Request from

New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Job Description

INT-171-09-P294-01-V

1. General Information

Title: Associate Expert inHuman Rights

Duration:1 year (with possible extension for another year)

Date Required:As soon as possible

Duty Station (location, sector):New York

2. Supervision

Title of the supervisor:Deputy Director, OHCHR

Content and methodology of the supervision:Annual Tasking, PAS,

Bilateral Meetings,

Ad Hoc Instructions

3. Duties, responsibilities and output expectations

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Director and, through him, of the Director of the New York Office of OHCHR, the Junior Professional Officer:

-Assists the Office in its activities relating to the integration of human rights in UN humanitarian affairs;

-Supports the Office’s preparation for, participation in, and follow-up on the work of

the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, the Inter-Agency Standing

Committee (humanitarian), the Working Group on Protection of Civilians, and other relevant interdepartmental bodies;

-Follows up on the outcome of the above meetings, including drafting and

commenting onsubstantive documents; preparing substantive input in consultation with OHCHR Geneva, representing OHCHR at working groups/task forces on issues relating to humanitarian affairs, protection of civilians, IDPs and mine action, as well as country-specific issues as required;

-Follows and reports substantively on relevant meetings of the Security Council, as

assigned, and serves as a focal point on selected thematic issues, such as indigenous issues, migrant workers, and disability;

-Assists in representing OHCHR at, and reporting on the work of the Third Committee

of the General Assembly and prepares political analyses for the Secretary-General

and the High Commissioner;

-Undertakes human rights outreach activities and briefings for a variety of

professionals, NGOs, academic institutions, students and the general public;

-Assists in preparation of, and participation in the meetings of Treaty bodies in New

York;

-Provides support to Special Rapporteurs and senior OHCHR officials visiting New

York.

4. Qualifications and experience:

Education:Advanced university degree, preferably in law, political science, international relations or other disciplines related to human rights.

Work Experience:At least 2 years of progressively responsible work experience at national and international levels in the human rights field.

Languages: English and French are the working languages of the United

Nations. For the post advertised, fluency in spoken and written

English is required. Working knowledge of other UN official

languages, preferably French, is highly desirable.

UN Competencies:The candidate must maintain the core values of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity. Candidates should demonstrate core competencies in communication, team work and client orientation.

5. Learning Elements

After the assignment the Associate Expert will:

-Be able to work in a broad range of UN human rights activities;

-Have the skills relating to the integration of human rights aspects in humanitarian

affairs

-Have a clear understanding of the rule of human rights in humanitarian emergencies.

-Have the mastery of issues relating to the protection of civilians in armed conflict vs. human rights protection.

-Have experience in writing reports and briefing notes on inter-agency coordination and human rights issues

6. Background information:

Acting under the direction and on behalf of the High Commissioner, the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights implements the policies and objectives of OHCHR at United Nations headquarters through its attendance and participation in meetings of policymaking organs, executive committees and their subsidiary bodies, in interdepartmental and inter-agency meetings and in meetings with Permanent Missions of Member States, non-governmental organizations and the media. It provides policy advice and recommendations on substantive matters to the High Commissioner. Initially conceived as a liaison office, the New York Office has acquired a number of substantive functions as a result of successive United Nations reform processes, which placed human rights at the core of the work of the organization. The NYO collaborates with a range of partners in the areas of peace and security; development, economic and social affairs, and humanitarian affairs, including the Security Council, the General Assembly Plenary, the Third and Fifth Committees, the ACABQ, the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Peace-Building Commission (PBC). Prominent among NYO partners in relation to its work are also the four Executive Committees (UNDG, ECPS, EC-ESA and ECHA), the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG), the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Policy Committee, the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) Secretariat and its governing structures, the United Nations Rule of Law Coordination Resource Group, the various Integrated Mission Task Forces, the Counter-terrorism Task Force, the Action 2 Task Force, the Interdepartmental Framework for Coordination on Early Warning and Preventive Action (the "Framework Team") and a number of NY-based agencies and departments. The leadership of the New York Office chair a number of bodies, including the Working Group on Counter Terrorism, the Task Force for Reform and the Democracy Fund Programme Consultative Group.