Duties and Responsibilities
Background: The Arab region is experiencing significant demographic shifts marked by a steady increase in the number and proportion of older persons. This transition requires governments to strengthen policy, institutional, and legislative frameworks to ensure that older persons enjoy their rights, dignity, and full participation in society. In Jordan, the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), in collaboration with national stakeholders and international partners, has been leading national efforts to promote the well-being and protection of older persons. Over the past five years, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) has provided technical support to NCFA to develop the National Strategy on Older Persons for 2025–2030, and its Action Plan. The National Strategy on Older Persons (2025–2030) notes that while Jordan has made important progress through various policies and sectoral regulations, protections relevant to older persons remain either insufficient or dispersed across multiple legal and institutional frameworks, including those related to social protection, pensions, and health services. Similarly, despite existing protections, including under family violence legislation, cases of abuse against older persons continue to be recorded, while awareness and reporting mechanisms remain inadequate. This fragmentation limits preparedness at policy, institutional, and legislative levels to address the challenges of demographic ageing and reduces the coherence and accessibility to services, contributing to persistent gaps in implementation and accountability. National assessments and stakeholders’ consultations to review the previous strategy and develop the new one, including two national workshops facilitated by ESCWA in 2024 and 2025, also recommended the development of an integrated legal framework that consolidates existing protections, addresses gaps, and establishes clearer responsibilities and accountability mechanisms. The Action Plan accompanying the National Strategy 2025-2030 therefore integrated a target indicator for the adoption of a specific law protecting the rights of older persons by 2029. Against this backdrop, NCFA has requested ESCWA’s technical support to undertake a comprehensive study of existing national legal and regulatory frameworks that include provisions relevant to older persons. The assessment could serve as a basis for informing the potential drafting of an integrated and rights-based national law that ensures coherent protection, inclusion, and well-being of older persons. Proposed Methodology of the Study The consultant is expected to adopt a mixed methodological approach combining legal analysis and stakeholder consultation. The methodology should include, but not be limited to: 1. Desk review/mapping of relevant national legislation, regulations, policies, and decrees affecting older persons, including personal status, social protection, health, labour, social services, housing, and protection frameworks (for example, constitutional provisions, social security and pension laws, elderly care regulations, domestic violence protection laws, etc..). 2. Review of international and regional legal and policy frameworks relevant to older persons’ rights. 3. Identification of legal gaps, overlaps, and implementation challenges. 4. Consultations with key stakeholders, including government institutions, civil society organizations, service providers, and organizations working with older persons, as needed. 5. Comparative review of relevant legislative experiences or good practices from selected countries, where appropriate. 6. Development of recommendations to guide drafting of a dedicated national law on older persons. Duties and Responsibilities: Under the supervision of ESCWA and in coordination with NCFA, the consultant will be responsible to: 1. Prepare a 2-page inception report detailing the methodology, workplan, and data sources. 2. Conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of relevant legal and policy frameworks. 3. Consult and engage with diverse national stakeholders as agreed with ESCWA and NCFA. 4. Prepare a draft assessment report and submit it for review. 5. Revise and finalize the report based on feedback received. 6. Present key findings and recommendations in a validation or consultation workshop, if requested.
Qualifications/special skills
A Master’s degree in law, Public Law, Human Rights Law, Public Policy, Social Policy, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in the above fields combined with additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in legal and regulatory reviews or gap analyses, and drafting legislative documents, or government consultancy on law reform or policy development, or legal and institutional assessments is required. Experience in Legal analysis in social policy, family law, or human rights–related fields is desirable.
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. Knowledge of French is desirable. 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.
