International Consultant – SAAVI Project: Senior Trade Policy Expert

Result of Service1. Report drafted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities. Report submitted, all activities undertaken by 15 July 2024. 2. Report drafted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities. Report submitted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities by 15 August 2024. 3. Report drafted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities. Report submitted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities by 15 September 2024. 4. Report drafted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities. Report submitted, all activities undertaken by 15 October 2024. 5. Report drafted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities. Report submitted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities by 15 November 2024. 6. Report drafted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities. Report submitted including evidence of work undertaken (documents drafted, documents revised in track changes, minutes of meetings undertaken, emails sent etc.) in relation to the above mentioned duties and responsibilities by 15 December 2024. Work LocationBaghdad, Iraq, with possibility of local travel Expected duration15.06.2024 – 30.12.2024 (120 workdays) Duties and ResponsibilitiesBACKGROUND: The International Trade Centre’s Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business (TFPB) section is aimed at building capacity of the business community in developing and transition countries to play a pro-active role in trade policy formulation and trade negotiations. TFPB does so by assisting chambers, business organizations and businesses to articulate their views effectively and influence policies to ensure that trade negotiations, national policies and regulatory reforms reflect a well-informed business perspective. TFPB also works with policymakers to help them better understand the business perspectives of these processes and also give tools for assessing trade policy for export competitiveness as well as state of public-private relations to inform trade policy in developing countries. As part of its mandate, TFPB is currently contributing to the implementation of the “Strengthening the agriculture and agri-food value chain and improving trade policy in Iraq” (SAAVI) funded by the European Union (EU) implemented over 5 (2020 – 2025) years. The project aims to contribute to inclusive growth and job creation, particularly for youth for Iraq citizens. It seeks to enhance the trade competitiveness of Iraq’s agribusiness value chain, while improving the country’s trade policy. The principal government counterpart for this project is the Ministry of Trade (MoT). The MoT is the focal point for Iraq’s WTO Accession and the Ministry is currently focusing on undertaking many economic reforms that will ultimately contribute to the process of WTO Accession. Additional project counterparts are the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Planning, and the Federation of Iraq Chambers of Commerce, among others. TFPB’s Trade Policy team will undertake activities under “ER4: Iraq’s trade policy is improved for enhanced performance and value chain competitiveness”. This expected result will help Iraq in making strategic decisions on issues such as improvements in value added processing and economic transformation, with particular focus on the agribusiness industry. Iraq has recently reinstated their interest in acceding to the WTO and in this regard, support would be provided to the stakeholders to understand the various WTO procedures and agreements and to undertake the necessary steps to comply with this. In this regard, advisory support will be provided to adjust the current policy and legal/regulatory frameworks to be more conducive for MSME development, as well as to accompany Iraq towards a strategic participation in regional value chain development initiatives as well as strategic economic regional integration efforts. This will be undertaken through the implementation of the below sub-activities: Sub-ER 4.1: Informed drafting of the documentations/negotiating positions required for the accession process (based on demand). Sub ER 4.2: Enhanced capacity for the development of specific sectoral laws and regulations to align Iraq’s national trade policy with the requirements for WTO membership. Sub ER 4.3: Increased policy makers’ understanding of the WTO accession process and legal framework. Sub ER 4.4: National institutional capacity strengthened for SPS/TBT and Trade Facilitation Compliance in line with WTO obligations. Sub ER 4.5: Enhanced awareness of stakeholders, including women’s associations about WTO accession. In addition to the SAAVI project, as of January 2024 ITC will also soon start implementing the “Building Equitable and Inclusive Transformation” (BEIT) in Iraq, also funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT). The project will run for a period of 4 years and will be implemented in close coordination with the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Public Municipalities (MoCHM). The project overall has 4 expected results (ER), out of which ITC’s mandate falls under ER3 “Enhanced competitiveness and sustainability of local MSMEs in the construction sector through a more conducive business environment, along with increase