Legal Officer

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

To provide independent, authoritative and practical legal advice and legal services to enable the Organization to implement its mission of global public health consistently with its mandate and to protect the Organization's resources, reputation, integrity and its responsibility to its Member States. To provide legal input, during the planning and implementation of WHO's activities, so as to facilitate effective cooperation among those taking part - Member States, international bodies, international officials, collaborating institutions, individuals and commercial entities; to ensure that the activities are carried out on a firm legal basis; and to defend the Organization from legal action.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the supervision of a Senior Legal Officer, ICH and the Principal Legal Officer, as appropriate, the incumbent will:

1. provide advice on procedural and substantive legal questions arising in the run up to, and in the course of, the operation of the World Health Assembly and its sub-committees, including, the INB and the WGIHR, the Executive Board and its committees, including, the Programme Budget and Administration Committee and the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, the Regional Committees, WHO Expert Committees and other expert advisory mechanisms, the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the Meeting of the Parties of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, the WHO Member State Mechanism on Substandard and Falsified medical products, WHO Expert Committees and advisory groups, the Emergency Committees of the International Health Regulations (2005), as well as and the Commission of the FAO/WHO Food Standards Program, its Executive Committee and subsidiary bodies;
2. provide advice on procedural and substantive legal questions arising in the course of the operation of intergovernmental meetings that take place in between the regular sessions of the WHO governing bodies;
3. protect the Organization`s interests in supporting the negotiation, adoption and management of legal instruments between WHO and other entities such as Member States or other intergovernmental organizations, including insofar as the status of the Organization / its privileges and immunities under international law is/are concerned, as well as nomenclature and representation of international borders related matters;
4. ensure that decision-making by technical units, both in terms of procedure and in terms of substance, is well-informed by legal and policy considerations in compliance with WHO rules, regulations, and policies, including in situations, where there may be limited or no precedents, where matters of status under international law may arise, and where new policy may need to be developed, and including in the areas of international administrative and commercial matters as needed;
5. assume other functions as required by the exigencies of the work of the Office, including the presentation of the work of the Office to WHO staff and visitors to the Organization, the external representation of the Organization in appropriate for a, including on missions, the provision of staffing advice and the day-to-day supervision of legal interns assigned to the Office.
6. other functions of a legal nature, as may be required by the exigencies of the work of the Office.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential:

• A university degree in law.

Desirable:

• A masters degree or a PhD in international law or international relations is an asset.
• A professional legal qualification, such as having passed a national bar exam is desirable as well as study of international organizations law or related work with international organizations.

Experience

Essential:

• A minimum of five years of legal experience.
• Demonstrable knowledge of international law.
• Proven experience in communicating legal considerations to non-lawyers in a time-sensitive, policy-sensitive and well-drafted manner.
• Demonstrable facility with high level online research and information tools.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of and/or experience advising with respect to international organization practice and law.

Skills

• Solid understanding of public international law.
• Under the supervision of the first or second level supervisor, ability to provide in-house legal advice, and advice to external stakeholders, as appropriate, on a wide range of legal matters relevant to the work of the Organization.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
Communication
Moving forward in a changing environment
Producing results

Use of Language Skills

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

• Intermediate knowledge of French.
• Intermediate knowledge of UN language.
  
  

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 64,121 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 5092 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Candidates from Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) are strongly encouraged to apply

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• Please note that WHO's contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual III.4.1, para 220.

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