Human Rights Officer

Org. Setting and Reporting

These positions are located in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Regional Office in Yaoundé, Cameroon and Regional Office in Pretoria, South Africa. The incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Head of the Regional Office and under the overall guidance of the Coordinator of the Treaty Body Capacity Building Programme in the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division. *IMPORTANT NOTE: In the motivation letter of your application, please indicate the duty station you would be interested in. If you are interested in more than one, please rank them in order of preference – with *1 being the preferred position.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Human Rights Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Conducts research and analysis of engagement with treaty bodies, including on ratification, reporting, and other procedures and assesses capacity-building needs and situation in assigned region or country.
• Provides advice on engagement with treaty bodies.
• Plans and coordinates activities related to engagement with treaty bodies and related institutional setting, such as National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-ups (NMIRFs), including from a gender perspective.
• Directs capacity-building efforts on human rights treaties and engagement with treaty bodies in region/country of assignment, including mobilization of civil society, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs).
• Collects and analyses good practices by States in fulfilling their human rights treaties obligations, such as on establishment and strengthening of National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-ups (NMIRFs), including gender-specific data and indicators.
• Provides support to treaty bodies including drafting of lists of issues, concluding observations, general comments, and supporting visits and inquiries; follows-up on implementation of decisions rendered by these bodies.
• Contributes to the implementation of the global Programme and of treaty bodies’ communication strategy.
• Ensures human rights issues, including their gender equality dimensions considerations, are integrated into political, humanitarian and economic efforts and programmes.
• Defines work plan for area assigned in accordance with established terms of reference.
• Represents UN human rights programme at working level meetings.
• Writes a variety of reports, communications, briefings, statements, etc., including to policy-making bodies.
• May provide guidance to new/junior staff.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in human rights, political affairs, international relations, law or related area is required. Experience in connection with the UN human rights treaty bodies is desirable. Experience in conducting capacity building activities for state officials on engagement with treaty bodies is desirable. Experience in building institutional capacity for national human rights and/or sustainable development-related machinery is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the positions advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/238498?language=en