Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Dakar, West Africa Regional Office (WARO), in Senegal. The incumbent is under the functional supervision of the Coordinator of the Child and Youth Rights Unit in Geneva and under the overall supervision of the OHCHR WARO Regional Representative or designee and will work on the implementation of the child and youth project in Senegal.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the National Child and Youth Officer will be responsible for the following duties: • Supports/Assists in the implementation of child and youth project activities in the West Africa region, in coordination with the child and youth Unit in Geneva, ensuring synergies with colleagues working on related projects. • Works with young people, student organizations and platforms, and national youth councils (national/regional) on youth rights issues, and actively engages in promoting their human rights work in different areas (political participation, justice, sexual and reproductive rights, human rights education and capacity building, and violence prevention). • Contributes to building the capacity of regional youth platforms and national youth councils through human rights education and training. • Liaises with youth-relevant stakeholders to ensure the integration of a human rights-based approach in the development and/or implementation of youth policies. • Researches and collects information pertaining to human rights matters, including their gender dimensions, from a variety of data sources (e.g. communications, publications, the press) to keep abreast of issues/events and provide up-to-date information; assists in the analysis of information, including the impact on the countries and thematic mandates on the human rights situation in the assigned area. • Drafts a variety of reports and correspondence relating to human rights matters. • Participates in human rights training programmes for national law enforcement officials and other state actors, representatives of the civil society, and human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in order to improve national capacities to adopt a human rights-based approach to support the protection of child and Youth victims of violation of their rights. • Reviews human rights issues, including their gender dimensions, and participates in discussions with other Human Rights Officers (HROs) on the integration of these issues into political, humanitarian, and economic efforts and programmes. • Raises awareness and provides technical support to national authorities and regional bodies, including relevant ministries and the national assembly, in order to strengthen the protection of children and youth rights, including gender equality policies, through a human rights-based approach. • Assists in promoting efforts for community mobilization and those that focus on the exercise of the rights of the population, including through meetings with local communities, national authorities, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders, and raising awareness to ensure the meaningful, effective, and informed participation of all people, especially youth in decision making process. • Participates with other HROs in discussions with relevant authorities and other influential actors with the aim of stopping or preventing human rights violations or seeks other remedial action by the authorities to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future. • Liaises with government, NGOs, Civil Society organizations, UN agencies, and other partners to create baseline data on the human rights situation, with special attention to child and youth and other vulnerable groups. • Designs and maintains a database to track project progress. • Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of human rights issues and ability to identify related problems in their political, ethnic, racial, gender equality and socio-economic dimensions. Knowledge of institutional mandates of human rights organizations, prevailing policies and procedures. Research and analytical skills, including ability to identify and participate in the resolution of human rights issues. Ability to identify sources for data collection, analyze information and draft human rights reports. Knowledge of international, regional and national instruments and mechanisms for promoting and protecting human rights, particularly human rights violations in the context of protection of children victims of violation of their rights. Knowledge of project management, 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 an 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

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

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in human rights, political affairs, international relations, law or related area is required. Experience working on human rights protection in the context of child and youth in West Africa, or similar setting is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, French is required. There are no additional desirable languages specified. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

Required Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingFrenchUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II

Assessment

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

Special Notice

• THIS POSITION IS TEMPORARILY AVAILABLE FOR THREE MONTHS, EXTENSION SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS. • Candidates for the National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located. • Locally recruited General Service staff members applying for this post must meet the minimum requirements, including academic qualifications and years of relevant experience. Relevant experience in the General Service category at G-6 and G-7 levels may count towards experience requirements. • 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. • 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. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

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. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. 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.