National Legal Expert

POSITION INFORMATION

• Organization: UNDP Lebanon Through Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development

• VA No.: UNDP/LBN/VA26/195

• Position Title: National Legal Expert

• Duty Station: Beirut

• Duration: 2 months – ( without exceeding 18 working days per month)

• Vacancy Date of Issue: 13 October 2026

• Vacancy Closure Date: 20 October 2026

• National or International consultancy: National consultancy

To review the full Terms of Reference (TOR), please follow link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1skRnV_7T0jSVBLVLW6bam7EcDMuwpN_B/view?usp=drive_link

BACKGROUND

Lebanon enacted Law No. 62 of 27 October 2016 establishing the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture. The NHRC is Lebanon’s independent national human rights institution, mandated to promote and protect human rights, monitor compliance with national and international obligations, receive and follow up on complaints, document violations, issue reports and recommendations, and engage with competent national and international bodies.

Within the NHRC, the International Humanitarian Law Committee provides the institutional framework for monitoring, documenting, and analysing alleged violations that arise in situations of armed conflict, and for supporting advocacy aimed at respecting international humanitarian law (IHL) and applicable international human rights law (IHRL). Its work contributes to the NHRC’s independent reporting, recommendations, engagement with public authorities, cooperation with international mechanisms, and efforts to promote accountability, remedy, and guarantees of non-recurrence.

The 2026 conflict caused serious harm to civilians and civilian objects and generated allegations of conduct that may amount to violations of IHL and IHRL. Reliable documentation requires a consistent methodology, careful corroboration, survivor-centred and conflict-sensitive engagement, secure information management, and legal analysis grounded in the applicable international legal framework. Documentation must also distinguish verified facts, allegations, and legal conclusions, while respecting confidentiality, informed consent, data-protection requirements, and the ‘do no harm’ principle.

UNDP has supported the NHRC since its establishment and seeks to strengthen the Commission’s capacity to fulfill its protection, monitoring, and advocacy mandate. The NHRC International Humanitarian Law Committee has already carried out the principal documentation and preliminary analysis of alleged violations committed during and in the aftermath of the 2026 conflict. Accordingly, UNDP is seeking a National Legal Expert to work under the Committee’s substantive leadership to independently review and corroborate the material collected, address essential evidentiary gaps through limited supplementary verification, and prepare a consolidated legal and analytical report for the Committee’s use.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of the consultancy is to independently review, corroborate, and legally analyze the documentation already compiled by the NHRC International Humanitarian Law Committee and to produce a comprehensive, evidence-based report. The report shall clearly present verified findings, unresolved allegations, evidentiary limitations, applicable legal standards, conclusions, and recommendations that can support the Committee’s protection, advocacy, remedy, and accountability efforts.

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

The NHRC International Humanitarian Law Committee has already undertaken the principal documentation, information-gathering, and preliminary analysis concerning alleged violations committed during and in the aftermath of the 2026 conflict.

Accordingly, under the guidance and supervision of the UNDP Rule of Law and Governance Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and Community Security and Human Rights Project Officer, and in line with the Committee's technical standards, the consultant shall independently review and corroborate the material compiled by the Committee, conduct strictly targeted supplementary verification where required, and prepare a consolidated legal and analytical report as follows:

• Review the documentation package prepared by the Committee, including complaints, testimonies, interview records, incident files, photographs, videos, medical or official records, open-source material, correspondence, and other supporting information made available by the Committee.

• Assess the completeness, internal consistency, reliability, and evidentiary value of the material and determine whether each principal finding is supported by sufficient and appropriately corroborated information.

• Corroborate material facts through cross-checking among independent sources, verification of dates and locations, review of metadata and authenticated open-source information where available, and comparison with credible institutional or public records.

• Prepare and maintain a verification matrix recording each allegation or incident, the supporting sources, the degree of corroboration, relevant inconsistencies, outstanding evidentiary gaps, protection concerns, and the consultant’s assessment.

• Identify material gaps that could affect the accuracy or legal analysis of the report and submit a focused supplementary verification plan to the Committee for prior approval.

• Conduct only the targeted follow-up interviews, consultations, field visits, or requests for information that are necessary to address identified gaps and that have been expressly approved by the Committee. Any such activity shall follow survivor-centred, child-sensitive, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, and conflict-sensitive standards.

• Review the relevant legal framework, including applicable treaty and customary IHL, IHRL, international criminal law where relevant, and Lebanese law, and establish the legal standards applicable to the verified incidents and patterns.

