Human Rights Officer (Tjo)
Organizational Context
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Mauritania Country Office seeks a Human Rights Officer. Reporting to the Country Representative, this role supports OHCHR's mandate through monitoring, analysis, technical cooperation, advocacy, and integrating human rights into national policies and UN programming. The position strengthens national efforts to promote and protect human rights and their integration into development, governance, rule of law, and peacebuilding.
Job Purpose
The Human Rights Officer in Nouakchott, Mauritania, under the direct supervision of the Country Representative, is crucial for implementing OHCHR's mandate. This involves comprehensive human rights monitoring and analysis, providing technical cooperation, engaging with international human rights mechanisms, conducting advocacy, building partnerships, and ensuring human rights are integrated into national policies and UN programming. The role supports national efforts to uphold human rights obligations and advance their integration into development, governance, rule of law, and peacebuilding processes. Key responsibilities include monitoring human rights and international humanitarian law, collecting and analyzing evidence-based information, drafting reports, providing advisory support to national counterparts, contributing to UN leadership engagement on human rights integration, supporting treaty bodies and special procedures, implementing communication activities, analyzing data for trends, maintaining confidentiality, preparing training materials, and supervising junior staff.
Responsibilities
Conduct substantive monitoring of human rights and international humanitarian law implementation, following up on recommendations from human rights mechanisms. Collect, document, and analyze evidence-based information on rights to enable early warning, response, and accountability, ensuring data is discoverable and shared with a focus on gender and inclusivity. Draft, review, and disseminate human rights reports, briefings, and analytical papers to inform strategies and decision-making, integrating gender perspectives. Provide advisory and substantive support to national and regional counterparts to strengthen their human rights systems and engagement with mechanisms. Contribute to advisory engagement with UN leadership and partners on integrating human rights into protection, rule of law, and transitional justice. Support treaty bodies, special procedures, and commissions of inquiry through research and coordination. Implement communication activities to amplify human rights messaging. Analyze data to identify trends and provide insights for planning and reporting. Maintain confidentiality and comply with data privacy standards. Prepare and review training materials. Supervise daily team activities, providing guidance and ensuring timely delivery of outputs.
Work Experience
A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in human rights or related fields is required. Experience in political affairs, public affairs, international relations, law, social sciences, economics, development, or humanitarian affairs is relevant. Skills in planning, organizing, and coordinating in a multi-stakeholder environment, communicating complex matters, and drafting reports are required. Knowledge of international human rights law, norms, and standards is essential. Experience integrating a human rights-based approach, gender equality, and 'leave no one behind' principles is desirable.
Skills
Professionalism, Communication, Teamwork, Planning, Organizing, Coordination, Interpersonal Skills, Analytical Skills, Reporting, Human Rights Monitoring, Data Analysis, Knowledge of International Human Rights Law, Gender Integration, 'Leave No One Behind' Principles.