Organization: UNV – United Nations Volunteers
Location: Addis Ababa
Grade: Level not specified – Level not specified
Occupational Groups:
International Relations
Legal – Broad
Economics
Legal – International Law
Political Affairs
Sustainable trade and development
Sustainable Business Development
Closing Date: 2024-06-30
Details
Mission and objectives
Mission: To support developing countries to access the benefits of a globalized economy more fairly and effectively Objectives: – To help equip developing countries deal with the potential drawbacks of greater economic integration. – To provide analysis, facilitate consensus-building, and offer technical assistance to developing countries to use trade, investment, finance, and technology as vehicles for inclusive and sustain-able development
Context
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, signed in 2018, aims to significantly boost intra-African trade, by gradually eliminating barriers to trade in goods and trade in services across the continent. It further aims to create a single, liberalised African market for goods and services; contribute to the movement of capital and people; facilitate investment and capital flows across the continent; promote and attain sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development, gender equality and structural transformation; enhance the competitiveness of African economies; promote industrial development through diversification and regional value chain development, agricultural development and food security; and to resolve the challenges of multiple and overlapping memberships. So far, a few countries are already trading under the AfCFTA, while others are still putting in place the necessary requirements and systems to trade beneficially under the Agreement. UNCTAD supported the AfCFTA through various ways, including during the negotiations of the AfCFTA framework Agreement by contributing to the review and drafting of legal texts and providing advisory services to the AU-AfCFTA unit, as well as to member states. UNCTAD further supported the creation of the AfCFTA mechanism for reporting, monitoring and eliminating non-tariff barriers, which is one of the operational instruments of the AfCFTA; and continues to support though capacity building, technical cooperation, research and analysis, among others. In order to institutionalize its collaboration and support to the AfCFTA, UNCTAD and the AfCFTA Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2022. The MOU covers five components of collaboration, i.e. trade in goods; non-tariff measure and non-tariff barriers; trade facilitation and customs cooperation; trade in services investment and intellectual property rights; and AfCFTA negotiations. Project activities: – Design and implement projects in support of implementing the MOU – Support UNCTAD substantive divisions in implementing specific and agreed upon ac-tivities – Monitor and report on the implementation of the MOU – Mobilize resources for the implementation of the MOU – Identify activities to be considered in the renewed MoU
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the Chief, UNCTAD Regional Office for Africa, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: – Assist in designing project proposals for implementing selected components of the MOU – Assist in implementing specific activities designed in support of the MOU – Help to monitor and report on the implementation of the MOU, by liaising with UNCTAD’s substantive divisions – Assist in coordinating activities on the substantive divisions in implementing the MOU – Support resource mobilization efforts, by developing project concept notes as well as potential donors.