Environmental Lawyer / Natural Resource Lawyer

About the role

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) seeks a consultant to support the development of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regulations for Sierra Leone, aligning with the Nagoya Protocol and national biodiversity strategies.

Key responsibilities

• Review existing legal and institutional frameworks related to ABS and identify gaps.
• Draft comprehensive ABS regulations, including access procedures, prior informed consent, mutually agreed terms, and enforcement mechanisms.
• Integrate ABS provisions into the Environment Protection Agency Act and develop operational tools such as permit workflows and model contracts.
• Prepare detailed procedures, forms, and implementation guidelines, drawing on best practices from comparable African jurisdictions.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations, present technical inputs, and incorporate feedback into final regulatory drafts.

Required profile

• Advanced degree in environmental law, development law, international development, natural resource management or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Minimum five years of experience in legal drafting or environmental governance.
• Demonstrated experience with ABS frameworks and the Nagoya Protocol.
• Strong knowledge of biodiversity conservation, intellectual property rights, and community/customary law.

Required skills

• Legal drafting
• Environmental governance
• ABS framework implementation
• Stakeholder consultation