Assistant Human Rights Officer

Volunteering

Overview

Contribute to human rights reports and assist in UN activities

You have:

• Applicants must be students of any academic program (BA/BSc, Masters, PhD) and keep this status during the whole duration of their assignment, or be recent graduates.
• Candidates must be aged between 18 and 29 throughout the entire duration of their assignment.
• Fluency in English is mandatory; knowledge of French is an asset, and knowledge of another UN official language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or Spanish) is desirable.
• Required degree level is a Bachelor degree or equivalent; candidates must be enrolled in a graduate program or in the final academic year of a Bachelor program.
• Relevant academic and/or practical experience in legal or human rights affairs is preferred.

Contract

This is a UNV International University contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International University contracts.

Eligibility criteria

Candidate age: between 18 and 29 throughout the entire duration of their assignment, except the assignments in Headquarters duty stations. Nationals of the country of assignment are not eligible. Applicants must be students of any academic program (BA/BSc, Masters, PhD) and keep this status during the whole duration of their assignment, or be recent graduates.

Description of task

Under the direct supervision of Chief of Section, the International University Volunteer will:

• Contribute to thematic reports or studies, including research of related literature, international law and jurisprudence and in particular, the UN Volunteer may:
• Assist in the preparation of official country visits, in particular through the drafting of country-specific human rights assessments;
• Analyse human rights issues contained in cases and complaints addressed to the mandate holders;
• Draft letters on particular cases and complaints taken up by mandate holders, including summarizing the human rights violations alleged in the case and preparing a short legal analysis of these violations;
• Collect information and conduct research for the preparation of briefing notes, statements and other documents;
• Take notes of meetings with different stakeholders, in particular civil society representatives;
• Attend sessions of the Human Rights Council (HRC) and assisting with the preparation of related activities and events;
• Assist in the organization of meetings and seminars; and
• Perform other related duties as requested by supervisor, as appropriate.

The Volunteer will also undertake two three to four week assignments with the Human Rights Council and/or Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and one Human Rights Treaty Body in order to gain a deeper knowledge of international human rights mechanisms.

As part of the pilot programme “Ditch UNfair internship” the volunteer will be asked to contribute to the advocacy component of the project by providing feedback on how to improve OHCHR internship system, share stories and experience.

Qualifications/Requirements

Required degree level:

Bachelor degree or equivalent

Education - Additional Comments:

To qualify for this assignment, applicants must, at the time of application, be enrolled in a graduate school programme (i.e. Master’s degree or equivalent degree, or higher) or in the final academic year of a first-level university degree programme (i.e. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree) in the area of law, political science, international relations, social sciences or related field, OR have graduated with a university as defined above AND, if selected, must commence take the assignment within one-year period from the date of graduation.

Required experience:

Experience remark:

Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for this assignment though any relevant academic and/or practical experience, in particular in the area of legal or human rights affairs, would be an advantage.

Applicants should be computer literate in standard software applications; have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations with a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter, and have the demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs - which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this assignment, fluency in English OR French is required, knowledge of the other is an asset. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Language skills:

• English(Mandatory), Level - Fluent
• French(Optional), Level - Fluent

Area of expertise:

Human rights

Driving license:

No

Competencies values:

Client Orientation, Communication, Professionalism, Working in Teams

Application procedure:

* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

First register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup.

Important: After creating your account, complete all sections of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink. Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.

* Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

First update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile.

Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink to select the special call to which you would like to apply.

Application deadline: 30 August 2020

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 5 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org