Background

The project supports modernization and reform of trade and trade-related policies by Pan Arab Free Trade Area (PAFTA) Member States as part of deepening Arab economic integration towards the establishment of the Arab Customs Union (ACU) through gradual upgrading of performance of PAFTA. Built upon the initial progress of the Executive Program towards development of the ACU, undertaken in recent years, project activities aim at strengthening the capacity and capability of Arab policy makers at the regional level, and include specific interventions to support target countries as appropriate.
The study aims at equipping Member States and the League of Arab States (LAS) Technical Secretariat with knowledge and information of exemptions within the scope of the Customs Union (CU) arrangements
concerning the implementation of specific measures related to fiscal or trade/economic policies. Effective application of exemptions within the framework of a CU should be considered for policy making purposes. Specifically, it may comprise of an evaluation and a full analysis of the issues related to the exemption regimes under the on-going ACU negotiations. In effect, it may review technical criteria of establishing exemption schemes, the duty remissions schemes, and any current exemption under preferential trade schemes applied by Member States as part of preferential trade arrangements with trading partners. From the outcomes and findings, the study may then assist with developing policy recommendations on what exemptions would be applied within the ACU.
This study will look into the exemption schemes in use in Arab countries in order to understand impacts on the trade policies in specific circumstances of individual Member States and any treatment of fiscal taxes, and/or para-fiscal with a view to set up regional schemes of exemptions as part of the ACU. It is well understood that application of such regimes may lead to discriminatory treatment across sectors, and between industries of different Members. Therefore, a design of comprehensive and responding framework to these concerns is of significant importance. In addition, it will consider a number of aspects of the Common External Tariff (CET) such as its structure, taking into account technical features of exemptions.
The output of the study will be used as a basis for negotiations and further agreements among Member States with regards to putting into place exemptions regimes in support of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
The areas to be covered by the study include among others:

• Objectives of the proposed exemptions regimes;
• Overall concept of exemptions within the WTO Agreements and its compliance, and the conditions for their applications within a Customs union, as well as the compliance level needed with the WTO rules on regional integration;
• Technical criteria of exemption regimes.

National trade and industrial policies that are embodied within exemptions and have been recognized by Member States as important and legitimate in character.

Duties and Responsibilities

The deliverables and outcomes of the study should assist Member States and LAS, as the Technical Secretariat, with details and an agreed understanding of what constitutes Exemptions for the ACU in function of the design of corresponding policies, measures as well as plans of implementation. This has important implications regarding the design and execution of this framework within the national structure of industries and economic sectors. Final outputs should include, among others, technical criteria of putting into place exemption schemes while taking account of tariff exemptions, and may recommend a methodology to harmonize the schemes in line with the ACU requirements. Current preferential trade schemes by Member States would be factored into consideration as part of analytical works. The expert shall be guided by PAFTA commitments, WTO commitments, international practices of establishing exemptions, as well as regional and national legislations. To that end, it is essential to present facts and
operational information in a structured manner with evidence-based analysis to substantiate policy recommendations and suggestions of holistic directions.
Particular focus would be on the definition of the exemption concept within the customs union framework (specifically the ACU), and the implication of the full conditional and partial exemption from customs duties and taxes with clear identification of the proposed exemption regimes. That will also include main features, characteristics of these schemes and design of its implementation in an effective manner. Outcomes of the study would also address concrete modalities of assistance to Member States in their negotiations and addressing the main challenges in the implementation.
In achieving the objectives of the study, the expert will establish work methodologies that enable a fact-based analysis and evidence-supported assessment. In this pursuance, modalities of the conduct of the analysis and major outlines of development shall be agreed upon in advance to its effective and timely implementation. The assignment targets a review of WTO schedules of commitments, in broad, and its PAFTA schedules of commitments as related to exemptions. Furthermore, more analysis will focus on exemptions categories, harmonization with investment schemes and concerned economic/trade policies in use in Members.
The expert will meet and consult with relevant officials and stakeholders in Member States and the LAS Secretariat to discuss issues identified in the Terms of Reference and to gather statistical data and more economic/fiscal/industrial information in function of requirements of the study. The assignment should include an analysis of the scope of interactions between these fiscal exemptions and preferential trade schemes, between trade, industrial and fiscal policies, as appropriate, and, to which extent, these are effective for the purpose of deepening economic integration. Specifically, the study will assist with identification of possible re-adjustments that need to be undertaken by Member States in heading towards the ACU. Upgrading the framework and performance of PAFTA could be a part of this analysis.
The expert will review pertinent experiences of other Customs unions in several trade groupings such as GCC, of EU, ECA, COMESA, among others and how to adapt these into the ACU accordingly – a key purpose of the study. Good practices could also be analyzed in support of policy making related to the ACU. The expert will coordinate with LAS Technical Secretariat who will liaise with Member States and facilitate visits, and provide statistical information and data required related to the study.
The study should address the following technical issues:

• Definition of duties and other exemptions of the Arab Customs Union (ACU) while taking into consideration international practices;
• Duty exemption and relevant schemes under national laws;
• Preferential trade treatment in which Member States are currently engaged;
• Criteria for the design of exemption schemes by respective Member States;
• Exemption and area of application under PAFTA as approved by ECOSOC;
• Exemption regimes granted across the region in accordance with the regional trade arrangements with third parties;
• Taxations regimes, and investment legislations; and
• WTO compliance and FTAs schedule of commitment with third parties to the extent as relevant.

For additional information, please refer to ANNEX I – Terms of Reference

Competencies

Functional Key Competencies:
 Corporate

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Knowledge of Arab region (Arab economies and trade) and institutional environment is a must.

 Functional

• Background knowledge about the SDGs, United Nations and UNDP;
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills;
• Ability to work independently and achieve quality results with limited supervision and within tight schedules;
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills;
• Excellent writing, editing and oral communications skills;
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills, as well as presentation and drafting skills;
• Good teamwork and interpersonal skills;
• Flexibility and ability to handle multiple tasks and work under pressure;
• Excellent computer skills especially Word, Excel and Power Point.

Leadership

• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to provide credible leadership;
• Demonstrated intellectual leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic overview and corporate vision;
• Demonstrated flexibility in leadership by performing and/or overseeing the analysis/resolution of complex issues;
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience.

Managing Relationships

• Demonstrated well developed people management and organizational management skills;
• Excellent negotiating and networking skills with strong partnerships in academia, technical organizations and as a recognized expert in the practice area.

Managing Complexity

• Ability to address global development issues;
• Demonstrated substantive leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Ability to strongly promote and build knowledge products;
• Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside of UNDP;
• Provides constructive coaching and feedback;
• Demonstrates a strong capacity for innovation and creativity in providing strategic policy advice and direction.

Judgment/Decision-Making

• Mature judgment and initiative;
• Proven ability to provide strategic direction to the project implementation process;
• Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling major policy issues and challenges, uses diplomacy and tact to achieve result.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:

http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/

Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualification:

•  Master’s Degree or equivalent in international trade, business administration, economics, trade and development or related field.

Years of Experience:

• At least 15 years of practical experience in international trade, operations and functions of customs unions, advanced Free Trade Areas towards a CU-like arrangement, customs operations, revenue management and taxation;
• Demonstrated experience in performing similar assignments, in the Arab region is an asset.

Technical experience:

• Proven experience in a professional background in economics, trade policy and economic and trade data analysis;
• Extensive experience in customs procedures and taxation systems, preferably in the Arab region;
• Exposure to customs procedures and tax systems at an international level is a highly-valued asset;
• Extensive expertise in the customs unions administration field, such as customs revenues collection, revenue sharing and payment mechanisms, import/export processing procedures, and compliance with international rules and enforcement, as well as knowledge regarding the best international/regional practices in customs unions administration in order to provide guidance on the legislative aspects of revenue administration, in addition to strategic planning and organizational and trade-related issues;
• Expertise in quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis and statistical methodologies, in particular within governmental fiscal statistics, as well as compilation and dissemination of fiscal and trade data of one or more countries supported by experience in the areas of fiscal policy and trade policy analysis;
• Knowledge in the compilation and dissemination of balance of payments and investment schemes statistics, conducting surveys, trade and fiscal data collection, and compilation of foreign direct investment statistics, as well as an understanding of the effective use of information technology in customs administrations and modern tax is also required;
• Ability to perform economic researches and summarize findings in a concise and professional format;
• Experience in the development of trade and fiscal analysis;
• Experience in developing and implementing economic researches, impact assessment studies with a particular focus on those related to arrangements of a customs union;
• In-depth understanding of customs revenues administration and economic and fiscal impact on customs revenues within a customs union framework.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required. French is an asset.

How to Apply:

1. Read the additional information and annexes on teh UNDP lebanon website at http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/

2. The consultancy is open for all International consultants who meet the selection criteria and propose a competitive fee. Interested consultants are requested to apply only through this UNDP jobs portal.

Submissions through any other media will not be considered.

The application must include the P11 uploaded as word or PDF file to the UNDP job site.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.