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TERMS OF REFERENCE

NIR-176-08-P038-01-V (revised Oct 2008)

General Information

Title: Associate Expert in Drug Control

Sector: International Drug Control

Location: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Country Office, Abuja, Nigeria

Duration: 1 year (with possible extension for another year)

Date Required: ASAP

Supervision

(Contents & Methodology)

Under the overall guidance and oversight of the UNODC Representative and within delegated authority there will be:

1) Regular consultations between the Representative and the Associate Expert on relevant issues relating to programme, project development and backstopping in the area of drug control/drug demand reduction as well as other duties as described below;

2) During the duration of the contract, the Associate Expert will receive in-house training from both the supervisor and other staff members on the working relations in the Country Office;

3) The Associate Expert will be guided in report writing and evaluation assessments.

Duties, responsibilities and output expectations

Under the overall guidance of the UNODC Representative and supervision of the PMO:

Duties/outputs:

1) Monitor the execution of projects in the area of drug control and drug demand reduction, including liaising with Government officials, NGOs, participating in yearly tripartite reviews, organizing baseline assessments, preparing guidelines for terminal evaluation reports and guiding the monitoring work of consultants;

2) Conduct research, draft substantive documentation on drug control, drug demand reduction. and related matters and on implementation of various UN Conventions related to Drug Control and Crime Prevention, in order to provide the UNODC Representative and Headquarters with the necessary scientific data and background documentation on Nigeria;

3) Draft project proposals in the area of drug control/demand prevention/reduction as required by the Representative;

4) Contribute to the preparation and publication of various reports particularly the Quarterly and annual field reports of the Country Office;

5) Maintenance of contacts at the operational level with national counterparts, including Government officials, Civil Society Organizations and relevant donors in the area of drug control/demand prevention and reduction.

Responsibilities:

The main responsibilities of the Associate Expert include:

1) Act as an Office Focal Point for an area of drug control/drug demand prevention and reduction related issues (to be specified on resumption);

2) Ensure smooth implementation of ongoing project(s) backstopped by staff member (s); ensure the generation of new project ideas/documents in the area of drug control/demand prevention and reduction;

3) Assist in ensuring that UNODC Headquarters is kept informed about relevant developments in the area of drug control/demand prevention and reduction;

4) Contribute to the process of the preparation of the field office budget.

Qualifications and experience

Qualifications:

Advanced university degree in Development Studies, or any of the Social Sciences.

Skills:

Excellent spoken and written English. Knowledge of other UN languages will be an asset. Computer literacy with extensive knowledge of MS Word, Excel, and Power Point is essential. Strong capacity for teamwork and negotiation skills is crucial.

Experience:

At least one year of professional experience in drug control/drug abuse prevention/reduction in a government or development organization. Experience from a multi-cultural environment will be an advantage. Living or working experience in Africa is desirable.

Learning Elements

By the end of the contract the Associate Expert is expected to:

1) Have acquired a profound understanding of issues relating to drug control/demand prevention and reduction and implementation of UN Conventions and protocols on drug control and drug demand reduction in Nigeria and West Africa;

2) Be able to draft project documents in accordance with UNODC rules and guidelines as well as have a profound understanding of UNODC programmes, project development and management;

3) Be able to advise government on all issues relating to Drug Control and Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention;

4) Be able to draft correspondence and comprehensive reports according to UN formats in English;

5) Have acquired a clear understanding of UNODC work with special focus on Nigeria and West Africa, furthermore, have a broad understanding of the UN-system in general;

6) Have acquired cross-cultural communication skills.

Background Information

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a specialized UN agency with the mandate to facilitate global drug control and crime prevention efforts. The Agency helps to promote member state compliance to international drug and crime control regimes and more recently, commitment to the intensification of efforts to fight terrorism. Its key mandates include action against transnational organized crimes like trafficking in drugs, weapons and in persons, anti-corruption and anti-terrorist work, and drug demand reduction, amongst others.

The work of UNODC in Nigeria is conducted by the Country Office based in Abuja, Nigeria. Four other country/regional offices in Dakar, Pretoria, Nairobi and Cairo cover the rest of Africa.

