National Consultant for Advancing Inland Waterways Transport and Strengthening Maritime Governance Systems in South Sudan

Result of Service

Ultimately, this assignment will conclude with the following deliverables: Deliverable 1: Review of South Sudan's Maritime and Inland Waterways Regulatory Framework. This report will contain among others the following:

• Inventory of relevant laws, regulations, policies and institutional frameworks;
• Mapping of responsible institutions;
• Preliminary assessment of their relevance to IMO convention implementation;
• Identification of legal and institutional challenges affecting maritime governance and inland waterways transport. Deliverable.2: IWT regulatory gap assessment report containing among others the following:
• Gaps between South Sudan's existing legal and regulatory framework and the requirements of priority IMO conventions and instruments;
• Institutional and administrative gaps affecting implementation;
• Priority legal reform areas required to facilitate accession to IMO conventions Deliverable 3: IMO domestication endorsement package prepared for Government consideration. This report will contain among others the following:
• Key findings and recommendations from stakeholders including identification of legal, regulatory and institutional reforms required for compliance with international maritime standards.
• National priorities for IMO convention domestication and implementation;
• Technically validated Key instruments for IMO accession and domestication process.

Work Location

Juba South Sudan

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

South Sudan is endowed with extensive inland water resources, notably the River Nile and the Sudd Wetland, yet these remain significantly underutilized due to policy, institutional, and governance constraints rather than a lack of natural assets. Inland waterways are not effectively integrated into national transport systems, limiting access to affordable and reliable transport, while the absence of a comprehensive Inland Waterways Transport policy has resulted in fragmented mandates, weak safety and environmental standards, and limited private sector investment. At the same time, operational challenges linked to the Sudd’s complex hydrology highlight the need for structured navigation management and regulatory oversight, which are currently constrained by weak maritime administration capacities, inadequate technical expertise, and limited implementation of IMO frameworks. These gaps hinder the development of ports, multimodal connectivity, and regional trade integration. In response, the Government of South Sudan has requested targeted technical assistance to strengthen maritime administration, build institutional capacity, and support the development and implementation of appropriate regulatory frameworks, building on ongoing regional efforts and strategies supported by ECA.

The National consultant, in close collaboration with the lead consultant will support the Government of South Sudan in strengthening maritime administration systems and advancing compliance with international maritime standards through the following tasks:

1. Legal and Regulatory Assessment:

• Compile and review all relevant national legislation, regulations, policies, administrative procedures, and institutional mandates governing inland waterways transport, navigation, vessel registration, safety, port operations, environmental protection, and maritime administration.
• Support the assessment of South Sudan's existing legal and regulatory framework against the requirements of priority IMO conventions and instruments identified by UNECA and the Government of South Sudan.
• Identify legal, regulatory, institutional, and administrative gaps that may hinder accession, domestication, implementation, and enforcement of IMO conventions and instruments.
• Provide analysis of existing regulatory overlaps, inconsistencies, or gaps affecting inland waterways transport governance and maritime administration.
• Undertake a legal gap analysis to assess alignment between existing national frameworks and relevant IMO conventions.
• Advise on South Sudan's legislative processes and requirements for incorporating international conventions into national law. 2. Stakeholder Consultation on IMO Domestication:
• Identify and engage institutions responsible for maritime transport, inland waterways transport, legal reform, environmental management, customs, trade facilitation, and transport safety.
• Facilitate consultations with government agencies, legal experts, transport operators, port authorities, private sector representatives, academia, and development partners.
• Support discussions on the implications of accession to and domestication of relevant IMO conventions and instruments.
• Collect stakeholder views on priority areas for legal reform, institutional strengthening, and implementation requirements.
• Document stakeholder recommendations to inform the legal reform and domestication process. 3. Support to Development of Legislative and Regulatory Instruments:
• Support the review of draft acts, regulations, amendments, and other legal instruments prepared under the assignment.
• Verify consistency between proposed legislation and South Sudan's legal framework.
• Support the identification of implementing institutions, mandates, and enforcement mechanisms required for effective implementation of IMO instruments.
• Draft legislative and regulatory instruments (acts, regulations, or amendments) to support the domestication of priority IMO conventions.
• Support the organization of stakeholder consultations and technical validation workshops on IMO accession and domestication.
• Prepare endorsement package, including finalized legal instruments and recommendations, for Government consideration.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Law, Maritime Law, International Law, Legislative Drafting, Business Law, Public Law, or another closely related field is required. A first-level university degree in one of the above disciplines, combined with an additional two years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in legal and regulatory analysis, legislative drafting, public policy, regulatory reform, or a related field is required. Demonstrated experience in reviewing and analyzing national legislation, regulations, policies, and institutional frameworks is required. Demonstrated experience drafting or reviewing legislation, regulations, statutory instruments, legal amendments, or policy frameworks is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

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.