Org. Setting and Reporting
The position is located within the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in the OHCHR/MONUSCO Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO). The Human Rights Officer will be based in Kinshasa under the direct supervision of the deputy director of the JHRO, and the overall responsibility of the Director. The incumbent will act as the Coordinator of the “Institution Building and Reform” Unit and in this capacity, will take charge of the technical cooperation portfolio of the UNJHRO.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Human Rights Officer will be responsible for the following duties: General • Formulates recommendations and suggests strategies to better promote and protect human rights in the mission area, including for peace processes; • Works directly with other components of the UN peace operation, including the police and military, to integrate human rights considerations into the planning and review of their programs and operations, including through developing procedures and policies, as appropriate; • Plans, designs, implements and evaluates strategies for the mainstreaming of human rights in the activities of the UN peace mission and the UNCT and advocates for the integration of human rights in these programmes; • Contributes to the integration of human rights in humanitarian action, through participating or coordinating emergency preparedness and response activities including in the work of the Protection Cluster, as appropriate; • Contributes to advocacy strategies, advocates and advises relevant authorities, inducting State officials, the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), UN and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) senior management on strategies to better protect and promote human rights and mechanisms to stop impunity and redress human rights violations; • Establishes and maintains contact with national authorities, civil society, UN Agencies, Funds/ and Programmes with complementary mandates, and other relevant partners to inform on the human rights situation in the mission area and advises on strategic and policy issues to better protect and promote human rights; • Contributes to the integration of gender perspectives/considerations and specific women/girls’ rights issues in all activities, programmes and strategies; • Facilitates cooperation and appropriate communication with OHCHR in the establishment of policies and sharing of best practices; • Represents the human rights component in decision-making fora as appropriate; • Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with other UN and non- UN actors, state authorities, donors and other stakeholders for effective policy coordination; • Promotes coordination among all human rights related mandates present in the mission area; • Assists in the development, coordination and implementation of the human rights work plan; Evaluates or assists in the evaluation of its progress and suggests adjustments as needed; • Trains, coaches and supervises new and junior staff, manages their performance, and assists in training needs assessments; • Performs other related duties as required. Capacity Building and Technical Cooperation: • 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 Jaw obligations; • 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; • Designs, delivers, coordinates and evaluates human rights training programmes for national officials, civil society representatives, human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs),National Human Rights Institutions and other national stakeholders; • Coordinates with other UN mission components, UN actors and other regional and international organizations to create opportunities to integrate human rights into their training and cooperation programmes, including those aiming at legislative, rule of law and security sector reforms; • Coordinates and participates in fund-raising activities and manages the implementation of technical cooperation projects in accordance to the rules of the origin of funding;
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Proven sensitivity to the political and social environment and ability to adjust behaviors accordingly; Expert knowledge of human rights principles, international mechanisms and of related concepts including protection of civilians, transitional justice, humanitarian action DDR, legislative and rule of law reforms, gender mainstreaming and conflict-related sexual violence, as well as good understanding of issues related to the integration of human rights in UN peace missions; Comprehensive knowledge of institutional mandates, organizational structures and policies within the UN, guidelines and methodologies relating to human rights;Capacity to maintain effective working relationships with other UN, NGO, state and/or government stakeholders and to advocate for the respect and integration of human rights in various fora; Ability to produce in-depth analysis of political, ethnic, racial, gender-based, social, economic and other human rights- related problems to assess their impact and to provide concrete strategy recommendations to redress situations; Ability to seek new and improved methods of work to share best practices and to incorporate lessons learned in the work of the human rights component;Capacity to relate to and integrate human rights issues and perspectives into other fields, including humanitarian action, development, rule of law, legislation reforms and election support to human rights issues and activities and vice versa;Comprehensive knowledge and experience of project management and ability to plan, implement, coordinate and evaluate capacity development initiatives for multiple stakeholders; Understanding of the relevance of information collected by various UN actors for human rights analysis and ability to seek and identify such information;Ability to synthesize significant amounts of information and to produce human rights analysis drawing on all available sources of information, including open sources; Proven understanding of the relevance of information and data management and its applicability to human rights work; Ability to identify appropriate means of communication to channel relevant human rights information for crisis management and response; Capacity to serve as advisor, share knowledge in the area of expertise and to deliver training for colleagues and external stakeholders alike; Shows pride in work and in achievements; 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 situation; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all aspects of the peace operation and to mainstream gender in all activities of the human rights component. 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. TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. PLANNING AND 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.
Education
An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, political science, international relations, social sciences or 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.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in the human rights or closely related field, of which at least half in the area of human rights is required. Experience on human rights advocacy and/or on the design and management of capacity building programmes is required. Experience of human rights monitoring and reporting is required A minimum of one year’s experience working in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes) or similar international organization or non-governmental organization in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable. Experience in the management of technical cooperation projects is desirable One year of experience in a managerial capacity and supervising a team is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written French is required. A working knowledge of 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 temporarily available until June 2025. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. • While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. • Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. • This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. • Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. • Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.
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.