The Field Office in Abuja presently has seven international staff members (including among others, the Country Representative, Programme Management Officer, a Senior Project Coordinator and one Associate Expert). National staff members number over 30 on fixed term and project contracts.

Nigeria – General Situation

Nigeria is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society with over two hundred and fifty different ethnic groups and tribes. These diversities make it one of the most complex societies in Africa, contributing to political instability, ethnic and communal clashes, among other social challenges. Blessed with an excellent climate for productive agricultural activities and rich in solid minerals amongst other natural resources, Nigeria is the largest producer/exporter of petroleum oil in Africa, and about the 6th largest in the world. Yet, this country is classified as one of the poorest in the world, ranking 158 out of 177 on the Global Human Development Index (UNDP, 2005), with over 70% of the population living below the income poverty line, and with GDP estimated at US$ 1,776 per capita in 2005. Thanks to prolonged military intervention in the polity in addition to pervasive ethnic, religious and cultural complexities, corruption and crime have become extremely prevalent with attendant consequences on the security, political stability and overall socio-economic development of the country. Drug and human trafficking, acts of financial fraud (code-named 419), and the counterfeiting of drugs are just some of the crimes that have come to be associated with Nigeria at global level.

Overview of the Drug and Crime Situation in Nigeria

Drug Situation

Nigeria is one of Africa’s major drug-transit points for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian and North American markets. As a spillover effect of transit, the country is experiencing an alarming increase in the abuse of narcotic drugs, with cannabis being the most abused drug in the country, and injecting drug use (IDU) being on the increase. This has been confirmed through IDU studies conducted in Lagos (WHO, 2000) Kano and Port Harcourt (UNODC, 2003) and Calabar, Benin, Maiduguri, Kaduna and Ibadan (UNODC 2005).

The cultivation, traffic and abuse of cannabis remains the major problem the country faces in terms of narcotics control. The weed is locally produced all over the country, and therefore affordable, the price of one unit being often about the same as that of a bottle of beer.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reported the seizure of 68,310 kg of cannabis, 124.678 kg of cocaine and 91kg of heroin in 2004, 125,989 kg of cannabis, 396kg of cocaine, and 70kg of heroin in 2005. A total of 6,323 drug offenders were arrested in the country in 2006; 1362 offenders were convicted. About 254 drug couriers were seized in the Lagos Airport alone in the first quarter of 2007. In 2006, a total of 192,368 kg of cannabis, 14,436 kg of cocaine, 33kg of heroin and 515 kg of psychotropic substances were confiscated.

The continued availability of illicitly manufactured and diverted pharmaceutical products containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances continues to pose a serious threat to entire Nigerian Health system. According to NAFDAC, various hospitals have indicated that controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes, in particular opiates for the treatment of pain, are often not available or diverted to other uses – reports indicate for instance, that the abuse of pentazocine, an opioid analgesic has become a major problem in recent times. Reports from NDLEA and various psychiatric centres in Nigeria, confirm an alarming increase of substance abuse among the youths - corroborated by the police who see a direct correlation between armed robberies, militia activities in the Niger Delta area and drug abuse.

Fake and counterfeit drugs also have been over time prevalent on the Nigerian market, though the situation has improved considerably in the past decade.

Organized Crime

Nigeria faces a severe crime situation following the economic recession of the mid-1980s and decades of undemocratic rule. The country is perceived as a hub for organized crime on the continent. Crimes of varying forms - trafficking in drugs, human beings and firearms, counterfeiting and civil insurrections have become constant sources of concern for the Nigerian government. Though considered a soft target if not a probable safe haven, Nigeria has recorded no terror-related attacks that can be linked to global terrorism. It has, however, encountered instances of communal crisis (with ethnic or religious bias), some of which were fuelled by international fundamentalists and extremists, according to news reports.