• Review the verified facts and assess what legal implications they may have, but do not assume, declare, or prejudge whether anyone is guilty or liable, as that decision belongs to the competent courts or judicial authorities, clearly distinguishing facts, credible allegations, unresolved claims, evidentiary limitations, and legal conclusions.

• Identify recurring patterns, trends, geographic concentrations, affected groups, types of civilian harm, and other protection concerns emerging from the Committee’s documentation.

• Prepare a comprehensive, consolidated report setting out the mandate and methodology; factual findings; corroboration process; applicable legal framework; legal analysis; patterns of alleged violations; evidentiary and methodological limitations; conclusions; and recommendations for protection, remedy, accountability, and prevention.

• Submit the draft report to the Committee, participate in technical review meetings, respond to comments, verify contested passages, and incorporate agreed factual, legal, and editorial revisions.

• Prepare a final publication-ready version of the report, together with an executive summary and a confidential annex or case matrix where required by the Committee.

• Support the Committee, when requested, in presenting the report and translating its verified findings into focused recommendations, briefings, or advocacy messages for competent national and international stakeholders.

• Maintain strict confidentiality, secure information handling, and source-protection standards throughout the review and reporting process, and securely hand over all working files and verification records upon completion.

• Immediately notify the Committee of serious inconsistencies, possible falsification or manipulation of evidence, urgent protection risks, threats of retaliation, loss of information, or other matters requiring prompt institutional action.

• Review the Committee’s documentation and applicable legal framework; develop the work plan, corroboration methodology, and verification thresholds; prepare the verification matrix template; conduct a risk assessment; and identify initial evidentiary and analytical gaps.

• Complete or substantially complete the verification matrix; conduct source cross-checking and any approved supplementary verification; document inconsistencies and limitations; undertake pattern and legal analysis; and submit a complete first draft of the consolidated report.

• Finalize the report following fact-checking, legal review, and incorporation of comments; prepare the executive summary, recommendations, and any required confidential annexes or case matrices; maintain a response-to-comments record; prepare a presentation or advocacy brief if requested; and securely hand over all working and verification files.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES

The consultant is expected to complete the above tasks and activities, noting that the total duration should not exceed 2 months, with 18 working days per month.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

• The consultant will be directly supervised by the NHRC-NPM and UNDP Governance and Rule of Law Chief Technical Advisor/Project Officer.

• The work is expected to start upon contract signature.

• The consultant will rely on their own means of communication and transportation and shall commute between their place of residence and the duty station at their own expense.

• The title rights, copyrights, and all other rights of whatsoever nature in any material produced under the provisions of this TOR will be vested exclusively in UNDP and NHRC. UNDP and NHRC have full ownership of the activity and of its final product. Thus, any public mention (including through social media) about the activity should state clearly that ownership. In addition, any public appearance related to the activity should be coordinated and approved by UNDP and NHRC.

• In the event of any delay, the consultant will inform UNDP promptly so that decisions and remedial action may be taken accordingly. Delays that would affect the flow of the collaborative work and the delivery of outputs on schedule may lead to termination of the contract.

• Should UNDP deem it necessary, it reserves the right to commission additional inputs, reviews, or revisions, as needed to ensure the quality and relevance of the work.

• The NHRC will assign priorities, approve fieldwork and engagement, review outputs, determine the classification and authorized use of information, and validate completion of deliverables in agreement with UNDP.

• The consultant will work in close coordination with designated NHRC personnel and shall comply with NHRC policies, security procedures, codes of conduct, and applicable UNDP requirements.

• Persistent or material failure to comply with approved deadlines, confidentiality, protection, security, or quality requirements may result in suspension or termination in accordance with the contract.

DURATION OF WORK

The assigned duration for this consultancy is two months, without exceeding 18 working days per month.

The mission is expected to commence immediately after contract signature and to be completed within 2 months from the contract signature date.

The time needed to review, comment on, and approve deliverables and outputs is five (5) working days.

DUTY STATION

The assignment is based primarily at the NHRC premises in Beirut, with approved field visits across Lebanon and meetings in locations relevant to the documentation and advocacy work. Field visits shall be undertaken only in accordance with the agreed work plan, access arrangements, and applicable security guidance.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: A Master’s degree or equivalent in law, with a focus on international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international criminal law, public international law or a closely related field.

• Experience: Minimum six years of progressively responsible professional experience in legal research, human rights or IHL documentation, fact-finding, investigation, litigation, accountability, protection or related legal work.

• Language: Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required.

“The Personnel will be covered with Health insurance and Personal accident insurance; the fees shall be deducted from personnel's monthly payment”.