Expected tangible and measurable output(s)/deliverable(s):
1. At least 28 cases researched, reviewed, summarized and uploaded in Arabic onto SHERLOC together with the case files;
2. At least 240 legislative entries researched and uploaded in Arabic onto SHERLOC;
3. COP and the EGM serviced;
4. An Arabic newsletter on SHERLOC and at least 3 tweets prepared in Arabic.
Home-based, with travel to Vienna if/when needed
123 working days
1) Background:
Based on relevant mandates from the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (COP), UNODC started, in 2010, the development of the knowledge management portal known as SHERLOC (Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws On Crime). Ever since, SHERLOC has become a practitioner’s tool for police investigators, prosecutors and judges; a monitoring tool for government policy-makers; an awareness-raising tool for the public and media; as well as an information tool for researchers, legal drafters and all those responding to transnational organized crime.
SHERLOC is an on-going initiative of UNODC aimed at facilitating the dissemination of information regarding the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocols thereto.
It currently hosts six databases: (1) the Case Law Database, (2) the Database of Legislation (3) the Bibliographic Database, (4) the Directory of Competent National Authorities, (5) the Database of Strategies and (6) the Database on Treaties. Additionally, it hosts the electronic version of the Legislative Guide whose purpose is to assist States seeking to ratify or implement the Organized Crime Convention.
The Case Law Database is a comprehensive database allowing users to see how Member States are tackling organized crime cases both operationally and in their courts. It contains jurisprudence, as well as records of successful law enforcement operations with regard to counterfeiting, cybercrime, drug offences, money laundering, obstruction of justice, participation in an organized criminal group, piracy and maritime crimes, smuggling of migrants, trafficking in firearms, trafficking in cultural property, wildlife, fisheries and forest crime, trafficking in persons, falsified medical products, corruption and terrorism.
The Database of Legislation is an electronic repository of laws relevant to the provisions of UNTOC and the Protocols thereto. It is searchable by: (1) country, (2) UNTOC article, (3) crime type, and (4) cross-cutting issue. While also enabling access to full legislation documents, the Database of Legislation provides extracts of laws relevant to specific UNTOC articles and crime types, allowing the users to quickly find provisions relating to their search query.
As of April 2020, the above-mentioned databases include summaries and, when available, full court decisions of nearly 3, 000 cases on transnational organized crime and counter-terrorism, as well as more than 9,500 relevant legal provisions, from more than 190 countries and more than 1300 bibliographic abstracts. These can be accessed through: sherloc.unodc.org
The latest database, the Database on Strategies provides access to strategies and plans of actions adopted at national level pertaining to the fifteen different crime types, while a dedicated Database on Treaties provides the ratification status of the UNTOC and the Protocols thereto, as well as of other relevant international instruments.,
The Directory of Competent National Authorities contains the authorities designated to receive, respond and process requests pertaining to mutual legal assistance, extradition and transfer of sentenced prisoners, smuggling of migrants, trafficking in firearms, trafficking in cultural property and terrorist cases.
By creating these databases, SHERLOC aims at developing internationally agreed upon legal mechanisms against transnational organized crime, while improving the visibility of successful prosecutions and promoting awareness about the devastating realities of organized crime and terrorism.
2) Purpose of the assignment:
The purpose of this assignment is to support the Conference Support Section (CSS) of the Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch (OCB) in its information-gathering efforts on the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), by working on uploading legislation, case law and strategies in Arabic in SHERLOC.
3) Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant:
Under the overall guidance of the OCB/CSS Chief, and the direct supervision of Ms. Riikka Puttonen, UNODC Drug Control and Crime Prevention Officer, the consultant will perform the following specific tasks:
1. Perform legal research and upload onto SHERLOC a minimum of 20 cases from Arabic speaking countries. The cases have to be based on attached court documents;
2. Upload a minimum of 200 legislative provisions into SHERLOC in Arabic;
3. Carry out fund-raising among Arabic speaking countries;
4. Participate in and service an informal expert group meeting on SHERLOC;
5. Prepare a newsletter on SHERLOC and 3 tweets on case law in Arabic.
Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, international law, and/or criminal law or related field is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- A minimum of 2 years of progressively responsible experience in analysis of legislation/ legal research, preferably in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice and/or with a focus on organized crime or closely related issues is required;
- Previous experience working with knowledge management portals such as legal databases is desirable;
- Previous work experience in international organizations is desirable;
- Previous experience with website content management systems is desirable.
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required. Working knowledge of another official language of the UN is an advantage.
THE 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.