Overall government policy and strategy

To counter the problems of incoherence, unpredictability and frequent reversals of economic policies which have proven the bane of Nigeria’s development process, the Nigerian Government developed the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, NEEDS - an ambitious medium-term reform and development agenda formulated by its economic team, providing the macro-economic framework required to address the country’s structural deficiencies. This economic package is endorsed by the International Monetary Fund (and has been further refined by the present administration with NEEDS II). In addition, the government of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua has embarked on a seven-point development agenda focusing on strengthening the rule of law; agriculture and infrastructure; security of life and property; development in the Niger Delta region; the education; and transport sectors. The Government aims to boost growth by 7-13% and achieve a significant reduction in poverty, which stands at 54% in 2007. Towards this targeted economic growth, the new Government is committed to monetary, fiscal and public sector reforms.

Nonetheless, concerns have been expressed by the IMF recently, that the economic achievements of the previous administration – reflected in Nigeria’s increased financial wealth with growing reserves and lower debts as well as macro-economic stability and a stronger currency - should not be reversed by the current government. In view of the increased revenue being generated by the rise in global oil prices, it advises that a fiscal framework should be put in place, ensuring that the spending of oil savings and revenues is in accord with macroeconomic stability.

Drug-Specific Response

The national response to the country’s drug problems has been the enactment of legislation in line with international conventions, and establishment of law enforcement agencies set up to counter the problems in question.

Nigeria is a party to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (as amended by the 1972 Protocol), the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. In line with these conventions, and in response to Nigeria’s growing drug problem, the Government established the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in 1989 with a mandate to address the illicit trafficking, cultivation and abuse of drugs. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC was also set up in 1993, to monitor the importation, production, and use of licit drugs and related products in Nigeria.

Over time, there has been improved training, procurement of modern surveillance and detection equipment and commitment to combating drug trafficking, by the NDLEA, which is gaining recognition. In September 2007, NDLEA received a commendation from the President of the United States of America, President George Bush in his yearly report to the American Congress on international illicit drug transit and money laundering. The Director-General of NAFDAC – Professor Dora Akunyili, has also received considerable recognition internationally for her vigorous efforts to improve licit control in Nigeria.

While demand reduction is one of NDLEA’s mandates, prevention activities remain extremely restricted and the civil society still needs to be mobilized in this area.

UNODC Assistance to Nigeria

The sheer size and complexity of Nigeria, the widespread nature of crime and corruption, a weak capacity to prioritise, plan and effectively allocate resources, and the absence of reliable data make it a challenging environment for development intervention.

With a Country Office established since 1991, Nigeria has long been a priority of UNODC. Since 2005, the Office has operated within an integrated and comprehensive Country Programme Framework, focusing on partnership with key stakeholders to address crime and drug-related problems in Nigeria. The priorities of UNODC in Nigeria are mapped out in the CPF first designed in 2005 and updated in 2007, to forge synergy in the areas of drug control and crime prevention. Specifically, the CPF is a cooperation strategy to combat crime, drug abuse and drugs, weapons and human trafficking in Nigeria, with a view to removing impediments to development in the social, economic and political spheres by enhancing human safety and security.

The previous Country Programme framework (2005 - 7) succeeded in developing a project to counter-corruption and money laundering, while promoting judicial integrity in Nigeria,[1] which raised US$33 million from the European Commission and the Netherlands Government. Also, two human trafficking projects, R60[2] and R92[3] were developed and implemented, jointly with the UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa in Dakar, and raised US$ 350,000 and US$656,000, respectively. While the drug trafficking prevention project in support of NDLEA[4], mobilized nearly US$2.5million, largely from the Nigerian government US$1,966,218 and partly from the USA government US$500,000, another project on drug abuse prevention in schools[5], was successfully implemented at a total budget of US$1,051million.

The 2008 - 2011 CPF, developed in close consultations with all key government counterparts and the civil society partners has its objectives aligned with the seven point agenda and NEEDS II, the Revised Plan of Action on drug control and crime prevention in Africa, as well as derived elements from the UNDAF and all UN Conventions and Protocols on crime and drugs. Its ultimate goal is to contribute to the overall UNODC strategy, which was approved by the UN Economic and Social Council on 12 April 2007. Its aim is to further support the Nigerian Government in strengthening action in the areas of counter-corruption, criminal justice, human security (with special focus on work in the strategic domains of human-trafficking and HIV/AIDS).