Legal Consultancy - Lebanon

Legal Consultancy - Lebanon Legal Researcher Lebanese Housing Land & Property Legislation - Norwegian Refugee Council The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. NRC advocates for the rights of displaced populations and offers assistance within the shelter, education, emergency food security, legal assistance, and water,sanitation and hygiene sectors. The Norwegian Refugee Council has approximately 5000 committed and competent employees involved in projects across four continents. In addition, NRC runs one of the world’s largest standby rosters -NORCAP, with 650 professionals, ready to be deployed on 72 hours’ notice when a crisis occurs. Commencing in March 2012, the NRC Information, Counselling and Legal (ICLA) Programme in Lebanon has been providing assistance to refugees, mainly Palestinian refugees already in Lebanon and refugees from Syria (including Lebanese returnees and Palestinian refugees from Syria). Currently, ICLA Lebanon has two main areas of work: (1) the Palestinian refugee response; and (2) the Syrian refugee response. ICLA works closely with the other NRC Lebanon programmes and activities in order to build on existing relationships, encourage an integrated response, develop joint activities, and benefit from NRC’s comprehensive understanding of the context. For its Housing, Land and Property (HLP) work, ICLA works closely with NRC shelter, WASH and camp management and provides all NRC programmes with updated information. The NRC shelter and WASH programme has supported Palestinian refugees in the South since 2006, and since 2012 has scaled up its operations to include support to Syrian refugees in the South, Bekaa, and North. NRC’s primary approach is to support the rehabilitation of substandard buildings, whether in Palestinian camps and gatherings, or elsewhere in Lebanon. For the Syrian caseload, NRC provides resources to Lebanese homeowners to undertake work on their unfinished houses, in exchange for hosting refugee families for 12-months rent free. NRC also support Syrian refugees living in the Informal Tented Settlements (ITS) found throughout Lebanon, but primarily in the Bekaa valley.  NRC is currently looking for an experienced LEGAL RESEARCHER for a 10 week consultancy focused on Lebanese Housing Land & Property Legislation. Our ideal consultant is a law graduate with experience in Housing, Land & Property Legislation in Lebanon.  An experienced researcher with excellent English skills.  Purpose: Based on its work in the NRC Community Centres and outreach activities, ICLA has identified specific protection and legal concerns for refugees which are linked to HLP issues. These HLP issues often result in a lack of security of tenure for refugees in Lebanon. As over 90% of refugees are left to secure accommodation themselves, it is important to have an improved understanding of the circumstances leading to potential evictions. The risk of eviction concerns refugees living in all types of housing situations, including private apartments or houses, informal tented settlements (ITS) or in collective living situations on private or public land. In particular, refugees renting their apartments or those who have built their own shelters in spontaneous settlements may be at high risk of eviction if legal procedures, such as building permit procedures are not respected. Being at risk of eviction and facing uncertainty about their living situation means that refugees do not have security of tenure. As part of its focus on security of tenure, ICLA collects information about the legal requirements regarding lease agreements, eviction procedures and building permits. ICLA is constantly interested in better understanding the Lebanese national legal framework regarding HLP in order to better advise our beneficiaries on their legal rights and obligations. In addition, this research will better inform other NRC programmes, in particular the shelter and WASH programmes of NRC, and other agencies, by clarifying the legal context in Lebanon. Of particular importance to agencies operating in Lebanon is ensuring that interventions do no harm to either refugee households, or the host community. As such, it is of critical importance that agencies have a clear understanding as to the regulatory environment for their interventions, including, but not limited to: building permissions for the different types of interventions; permission and fees for accessing utilities, such as electricity, water, and sewage; and the taxes and fees associated with the agency works, in addition to any taxes/fees to be paid by all municipal residents, including refugees. Objectives: The overall objective of the proposed legal analysis is to better understand the national Lebanese legal framework applicable to refugees currently living in Lebanon, and the agencies supporting them. The objective of the research is a legal analysis on HLP as relevant to NRC beneficiaries and humanitarian agencies, including requirements for building and other permits for refugees from Syria and Palestinian refugees. In particular, the research should answer the question: what documentation and/or permission do refugees and facilitating agencies require for the following situations: Refugees or an agency wishing to erect a temporary shelter on private or public land, land close to military facilities, or on land that is not designated for building purposes, such as agricultural land. This also includes the question whether tents/self-built shelters are considered buildings according to Lebanese building law – i.e. what defines a permanent structure versus a temporary one; Establishing a new ITS; What are the prerequisites, permissions and fees involved in: connecting to an existing electrical grid; connection to a municipal water; and connection to a municipal sewage system; Permissions for building/rehabilitating buildings in Palestinian camps and gatherings, and access to materials. Expected results – Progress plan: With support from the ICLA team, the consultant would produce the following: By 11th March 2016: a draft report and legal factsheet s) addressing the objectives set forth above for discussion with and review by the ICLA team. Feedback will be provided to the consultant by 21st March 2016; By 31st March 2016: a revised final report and factsheet(s). A detailed work plan will be developed with the consultant and the ICLA team. Scope of work and methodology: The legal research factsheet(s) should include citations and, if possible, copies of all relevant legislation and case precedent relevant to the legal analysis including related existing NRC legal research and drafts. English-language translations would be appreciated, if available. Questions regarding research to be directed to ICLA team. Field visits may be coordinated for the consultant along with ICLA staff if necessary. Timetable and composition: The consultant to provide ICLA with proposed timeline for carrying out legal research and producing first and final drafts for legal factsheet.