Consultant (Precursor Industrial mapping – Lao PDR)

Purpose of the assignment: UNODC accordingly seeks a consultant with expertise in precursor chemicals and knowledge of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry/ industry associations in Lao PDR, for conducting a mapping of all industries in Lao PDR, which is relevant from the perspective of illicit drug manufacture. The industries concerned (hereinafter referred to as ‘relevant industry’) could be: • Relevant chemical/ pharmaceutical industry manufacturing internationally controlled precursors. • Relevant chemical/ pharmaceutical industry manufacturing chemicals included on the limited international special surveillance list, including stable intermediates of controlled precursors, pre-precursors, etc. and common derivatives, as well as other related substances that can be converted into a controlled precursor or a drug by readily applicable means. • Industry that can likely be approached for contract synthesis of such chemicals. • Related industry in the supply chain for the aforesaid chemicals, which are likely to be susceptible from the point of view of diversion. Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant: Under the supervision of and in close coordination with the UNODC staff, the incumbent will carry out the following activities on Lao PDR: • Conduct a country-wide mapping exercise of all the relevant industry manufacturing or trading in internationally scheduled and non-scheduled precursor chemicals, including pre-precursors, and the industry involved in contract synthesis of such chemicals. • Identify relevant Government stakeholders that would need to be involved/consulted beyond the stakeholders involved in narcotics regulation to include those on licensing, environmental aspects, trade, etc. and facilitate the convening of national coordination meetings as required.

Home-based with travel

11/12/26-31/03/27

Background of the assignment: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provides technical assistance related to combating drugs and precursor trafficking to requesting Member States. The Regional Programme for Southeast Asia and the Pacific 2022 – 2026 is designed to address both present and emerging needs within these regions, with the ultimate objective, namely, to secure and reinforce the rule of law in South-East Asia and the Pacific and ensure vulnerable groups and communities in the region are protected from drugs and crime. As part of the Regional Programme, UNODC’s Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP) is implementing a project entitled “Southeast Asia Precursor Control and Border Management Project”, which aims to enhance the institutional capacity of selected ASEAN Member States in detecting and identifying the illicit trafficking of drugs and precursor chemicals, addressing the gaps of frontline officers in recognizing non-controlled chemicals that are increasingly trafficked and used by organized crime groups to produce synthetic drugs. Recognizing the urgency of raising awareness among responsible authorities, the project focuses on targeted capacity-building through national law enforcement academies and authorities, ensuring sustainable knowledge transfer, and supporting the establishment of a proper monitoring system on chemical control, in alignment with the objectives of the CTCBP/ACCBP to counter transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking by strengthening land border security and cross-border cooperation. The activities under this project fall under one main outcome: Strengthened border security and precursor control measures to address the growing drug problem in countries where Canada engages. Resulting in 4 intermediate outcomes, as follows: 1. Enhanced use of investigative techniques on border security and precursor control by national law enforcement institutions in Southeast Asia to counter transnational organized crime and the drug problem. 2. Increased adoption of gender-inclusive human resource policies by law enforcement institutions in Southeast Asia. 3. Enhanced gender-sensitive and human rights-based regional cooperation on drug and precursor trafficking cases by national law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia. 4. Enhanced cooperation/engagement on precursor chemical trafficking by public and private sector stakeholders in the lower Mekong Region. UNODC ROSEAP is going to undertake various activities under these outcomes, including capacity needs assessments, stakeholder engagement, training, and workshops related to drugs and precursor control, and is seeking a consultant to support their implementation. The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen capacities for drug and precursor control in cooperation with the Secretariat of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). INCB is an independent and quasi-judicial control organ, established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, for monitoring the implementation of the international drug control treaties. Its Secretariat has developed a methodology to identify the chemical needs of a country, and the consultant will use the same to allow comparability between reports from different countries. Precursor chemicals play a vital role in the processing and illicit manufacture of drugs. However, in contrast to the harmful substances they are used to create, some of these same chemicals are extremely important in our daily lives as they provide the building blocks for innumerable commodities on which the modern world relies. It is this duality of licit and illicit applications for precursor chemicals that confronts Governments with the serious and difficult responsibility to exercise appropriate control over their use. The Board has also highlighted the issues of the use of non-scheduled chemicals and even ‘made-to-order’ or ‘designer chemicals’ in illicit drug manufacture. Actions to address these challenges were also proposed in various resolutions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, most recently in Commission resolution 60/5 on “Increasing international coordination in relation to precursors and non-scheduled precursor chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances” and resolution 65/3 entitled “Intensifying efforts to address the diversion of non-scheduled chemicals frequently used in the illicit manufacture of drugs and the proliferation of designer precursors”. Oftentimes, these chemicals are custom-made in a form that makes it easy to transform them into the desired precursors (internationally controlled) or the drug itself. Traffickers have therefore sought to obtain chemicals that may be used as substitutes for those that are more closely monitored. Global chemical supplies rest largely in the hands of private and sometimes state-owned industry. Governments and industry can deny drug trafficking organization access to the precursor chemicals used in illicit drug manufacture through improved cooperation and industry engagement. In August 2022, INCB released a new resource document entitled “Global review of categories of industries involved in the manufacture, trade and distribution of chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs”. The document highlights the peculiarities of the different categories of industry and is aimed at contributing to an understanding of the range of industries that might, often unknowingly, be targeted by illicit drug manufacturers. The document is intended to serve as a background and guidance document for mapping national industry landscapes and, eventually, sensitising the concerned industries. UNODC intends to work with Governments to map the relevant industry in selected countries and convene national level coordination meeting(s), as required, with involvement of relevant industry and other stakeholders, with a long-term goal of establishing a mechanism for Governments and industry to commit: 1. Promote appropriate internal control measures to prevent diversion of chemicals in their supply chain; 2. Enhance end-use monitoring to ensure that chemicals are not being resold to illicit drug manufacturing organizations; and 3. Not supply any chemical that could reasonably be used in the illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs, precursors and NPS if there is no known legitimate use.

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in science, international relations, international crime prevention, international criminal justice administration, law or regulatory enforcement, public administration, or a closely related/relevant subject or related is required. A first-level university degree in similar fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted instead of an advanced university degree. Excellent knowledge of the theory of and best practices in drug control, international relations, and at least 10 years of experience in the area of national and international drug and precursor control, policy formulation or advisory functions in related fields, is required. Experience of working as or closely with police, customs personnel, prosecutor’s office, court, and other relevant disciplines involved in the investigation and prosecution of serious organized crime, in particular drug and precursor-related crime, is required. Working experience with relevant industries, such as the pharmaceutical/ chemical industry, is desirable; specifically, relevant industries in Lao PDR. Experience in developing public-private partnerships, in particular with the chemical industry, is desirable. Experience in imparting capacity building, including training activities, is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English and Lao is required. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.

Not available.