National Consultant - Environmental Law Expert (Thailand) at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

SAFE Project
To support the review of Thailand’s existing regulations, policies and strategies, the consultant will:

• Collect through desk research and interviews of key stakeholders as needed and analyze information on laws, regulations and policies in Thailand, pertaining to wildlife related areas of husbandry, markets, hygiene, trade, medicinal uses and consumption of wildlife products relevant to licencing and management of wildlife facilities;
• Conduct, on the basis of the collected information and analysis, a legal and policy review pertaining to all areas mentioned under paragraph 1 above, including best practices and recommendations on national guidelines for the management of wildlife facilities;
• Prepare and organize two series of consultations with experts and stakeholders (including feedback sessions with UNEP and other project implementing partners) to present, review and finalize the legal and policy review and recommendations on national guidelines for the management of wildlife facilities which relate to and are relevant for Thailand, including the preparation of the agenda, the proposed list of experts and identified stakeholders and participants, questionnaires, presentations, post consultation reports, and any material relating to the consultations;
• Provide drafts and finalize the legal and policy review and recommendations on national guidelines for the management of wildlife facilities mentioned above;
• Provide regular and updated information on translation of legal and policy documents in Thailand and contribute to activities under the SAFE project which require legal and policy inputs on the licensing and management of wildlife facilities.

Unwaste project

• The consultant will undertake the following activities under the Unwaste project to launch and dissemination of a first comprehensive study detailing waste flows from Europe to Southeast Asia, as well as policy and legislation gaps and the bilateral dialogue in Thailand for the country’s strategies on improvements at the legislative, enforcement management and compliance levels to effectively respond to waste trafficking and to support the transition to a circular economy:
• Collect, through desk research and interviews of key stakeholders, as needed, and analyze information on legal and policy framework in Thailand with special focus on offences, violations, crimes and penalties, including administrative and criminal remedies to address waste trafficking, and a conduct a gap analysis;
• Provide regular and updated information on, and facilitate the translation of, materials on the legal and policy framework in Thailand, following methodology guidance by UNEP, for the preparation of the report on legal frameworks in 10 ASEAN Member States with special focus on offences, violations, crimes and penalties to address waste trafficking, and a gap analysis (“Legal Framework”) and the preparation of a comparative analysis of administrative and criminal remedies adopted to respond to violations of the legal frameworks in place in the Priority 1 group of countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand) (“Comparative Analysis”);
• Prepare and organize two series of consultations with experts and stakeholders (including feedback sessions with UNEP and other project implementing partners) to present, review and finalize components of the two reports referred to in paragraph 2 above, which relate to and are relevant for Thailand, including the preparation of the agenda, the proposed list of experts and identified stakeholders and participants, questionnaires, presentations, post consultation reports, and any material relating to the consultations;
• Provide drafts and finalize the contributions on Thailand for the Legal Framework and Comparative Analysis referred to in paragraph 2 above;
• Contribute to and support any other activities under the Unwaste project which require legal and policy input.
• Under both projects, the consultant will work in close collaboration with UNEP, UNODC and stakeholders involved; provide regular updates on the progress of the activities to UNEP.

Qualifications/special skills

Academic Qualifications: -

• Advanced university degree (Masters degree or equivalent) in Thai law, specializing in environmental law/policy, environmental crime, comparative law, or other relevant qualifications (required).

Experience: -

• A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in the field of environmental law/policy in Thailand is required. Experience in research and analytical report writing on legal and policy approaches to address environmental crimes (including wildlife crimes) and trafficking in waste is desirable.

Language: -

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written Thai and English is required.