Consultant Legal

Title: Legal Consultant

Org. Unit: ARC

Duty Station: Remote

Administrative Duty Station: Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire

Contract type: Regular Consultancy

Duration: 6 months

Reporting to: Senior Legal Counsel and Board Secretary
 

Background
The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Agency leads the ARC Group, a development finance institution that provides financial tools and infrastructure to help countries manage natural disaster risk and adapt to climate change. It currently counts 33 AU countries as members and is supervised by the ARC Agency Governing Board elected by ARC Conference of the Parties. The ARC design and establishment phase was managed by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the AU, and the WFP continues to provide administrative services support to the ARC Agency through an administrative services agreement.
In 2014, ARC launched its initial risk insurance product for member states through its financial affiliate the ARC Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd). ARC Ltd is a specialist hybrid mutual insurance company and Africa’s first ever disaster insurance pool, aggregating risk by issuing insurance policies to participating governments and transferring it to the international market. ARC Ltd began providing drought insurance to participating ARC Agency Member States so that, in the event of an extreme drought event, they can implement pre-defined drought response plans quickly and proactively. ARC will also offer in the future an insurance product to address tropical cyclone risks, and has launched pilot programmes for Outbreaks and Epidemics (O&E) and flood risks respectively.
ARC uses satellite weather surveillance software called Africa RiskView, developed by the ARC Agency, to estimate needs and trigger index-based insurance payouts to participating countries as soon as an Extreme Weather Event or a Natural Disaster occurs. The objective of Africa RiskView is to estimate the number of people affected by an Extreme Weather Event during a specified period, such as a rainfall season, and then estimate the dollar amount necessary to respond to these affected people or, for some perils, to the economic damage suffered in a timely manner. In return for an annual premium, ARC Ltd provides insurance to participating ARC Agency countries based on Africa RiskView. If the Africa RiskView-modelled response cost value for a country exceeds a trigger specified by each country in their insurance contract, ARC Ltd will, within the terms of the applicable insurance policy, make a rapid insurance payout in an amount defined in the insurance policy contract between the country and ARC Ltd.
The ARC Secretariat has been established to support capacity building in ARC Member States, liaise with ARC Ltd, and support the Conference of the Parties as well as the ARC Agency Governing Board. The Secretariat will also strive to achieve the following milestones: 1. Finalize ARC’s 5th insurance pool and form the 6th insurance pool; 2. Launch the technical component of the Outbreak and Epidemics (O&E) Pilot; 3. Implement the Replica Pilot; and 4. Continue the institutionalization of ARC’s functions and effective governance.
Under the supervision of the Senior Legal Counsel of the ARC Agency, the Legal Consultant will review and provide feedback on memoranda of understanding, procurement contracts and other agreements; coordinate and support governance activities of ARC Agency; coordinate and support the launch of new initiatives; and ensure high quality and accurate French translations of legal documentation.

The Consultant will coordinate, contribute and assist in achieving all 4 milestones.

Responsibilities
Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel of the ARC Agency and the Director General, the Legal
Consultant’s responsibilities will include the following:
General Responsibilities:
•Assist in drafting legal opinions, reports, memoranda and other correspondence in French and English;
•Contribute to the drafting and/or review of agreements and contracts;
•Undertake legal research and provide advice on various legal issues under international law;
•Assist in providing legal interpretations and advice on a full range of issues regarding the ARCAgency and WFP’s various regulations, rules and policies, including the ARC Treaty and otherfounding documents, WFP rules and regulations, and other basic texts;
•Duty travel as required;
•Other duties as directed by senior ARC staff.
 

Specific Responsibilities:
•Contribute to the review and provide feedback on memoranda of understanding, procurement contracts and other legal agreements;
•Support the development of policies and procedures for the ARC Agency and the ARC Secretariat to operationalize the functions of the Agency and set standards of good governance;
•Assist in providing legal support to the ARC Agency Governing Board and its committees, andthe Conference of the Parties, including the organization and coordination of meetings ofthose bodies;
•Assist in liaising with Governments regarding ARC, in French, and support the interpretationof legal instruments in French, in coordination with the Country Engagement Managers;
•Assist in providing legal support to ARC in-country missions and explain the legal backgroundand implications of ARC membership to local governments;
•Assist in the development of measures to protect ARC intellectual property rights includingthe Africa Risk View (ARV) Software and the maintenance of a database of ARV licenses;
•Maintain the legal archives of ARC Agency;
•Support the launch of new initiatives, as requested by senior staff;
•Facilitate the translation of legal documentation into French, Arabic and Portuguese.
 

Competencies:
Action Management, Behavioural Flexibility, Client Orientation, Cognitive Capacity, Communication, Ethics and Values, Interpersonal Relations, Partnering, Stamina and Stress Resistance, Teamwork.

Results Expected:
Articulate and concise thinking, timely and thorough writing analysis of legal issues on matters pertaining to commercial, international and constitutional law. This includes extensive research on all legal matters in the aforementioned areas. Clear and concise drafting of original documents of a commercial and international legal nature.

Critical Success Factors:
Ability to work under own initiative; tact and persuasiveness; ability to work harmoniously with people of different national and cultural backgrounds; demonstrated problem solving skills; ability to conceptualize issues and analyse data.

Essential Qualifications:
-Education: Advanced university degree in the discipline of law or university degree in thediscipline of law with experience and advance training in private commercial and/or publicinternational law. Candidate must be qualified to practice law or admitted to practice by arecognized national or state bar or law society.
-Experience: At least 3 years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experienceas a legal advisor/officer, both nationally and in an international organization (preferably theUN or a UN system organization) and strong practical legal experience.
-Language: Working knowledge of English and French.