Result of ServiceThe Legal Specialist - Compensation will support the work of the UN-Habitat team's project to Strengthen the data systems of the Government of Iraq to improve the management of IDP cases and enhance data analysis for informed policymaking, resource allocation, and responsive capacity, ultimately supporting more effective and targeted service delivery to vulnerable populations. Work LocationBaghdad, Iraq Expected duration6 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesOrganizational Setting The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. Background UN-Habitat has been active in Iraq since 1996 under the Oil for Food Programme. After 2003, UN-Habitat was largely engaged in early recovery efforts, particularly those supporting internally displaced persons through providing shelter and reconstruction solutions. Since 2015, UN-Habitat has supported recovery efforts in war-affected areas by building new core houses in situ, rehabilitating damaged houses, infrastructure, marketplaces, and agricultural water facilities; improving the living conditions of IDPs and returnees; protecting Housing Land & Property (HLP) rights and securing tenure rights for vulnerable communities; providing vocational training and creating jobs for the IDPs and returnees. Currently, UN-Habitat continues to support the Government of Iraq in developing lasting and sustainable solutions as the country transitions to a long-term development agenda. Conflict and forced displacement have been a recurrent feature of Iraq’s past 50 years and had a strong impact on the capacity of authorities to manage land efficiently, as well as on citizen’s ability to access affordable land and housing or recover the properties they lost as a result of destruction or occupation during conflict and displacement. At the peak of the displacement crisis, there were 6 million displaced within the country, mostly in urban and peri-urban areas. Once people started to return, many experienced challenges, particularly for tenants or those whose property is occupied or damaged. In the face of ongoing challenges posed by internal displacement in Iraq, there is a critical need for transformative initiatives that address key bottlenecks hindering effective assistance to affected populations. To this end UN-Habitat under the auspices of the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund (IDSF) is currently implementing a project focusing on the enhancement of data systems within the Government of Iraq, with aims of improving cross-ministerial national referral systems for IDPs and returnees, strengthening data-driven policy development and enhancing access to compensation mechanisms to IDPs and returnees. The project entitled “Policy Dialogue on Legislative Reform to Improve Land Governance and Secure Tenure Rights by Registering and Resolving Land Claims for vulnerable IDPs in Iraq” (Land at Scale) aims to initiate policy dialogues on the reform of the existing land legal framework, to improve land governance by establishing an inclusive and effective land management system that will increase security of tenure for all Iraqis including IDPs and returnees and protect the housing, land, and property rights of internally displaced people. And as part of the EU-funded project, “Modernizing Urban Land Knowledge (MULK)”, UN-Habitat seeks to reform and modernize the land governance and management framework of Iraq by supporting the creation of a land record digitization system and in developing the technical specifications and implementation plans for the digitized e-land administration and e-cadastre systems. The project aims to initiate the necessary processes for improving security of tenure and land governance systems through initiating legislative and regulatory reforms, developing the framework for streamlining and making transparent land-related administrative processes, and by promoting access to data that can influence investment and land use decisions. Reporting Line: The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Head of the UN-Habitat Country Programme and the Project Manager. Duties and responsibilities: Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Head of the UN-Habitat Country Programme and the Project Manager, the Legal Specialist will be responsible for the following duties: • Build a repository and conduct a thorough examination of the current legal and regulatory landscape governing compensation. This comprehensive analysis will encompass an assessment of existing laws, regulations, policies, and institutional frameworks to pinpoint areas necessitating modification or enhancement to better facilitate eligible Iraqis accessing compensation. • Work closely with the Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MoMD) to conduct an in-depth needs assessment and gap analysis with the Central Compensation Committee of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to identify the challenges to accessing compensation claims • Organize a series of workshops/roundtables with government counterparts to develop a straightforward process for filing for compensation. • Provide technical assistance to the Compensation Committee to strengthen the overall data collection and management system. • Support UN-Habitat in conducting high-level advocacy and awareness-raising activities to advocate for streamlining bureaucratic procedures to facilitate access to entitlements (such as compensation claims). • Provide technical assistance to draft a strategy on how to mitigate the identified challenges and revise the existing policies and procedures to improve access to HLP rights and compensation. • Develop and deliver presentations, meeting materials, and policy briefs, and organize and facilitate meetings and events with stakeholder groups and government counterparts in close coordination with the MoMD. • Where required, represent UN-Habitat in meetings and coordination forums, • Organize consultation meetings with key national, governorate, and district stakeholders on compensation-related issues as required. • Maintain regular communication and develop relationships with stakeholders, including the government counterparts, implementing project partners and other relevant UN Agencies. • Provide advice on legal, policy, and regulatory matters related to compensation. • Conduct a comprehensive assessment on the existing land legal framework Registration of Iraq. • Identify weaknesses and opportunities for improvement in the existing land legal framework Registration of Iraq, including the means of collecting and managing data. • Liaise with relevant members of the UN-Habitat Iraq Country Programme team to plan, organize, and coordinate multistakeholder policy dialogues/workshops/roundtables to discuss the land legal framework of Iraq with government counterparts, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders. • Coordinate and facilitate working group meetings with key stakeholders to discuss the reform of the existing land legal framework. • Develop concrete recommendations for improving the land legal framework of Iraq, presenting the detailed recommendations to various stakeholders including government counterparts. • Design capacity-building initiatives, training modules, and awareness campaigns for the Real Estate Registration Directorates (RERD) and CSOs based on the results of a capacity gap analysis. • Conduct trainings and seminars on e-land governance for RERD and CSOs. • Formulate a full implementation plan that outlines the step-by-step process for building and deploying the e-cadastre system. • Support the Project Manager in preparing progress reports, monitoring reports, and other relevant documents related to the project. Qualifications/special skillsA bachelor's degree in Housing, Architecture, Urban planning/management/governance, Civil Engineering, Social Sciences, International Development, Public Policy, Law, Economics, or similar is required. • A minimum of two (2) years of relevant and progressive experience at the international level in areas related to research on law, public policies, policy development and policy design, urban development, urban design, urban planning, housing, social housing, displacement or similar areas is required. • A demonstrated level of experience in HLP rights and/or displacement or previous consultancies in these areas, is required. • A demonstrated level of experience in policy development and advocacy is required. • Experience leading and coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams of senior national and international experts is required. • Experience elaborating policy and technical guidelines related to displacement is required. • Demonstrated experience conducting research and writing reports and assessments, preferably related to displacement, is required. • Experience in establishing relationships with counterparts and organizations. • Good interpersonal, networking, and communication skills. • Willingness to contribute and work as part of a team. • Experience in Iraq or the Arab States Region is an advantage. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nation Secretariat, for this position fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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