Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located within the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in the OHCHR/MONUSCO United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO). The Associate Human Rights Officer will report to the UNJHRO Coordinator of Institution Building and Reform Unit under the overall guidance and direction of the Deputy Director of the JHRO.

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

1. Researches, collects, verifies, analyses and synthesizes significant amounts of information, including from open sources, of relevance to protection and human rights in the area of responsibility.

2. Participates in discussions with relevant authorities and other actors to prevent or stop violations and abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law , seek remedial action by the relevant authorities and prevent recurrence.

3. Assists in liaising with appropriate local and national authorities, civil society, UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes with complementary mandates, and other relevant partners to monitor developments in the human rights, humanitarian and protection situations;

4. Monitors the national legal systems and their compliance with international human rights instruments, and assists in the implementation of relevant recommendations and observations of by UN human rights mechanisms;

5. Designs, coordinates and evaluates capacity-building efforts, including those supporting institution-building and institutional reforms, for alignment with international human rights norms and to meet international human rights law obligations;

6. Assists national authorities in their coordination and evaluation of activities relating to the implementation and follow-up of recommendations by UN Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and other mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council;

7. Collects, verify and disseminate early warning, and supports the development of initiatives to respond to systematic and/or emerging patterns of violations and abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law ;

8. Participates in investigations of human rights and international humanitarian law violations using UN-developed methodology

9. Drafts variety of reports, briefings and other types of communications relating to human rights and protection matters in compliance with established standards; 10. Contributes to the mainstreaming of human rights in the plans, programs, projects and activities of the UN peace mission and its components, and UN agency funds and programs at country and local levels;

11. Supports the integration of human rights in humanitarian action through participating in the humanitarian programming cycle, collaborating with relevant segments of the humanitarian architecture, situational analysis and reports, emergency preparedness and response activities, as appropriate;

12. Participates in the design, delivery and evaluation of human rights training programmes for national officials, civil society representatives, human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other national stakeholders in order to build national capacities;

13. Ensures the timely entry of relevant cases of human rights violations in existing databases in keeping with established standards;

14. Contributes to the Integration of gender perspectives/considerations and specific women/girls’ rights issues in all activities and to the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;

15. Performs other related duties as required.

Professionalism: Sensitivity to the political and social environment and ability to adjust behaviours accordingly; Sound knowledge of fundamental human rights principles and international mechanisms system; Sound knowledge of institutional mandates related to the position and UN human rights methodologies; Capacity to monitor human rights-related matters using multiple information sources and ability to indicate possible means for their resolution, including assisting in advocacy efforts; Ability to gather, verifies, evaluate and integrate human rights relevant information from a variety of sources; Ability to identify new and better approaches to work processes and to incorporate them in daily work; Ability to understand the relevance of other fields, such as protection of civilians, humanitarian action, development, DDR, rule of law, legislative reforms and election support, to human rights issues and activities; Basic knowledge of project design, monitoring and evaluation; Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

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

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in human rights or a closely related field in the United Nations or an international organization is required. Experience on human rights advocacy and/or on the design and management of, capacity building programmes is required Experience in the management of technical cooperation projects is required. Experience in working with international human rights standards, instruments and mechanisms is desirable. Previous experience in human rights monitoring and reporting for the promotion and protection of human rights is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages for the United Nations. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written French is required, fluency in Lingala is required. Knowledge in English is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Candidates for the National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.