Result of Service

The consultant will carry out the assignment and provide the below:

1- An outline of the intended course with brief description of each module.
2- Course material covering the entire training session.
3- A four-day, in-person training session, to be held in Amman, Jordan.

The consultant will travel to Amman, to deliver the training in person.

Work Location

Remotely

Expected duration

6 weeks

Duties and Responsibilities

A critical aspect of any preferential trade agreement is the rules of origin (RoOs), which essentially determine the treatment of an imported product based on where it was obtained, harvested, manufactured, or processed. RoOs allow all participating countries in a preferential trade agreement to maintain their own external customs vis-à-vis third countries outside the free trade area and to help them reap the full benefits of the agreement. RoOs, therefore, have rather important implications for the nature and extent of trade in intermediate goods, as well as processing in the domestic economy.
This also valid for the Pan-Arab Free Trade Agreement (PAFTA). There is evidence that PAFTA rules of origin are used not only to counter trade deflection, but also to protect local industries, which constrains intra-regional trade opportunities. In some cases, importers still have to pay tariffs on some products due to differing interpretations of PAFTA rules, even though exporters provide the necessary documents showing that PAFTA rules of origin are met.
In order to ensure that PAFTA RoOs are applied uniformly and consistently and do not negate the liberalizing effects of PAFTA, customs officials need to have the same understanding and interpretation of PAFTA rules of origin.
To this end, within the scope of technical assistance provided to member states, ESCWA has received a request 20223-0075 from Ministry of National Economy in Palestine on developing the capacity of customs officials on PAFTA Rules of Origin to fully implement and benefit from PAFTA, helping establish stronger trade linkages with other Arab countries.

The objective of the consultancy is to develop the capacity of Palestinian officials on PAFTA Rules of Origin to ensure their full understanding and common interpretation, and eventually implementation. The consultant is to prepare and deliver a four-day training session.

Qualifications/special skills

A master’s or equivalent degree in development studies, applied economy or related area is required.

All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
A minimum of six years of experience in International Trade, Economic research and analysis is required.
Experience and proven expertise in the PAFTA rules of origin is required.

Languages

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA.

For this position, fluency in Arabic and English is required.

Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

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.