inclusive and green investment.” Through this component, ITC aims to enhance trade-led private sector engagement in Iraq, focusing on climate-smart construction and housing. Strategies include developing a private-public sector development strategy, forming SME cluster alliance for climate-resilient housing retrofit, creating vocational training aligned with green solutions, and improving the business environment and policy framework for trade and investment in construction services. Within the scope of ER 3, TFPB will be responsible for implementing two sub ERs, namely 3.4 (Iraq’s trade policy is improved for enhanced performance and value chain competitiveness) and 3.5 (Enhanced awareness and capacities of public and private stakeholders of the regulatory and procedural framework for investing in the housing and construction sectors and potential for reform). In this regard ITC will undertake a set of comprehensive activities that will include providing support to the government officials in fulfilling WTO accession requirements and to reform related national trade policies and to support the policy reform of the construction and housing sector in Iraq. This will be accompanied by regular capacity building on related aspects for both the public and private sector. In order to support the implementation of these two projects an international trade policy consultant (IC) will be hired. The expert will be based in Baghdad and contribute to the technical activities of both the projects. These ToRs describe the various activities that will be undertaken by the International Consultant. DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: The International Consultant will work under the overall supervision of Senior Officer, Business and Trade Policy, TFPB and the associate programme officer, TFPB and will be responsible for providing support as per the needs and demand of the MoT, MoCHM and other government and private sector bodies involved in the two projects: • Provide on the ground on demand technical advisory services specifically related to WTO accession, trade policy, trade in services and investment policy, procedures and regulations. • Participate in technical discussions relevant to the SAAVI or BEIT project. This could be meetings with the National Committee on Accession, Iraqi government counterparts, other implementation partners and donors. The IC is required to develop a summary of all the discussions. • In close coordination and under supervision of the Trade Policy team, the IC is required to articulate and execute work plans as per the requirements of the projects. All activities undertaken should be documented and validated with the Geneva team before finalisation. • Plan, lead and deliver the technical segments of of workshops, awareness raising sessions, coaching sessions in Baghdad, Erbil and provinces. This should be done under the supervision of the Geneva Trade Policy team and in close coordination with the local Trade Policy coordinator. • Undertake regular engagement with stakeholders to progress on project activities and provide technical inputs. The IC is required to develop a summary of all the discussions. • Coordination with other Development Partners in order to provide regular update and info sharing identify and implement synergies, etc. The IC is required to develop a summary of all the discussions. • Represent ITC for meetings with the EU based on request from the project management team. The IC is required to develop a summary of all the discussions. • Identify innovative ideas and provide recommendations on enhancing delivery of activities. • Collect or produce input for communication purpose upon request from the Geneva based staff (e.g. press release, web-stories, etc). • Monitor progress in Iraq with respect to the output/outcome/impact of the Trade Policy component of both projects (e.g. legislative/policy development, identifying targets for surveys, etc). • Provide input for reporting purpose upon request from the Geneva based staff. • Continuously monitor any Trade Policy developments in Iraq of relevance to both projects and report to Geneva based team. Copyright Clause: The Consultant has to ensure that s/he has obtained the necessary permissions with regard to intellectual property rights required to perform his/her services under this consultancy contract and for the subsequent dissemination by ITC in any form. Documentary proof is to be submitted to ITC. Should any license fee be due for the use of copyrighted materials of third parties, the Consultant shall request prior written permission from ITC. S/he has further to ensure to obtain accreditation to event(s), if required. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced degree (MA/MSc or Other) in Economics, International Trade, Law or related fields. Minimum 12 years of work experience (Masters count) in trade policy, specifically on aspects related to Trade in Services and Investment. Technical knowledge of WTO Accession related process and procedures. Technical knowledge of Trade in Services. Technical knowledge of Investment Facilitation related policies. Strong analytical and drafting skills in English and Arabic. Good communication and presentation skills. Organizational and managerial skills. LanguagesFluency in written and spoken English and Arabic. 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.