Human Rights Officer

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office in Pretoria, South Africa. The incumbent reports to the Regional Representative or designate. The Human Rights Officer is responsible for supporting human rights promotion and protection in southern Africa, with a focus on mainstreaming human rights in development, developing country engagement strategies, and providing thematic expertise and advice. This work is delivered through technical assistance to various stakeholders, the design and implementation of programmes, training and capacity building, and human rights advocacy. The Human Rights Officer is responsible for conducting a wide range of tasks. Depending on the organizational setting, these may include monitoring and investigating compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law; analysing and managing data to inform early-warning, accountability and policy; drafting evidence-based reports and strategic advice; integrating human-rights perspectives into peace, humanitarian and development planning; advising UN leadership and national authorities on protection of civilians, rule of law and transitional justice; and fostering partnerships, capacity-building and advocacy initiatives that advance equality, accountability and the promise to leave no one behind.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Administrative Officer will be responsible for the following duties: - Conduct substantive monitoring of the implementation of human rights and international humanitarian law and follow up on recommendations from human rights mechanisms, including treaty bodies, the UPR, and special procedures, as well as investigative findings, to ensure compliance with human rights and advance accountability. - Collect, document, and analyse evidence-based information on civil, cultural, economic, social, and/or political rights, including the right to development, to enable analysis, early warning and response, accountability, and informed decision-making, identifying gaps and contributing to ensuring human rights data is discoverable, interoperable, and appropriately shared, including from gender and leave no one behind perspectives. - Draft, review, and disseminate human rights reports, briefings, and other communications, with legal analysis as appropriate, and prepare analytical papers to inform strategies, policies, programmes, crisis management, guidance, and decision-making processes, with attention to gender integration and leave-no-one-behind perspectives. - Collect, verify, and analyse multi-source information relevant to the human rights thematic and/or country-specific situation, ensuring data quality and methodological compliance, including from a gender perspective and leaving no one behind. - Undertake analysis and prepare analytical papers, including on lessons learned, to inform human rights strategies, crisis m...