Organizational Setting
The Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme is an ambitious and innovative multi-year initiative, which began in 2017 and is funded by the European Union with co-funding from the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the French Development Agency (AFD). The initiative is implemented through a partnership led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
In 2024, the SWM Programme expanded its coverage in the Asia-Pacific (AP) region, where it had previously operated only in Papua New Guinea. The region’s exceptional biodiversity, coupled with rising population pressure, habitat degradation, and wildlife trade, including demand for wild meat, makes it a hotspot for zoonotic disease emergence. The SWM AP Project (2024-26) addresses these threats by initiating activities in countries with a history of rural wild meat consumption and zoonotic risk, identifying gaps, and proposing interventions to mitigate risks.
In Lao PDR, the project focuses on strengthening the policy and legal frameworks for sustainable wildlife management and supporting the implementation of a One Health operational approach. This activity will assess the legal and institutional frameworks in Lao PDR related to hunting, animal production, animal health, food safety, and environmental health. It will identify gaps and propose recommendations for legal reform and improvement.
This position will be based in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
Reporting Lines
The Legal Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative to Lao PDR, supported by the SWM AP Project Coordinator at FAO’s Regional office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP), and the direct technical supervision of the Legal Officer of the FAO Development Law Service (LEGN) leading the legal and institutional components under the SWM Programme.
Technical Focus
The Legal Specialist will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current policy and legal frameworks related to hunting, animal production/farming, animal health, food safety, and environmental health in Lao PDR. The findings will inform recommendations for legal reforms that strengthen sustainable wildlife management and support the operationalization of the One Health approach.
The Legal Specialist will work under the guidance and backstopping of the SWM Programme Legal team and the FAO thematic focal points on gender and FPIC (free prior and informed consent). At national level, the incumbent will also work in close coordination with the Project’s National Focal Point at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and collaborate with SWM Programme implementing partners in Lao PDR, namely the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to ensure the work aligns with the Project’s overall objectives and Theory of Change, as well as builds on pre-existing activities to review and support national policy and legislative reforms.
Tasks and responsibilities
The Legal Specialist will perform the following tasks, under the overall guidance and backstopping of the SWM Programme Legal team.
• Desk review of existing studies/analyses on the national legal and institutional framework carried out over the last 10 years related to hunting, forestry, animal production/farming, animal health, food safety, and environmental health. Relevant documents will be identified through desk research and exchanges with relevant stakeholders in Lao PDR. Follow-up bilateral meetings should be organised where necessary to provide further contextual detail to past and/ or ongoing analyses.
• Identify and collect existing policies and corresponding legislation/regulations across the sectors relevant to the sustainable management of wildlife and related areas1. This should be done in parallel with activity 1 above.
• Prepare a stakeholder map to organise and lead a multi-stakeholder meeting/workshop with key stakeholders involved in sustainable wildlife management (from wildlife management and harvesting to animal production and food safety) in Lao PDR.
• Based on the overall methodology provided by the SWM Legal team, fill up with relevant legal references the data entry backend consisting of a list of questions split in 16 sectors and sub-sectors, and further develop per each of them brief “summaries” on the enabling legal and regulatory framework for sustainable wildlife management.
• Organize a validation workshop with relevant stakeholders, notably from line ministries, to review and validate the legal analysis prior to their publication on the SWM Legal Hub.
1 Identified policies should include those that affect stakeholder procedural and substantive rights and obligations in wildlife and land management, including policies on wildlife, land use, fire management Policy environment, territorial administration, etc…. Relevant legislation should include (inter alia) the Constitution and laws relating to land tenure, land use and management, forest, agriculture, biodiversity, rangelands management, wildlife and nature protection, inland fisheries, environment, rustling, animal production and marketing, water, mining, government structure (including local government), rights of associations, public participation, women’s rights etc… and compile all relevant texts into a comprehensive thematic legal collection.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in statutory law, specialization in forestry / wildlife, natural resource management, environment will be an asset
• At least five years of experience in the practice and development of legislations in the fields of forestry, renewable natural resources or any related field
• Working knowledge of English
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Results-oriented approach
• Excellent analytical and synthesis skills
• Experience in lobbying and advocacy an asset
• Ability to work in a team
Selection Criteria
• Excellent writing skills in English
• Ability to work independently, with minimal supervision and to deal with conflicting goals
• Working knowledge of Lao