Cooperative Legislation Specialist

Organizational Setting

This assignment is situated within Regional Priority 1 (RP1) of the Near East and North Africa Regional office of FAO on Rural Transformation and Inclusive Value Chains, which focuses on enhancing productivity and income of small-scale farmers, with particular emphasis on youth employment, women’s empowerment, and the development of inclusive value chains. RP1 is grounded in a people‑centred systems approach to rural transformation, recognizing that sustainable change requires reinforcing the linkages between individual capacities, collective organizations, and enabling institutional and policy environments, rather than relying on fragmented or isolated interventions.

Within RP1, the action area on cooperative development works at the critical intersection between the collective action of small-scale farmers, youth, and women and the transformation of agrifood systems. For the 2026–2027 biennium, this work is framed under TCP/RAB/4101, which aims to catalyze agrifood system transformation in the NENA region by strengthening inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cooperative ecosystems through which youth, women, and small-scale producers are empowered to act as central economic and social agents of food security, innovation, and rural development. The expected outcome of the TCP is that youth, women, and small-scale producers are empowered as central actors within inclusive, innovative, and economically viable cooperatives, while institutional stakeholders across the NENA region demonstrate improved role clarity, coordination, and capacity to support a resilient, cooperative‑led agrifood ecosystem. The work under this TCP is organized around three main outputs:
Output 1. Cooperative‑enabling regulatory and policy frameworks strengthened. Targeted regional analysis, practical policy guidance, and lean capacity development initiatives are implemented to strengthen cooperative‑enabling regulatory, policy, and strategic frameworks in priority NENA countries, supported by an institutionalized regional dialogue platform.
Output 2. Capacities of small‑scale cooperators, including youth and women, on cooperative performance strengthened. Cooperators, including youth and women, are empowered as leaders, managers, and decision‑makers in cooperatives, with strengthened capacities, platforms, and representation mechanisms that enable them to drive good performance, innovation, inclusivity, and economic viability across the NENA region.
Output 3. Interregional dialogue on cooperative innovation and strategic cooperation among cooperative actors established and strengthened. Cooperatives, apex bodies, governments, and academic institutions engage in structured interregional dialogue and strategic cooperation, fostering shared innovations, coordinated advocacy, and inclusive growth across the NENA region and beyond.

Within this organizational setting, the incumbent will contribute primarily to the implementation of Output 1, ensuring the delivery of robust comparative legal analyses of cooperative regulations in NENA countries, as well as the development of sound, policy‑relevant knowledge products to support evidence‑based dialogue, reform processes, and institutional coordination in cooperative development.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall leadership of the Regional Programme Leader OIC and the supervision of the LTO of TCP/RAB/4101. He/she will conduct the present assignment under the close guidance of the RNE Cooperative Development Expert, and in close collaboration with the LEGN Legal Officer, and the ESP Rural Institution Specialist.

Technical Focus

The assignment will provide technical legal support to strengthen cooperative‑enabling legislative and regulatory frameworks in the NENA region, under Output 1 of TCP/RAB/4101. 
The incumbent will lead the comparative legal and regulatory analysis of cooperative legislation across NENA countries, assessing alignment with international standards, including ICA principles and ILO Recommendation No. 193. The analysis will focus on governance provisions, registrar roles and practices, and legal mechanisms supporting the inclusion of youth, women, and small‑scale producers. Findings will be summarized into concise country reports and a regional synthesis brief highlighting legislative and regulatory gaps and reform options.
The incumbent will also contribute to the development of a flagship regional guideline document providing harmonized, cooperative‑enabling legal recommendations. The guideline will include modular chapters, model clauses, and self‑assessment tools to support practical adoption by ministries and registrars, and will be developed in collaboration with the project team. In addition, the incumbent will contribute substantially to two thematic policy briefs on youth inclusion and gender‑responsive cooperative reform, as well as to training materials on cooperative legal frameworks, governance, and inclusive ecosystem building. Tailored legal advisory support will be provided to requesting national authorities to review draft laws, regulations and policies during the assignment.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following key tasks and responsibilities:

-    Conduct comparative legal and regulatory research and analysis of cooperative legislation, regulations, and related legal instruments across NENA countries, assessing alignment with international standards, including ICA principles and ILO Recommendation No. 193.
-    Prepare concise country legal reports and a regional synthesis brief identifying legislative and regulatory gaps, proposing reform options, and sharing good legal practices to inform regional dialogue and technical work.
-    Conduct a structured review of cooperative governance frameworks, registrar mandates and practices, and legal provisions, with the objective of identifying how youth, women, and small‑scale producers are explicitly included or excluded, and of highlighting concrete gaps, good practices, and actionable entry points for more inclusive cooperative legislation, regulation, and policies. 
-    Provide substantive legal inputs to the development of a flagship regional guideline document on cooperative‑enabling legal and policy frameworks, including drafting modular chapters, model clauses, and self‑assessment tools, in close collaboration with the project team.
-    Contribute substantially to the preparation of thematic policy briefs on youth inclusion in cooperatives and gender‑responsive cooperative reform, ensuring legal accuracy, coherence, and consistency with international standards.
-    Support the development of training and knowledge materials related to cooperative legal frameworks, governance, and inclusive ecosystem building, in collaboration with cooperative development experts.
-    Provide technical legal support to programme activities, including participation in regional and country‑level technical discussions, virtual workshops, and peer‑learning exchanges, as required.
-    Coordinate closely with the RNE Cooperative Development Expert, LEGN Legal Officer, and other relevant technical staff to ensure coherence between legal analysis, knowledge products, and capacity development activities.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    (For Consultants:) Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO / (For PSA.SBS:) University degree or specific technical specialization in law. Consultants with bachelor`s degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience
•    At least 5 years of relevant experience in cooperative law and/or in the cooperative sector
•    Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English and Arabic.

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills  

•    Work experience at least in one country of the NENA region 
•    Extent and relevance of experience in cooperative law and regulations
•    Familiarity with rural development and agrifood system transformation

Selection criteria

•    Experience in international law, business law, agricultural and/or rural development will be considered an asset.
•    Full proficiency/Working knowledge of French will be considered an asset.