Legal Consultant ( National Consultant)

Result of ServiceThe Legal Consultant will play a crucial role in the successful execution of Urban Development Interventions to Promote Investments, Smart Applications and Livable Dahab City funded by the Islamic Development Bank and executed by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Ministry of Local Development (MOLD). The primary purpose of this consultant is to Providing legal support and ensuring compliance with local and regional legislation, and contributing to the achievement of project objectives in a sustainable and legal manner. The legal expert plays a vital role in this context, as his tasks vary to include organizational, administrative, and public policy aspects, as well as reviewing laws and legislation related to urban and environmental development, such as building codes, urban planning, and resource management. The study also includes providing recommendations to update laws in line with the project’s directions and objectives, and establishing legal mechanisms to enhance transparency in local resource management and project management, training local cadres, and improving the capabilities of executive bodies to understand the legal framework and implement it effectively. Work LocationCairo, Egypt Expected duration6 months (part-time) Duties and ResponsibilitiesOrganizational Setting UN Habitat is the United Nations Agency for Human Settlements mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities and to foster collaboration between urban actors. Its aim is to create inclusive, resilient, and equitable urban spaces with the mission to improve the living conditions of people in urban areas to achieve sustainable development. Background Urbanization is a key driver of development, and cities are seen to be on the frontline of many of the global challenges the world is currently facing. In Egypt, 75% of the GDP is generated in urban areas and 80% of the jobs are in existing cities. However, unplanned urbanization and rapid encroachment the valuable agricultural and desert land surrounding cities and rural settlements result in rapid growth of informal, unplanned urban expansion. Over 16 million urban inhabitants live today in informal and unplanned settlements around urban areas. Moreover, urban population in Egypt is not evenly distributed among its cities, 96 percent of total population lives on 4 percent of the total national area, while the remaining percentage spread on 96 percent of the total inhibited area. This lead to more imbalances where 68 percent of the total population are living in three regions, Greater Cairo Region, Alexandria and Delta; representing 1.8 percent of Egypt’s total area, while 77 cities comprise 4 percent of the urban population. Urban planning and management plays an important role in ensuring urbanization values are optimized, captured, and fairly distributed among urban and rural population. In Egypt, efforts to improve urban planning and management practices varies largely in their nature and effectiveness. The Ministry of Housing, Utilities and urban communities plays an effective role in guiding policies and programmes to improve urban development tools and programmes. In 2024, the UN-Habitat and the Ministry of Local Development (MOLD) signed a new project titled Identification of Priority Urban Development Interventions to Promote Investments, Smart Applications and Livable Dahab City. The project is Funded by the Islamic Development Bank and aims to inclusively improve the livelihood and living conditions for the population of Dahab city through identifying, prioritizing and advancing urban and social development interventions and improving urban governance. The project includes technical support to enable improved institutional capacities to prioritize and blend investments within a comprehensive sustainable city vision. This task accordingly aims at improving understanding of blended finance potential and legal frameworks that can support blending sustainable investments in cities. The consultant will also support exploring and building capacities for improved legal frameworks for implementation and management of identified priority investments in cities. Reporting Line Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Urban Development Programme manager, in coordination with the Ministry of Local Development. Duties and responsibilities The consultant will undertake the following duties and responsibilities: 1. Mapping relevant global Legislation best practices implementing blended finance in cities: o Identify key local and international financial systems that influence blended finance models and advance sustainable urban regeneration in cities. o Illustrate selected case studies and best practices in support of blended finance and investments in cities relevant to the Egyptian case o Identify key common legal obstacles that impact the implementation of impact investments in cities. 2. Review of relevant Financial Laws and Regulations in Egypt: o Review and analyze local laws related to public-private partnerships (PPP) and implementation of investment projects in Egypt with focus on blended financee mechanisms. o Study legislations related to the use of Islamic financial instruments such as sukuk, ijara, and mudaraba. 3. Designing applicable Legal Business Model options for Participatory and Blended Finance Mechanisms to advance implementation of development programmes o Identify key stakeholders and their mandates relevant to implementation of blended finance in Egyptian cities o Analyze key applicable global experiences matching Egyptian regulations and Egyptian similar success stories o Illustrate various business model options advancing blended finance concepts in Egyptian cities 4. Integrating Islamic Finance Principles: o Develop legal strategies that facilitate the use of Islamic financial instruments in priority projects. o Ensure that financing models align with Islamic values and principles. o Study the compatibility of Islamic financial instruments with the nature and development objectives of priority projects. o Prepare models for sukuk, ijara, and mudaraba contracts in line with Sharia and legal frameworks. 5. Enhancing blended finance and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) legal documents and cooperation frameworks o Prepare partnership agreements in line with the suggested business model options fostering collaboration between government, private sector, philanthropic organizations, and civil society in line with defined city visions and priorities. o Ensure contracts balance risks and returns for all stakeholders and propose legal mechanisms to guarantee transparency and accountability in managing shared resources. 6. Building Legal Capacities o Prepare training materials and deliver training on the legal aspects of proposed blended financing models and Islamic financing mechanisms to key identified stakeholders. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in legal affairs, law, urban development or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. • At least 2 years of experience in local administration law is required • Experience in laws related to urban planning, land management, infrastructure, asset management and investment projects is required • Experience in drafting regulatory and legal regulations is desirable • Experience in developing measurable performance indicators to monitor the implementation of proposed plans is desirable LanguagesFluency in both oral and written Arabic and basic understanding in English is required. 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.