Vacancies and How to Get a Job at UNEP (Salary, Roles & Application Guide)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is seeking an Environmental Lawyer/Natural Resource Lawyer for a three-month consultancy supporting the Government of Sierra Leone in developing regulations on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing.

The remote consultancy is based around Freetown and is aimed at an experienced environmental or natural resource lawyer with strong knowledge of biodiversity law, legal drafting and the Nagoya Protocol.

For professionals looking for UNEP jobs in Sierra Leone 2026, this is a highly specialised opportunity with an international organisation and an important role in strengthening Sierra Leone's environmental legal framework.

About UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme is the UN's leading global environmental authority. It works with governments and partners on environmental policy, biodiversity, sustainable development and protection of natural resources.

This consultancy falls under UNEP's Ecosystems Division and supports work connected with the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) Accelerator Partnership.

The assignment is particularly important because Sierra Leone is working to strengthen its legal and institutional arrangements for implementing the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and fair benefit-sharing.

Available Position

• Environmental Lawyer/Natural Resource Lawyer
• Organisation: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone
• Work arrangement: Remote
• Duration: 3 months
• Position type: Consultancy

1. Environmental Lawyer/Natural Resource Lawyer

What You'll Do (Simplified)

The consultant will help Sierra Leone develop a practical legal framework for regulating access to genetic resources and ensuring that benefits are shared fairly.

The main responsibilities include:

• Review Sierra Leone's existing environmental, forestry, fisheries, wildlife and intellectual property laws relevant to access and benefit-sharing.
• Examine customary laws and community rights that could affect genetic resources and traditional knowledge.
• Identify gaps, overlaps and weaknesses in the current legal and institutional framework.
• Review the roles of government agencies, ministries, local councils and traditional authorities.
• Recommend an appropriate institutional structure for implementing the new regulations.
• Draft comprehensive Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) Regulations.
• Ensure the proposed regulations are consistent with the Nagoya Protocol.
• Develop procedures for obtaining Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and establishing Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT).
• Develop permit procedures, application forms, model agreements and compliance tools.
• Review ABS systems used in other African countries and identify practices that could work in Sierra Leone.
• Participate in stakeholder consultations and national validation workshops.
• Incorporate feedback from government agencies, researchers, businesses, civil society and local communities.
• Ensure traditional knowledge and community rights are adequately protected.
• Produce the final draft regulations for legal review and eventual adoption.

The consultancy is expected to produce several key outputs, including an inception report, legal and institutional review, draft ABS regulations, operational guidelines, stakeholder consultation report and revised final regulations.

Who This Role Is Best For

This is an experienced professional-level consultancy, not an entry-level legal position.

The strongest candidates will have:

• An advanced degree in environmental law, development law, international development, natural resource management or a related field.
• At least five years of experience in legal drafting or environmental governance.
• Demonstrated experience with ABS frameworks and the Nagoya Protocol.
• Strong understanding of biodiversity conservation.
• Knowledge of intellectual property rights, community rights and customary law.
• Experience working on legal matters involving sustainable development, biodiversity or environmental protection.
• Knowledge of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• Understanding of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Strong legal research, drafting and stakeholder consultation skills.

Experience with UNEP, UNDP or another international organisation would be an advantage.

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of Sierra Leone's local languages would also be useful.

Estimated Salary

Negotiable based on experience.

The vacancy information provided does not state a specific consultancy fee.

How to Apply

Candidates interested in UNEP recruitment should apply through the official UNEP/United Nations recruitment channel for the Environmental Lawyer/Natural Resource Lawyer consultancy.

Click here to apply online

The job information provided does not include a direct application email or application URL, so applicants should avoid using unofficial contacts claiming to represent UNEP.

When searching for how to apply for jobs at UNEP, verify that the vacancy is hosted on an official United Nations or UNEP recruitment platform before submitting personal documents.

How to Increase Your Chances

This is a specialised international development consultancy, so your CV should immediately demonstrate that you meet the technical requirements.

1. Lead with environmental law experience.
Make your legal drafting and environmental governance background prominent rather than burying it under general legal experience.

2. Highlight ABS and Nagoya Protocol work.
If you have worked on access and benefit-sharing, genetic resources, traditional knowledge or related biodiversity legislation, put this near the top of your CV.

3. Demonstrate actual drafting experience.
Mention regulations, legislation, policies, legal instruments, guidelines or institutional frameworks you have helped develop.

4. Show African experience where relevant.
Experience adapting international environmental agreements to national legal systems can be particularly valuable for this assignment.

5. Highlight stakeholder consultation.
The role involves working with government, communities, researchers, private organisations and civil society. Give specific examples of similar consultation work.

6. Understand the assignment before applying.
A strong applicant should be able to explain how PIC, MAT, permits, compliance, traditional knowledge and benefit-sharing fit into an effective ABS framework.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants for international environmental law consultancies often make these mistakes:

1. Submitting a general legal CV without clearly demonstrating environmental law experience.
2. Mentioning the Nagoya Protocol without showing practical experience applying it.
3. Ignoring legal drafting experience, even though drafting the new regulations is central to the consultancy.
4. Failing to demonstrate knowledge of community and traditional rights.
5. Listing qualifications without connecting them to the assignment's deliverables.
6. Applying through unofficial recruiters or paying recruitment fees.

For experienced environmental lawyers, this is a strong opportunity to contribute directly to Sierra Leone's biodiversity and natural-resource governance. The successful consultant will not simply provide legal advice; they will help translate international biodiversity commitments into practical national regulations, procedures and systems that can be implemented in Sierra Leone.