• Obtaining regular updates from the SRSP team at UNICEF and the MLSP, including documents and regular meetings to remain updated on the ongoing SRSP work;
• Keeping the UNICER-MLSP SRSP Team and MLSP Legal Department updated on the progress of the work, and flagging any potential bottlenecks or challenges in a timely manner;
• Conducting an assessment of the existing legal-regulatory framework for social protection, disaster risk management and response, and the SRSP mechanisms around the workstreams;

o        Identifying the relevant legislation/regulations requiring amendment or potential amendment;

o        Developing a list of legislation and amendments required to advance current SRSP work (including to scale up cash assistance as part of a national humanitarian response)

o        Developing legal proposals in close coordination with the MLSP legal team.

• Mapping and describing (in a report) the process through which the legal proposals will be submitted and eventually adopted by the government;
• Identifying list of stakeholders and their role in Shock Responsive Social Protection
• Engaging with the identified stakeholders for legal proposals, and requesting relevant documents from them for review;
• Facilitate the meetings of international consultants with identified national stakeholders to ensure technical clarity between stakeholders as relates to the legal-regulatory framework, and flagging potential issues or bottlenecks
• To participate in commissions, working groups established in relevant ministries and other state bodies (institutions), meetings of various levels of local and international events related to SRSP
• Drafting comprehensive legal proposals in close coordination with the MLSP legal department for submission to MLSP by October 2024.

Expected Deliverables: 

• Inception report detailing approach and work plan
• Review of Legislation & and initial assessment report on an existing legal-regulatory framework for social protection, disaster risk management and response, and the SRSP mechanisms around the workstreams
• Bi-monthly (every 2 months) reports on progress against the work plan
• Draft report including:

• initial assessment findings
• analysis and recommendations
• list of relevant laws, by-laws, protocols, SOPs, etc.
• summary description of the process of submitting and adopting legal proposals
• summary overview of draft legal proposals

• brief description of work accomplished and the list of documents and/or information obtained as a result of engagement with identified stakeholders
• List of meetings held within the framework of assignment
• list of key stakeholders/partners who provided the information and/or documents
• Presentation to UNICEF and MLSP
• Final Report
• Draft legislative framework & legal proposals

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• A master’s degree in law.
• At least 5 years of professional work experience in legislative drafting
• Professional work experience in developing legislation concerning child rights is desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of the national legislation, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international instruments on child rights
• Professional work experience in developing legislation concerning child rights is desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of the national legislation, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international instruments on child rights;
• Proven experience in developing legal proposals that have bene adopted by government is highly desirable 
• Knowledge of Social protection and emergencies is an asset
• Fluency in verbal and written Azerbaijani is required, Fluency in verbal and written English is required

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

  To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

  UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.