REPRESENTATIVE, HUMAN RIGHTS, P5

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Representative Human Rights and Head of the Central Asia Multi-country Office will report to the Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia in the Global Operations Divisions (GLO).

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, and under the direct supervision of Regional Director, the Regional Representative/ Head of the Central Asia Multi-country Office is responsible for the following functions: • Follows human rights developments in the region, with a view to providing timely advice on human rights situations in countries of the region, and alerts the the Regional Director to any serious human rights issues within the region. • In line with human rights mainstreaming mechanisms established under the UNDG, develops strategic relationships with the UN Country Teams of the region, advising and lending support as required, especially within the framework of the human rights based approach and human rights based planning and programming, coordination mechanisms and inter-agency cooperation. • As a member of the UN Country Teams within the region, develops, widens and enhances OHCHR's network of partners and contacts in the region to provide human rights advice and support the Resident Coordinators and UN partner agencies, as required. • Formulates the programme of work, budget and medium-term plan, and supervises the timely delivery of outputs specified in the work-plans of the team, and oversees administrative matters, including the best use of human and financial resources in accordance with priorities. • In countries that do not have an OHCHR field country presence, advises on strategic interventions, including country visits by special procedures mandate holders in the region, as appropriate, and generally follows up on the recommendations of treaty bodies and Human Rights Council for the countries of the region, in close cooperation with UNCTs. • Manages the OHCHR Multi-Country Office, including supervision, development and training of international and national staff; sets performance objectives and undertakes regular review of performance. • Represents OHCHR on human rights matters in meetings at national, regional and international levels. • Designs, develops and implements policies and programmes to address regional human rights issues and to assist governments in identifying and specifying their needs for advisory services and technical cooperation, including through the preparation and conduct of assessment missions. • Promotes the ratification and implementation of international human rights treaties and supports engagement with the international human UN rights system, including the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and Treaty Body processes. • Engages with regional intergovernmental organizations, governments, civil society, national human rights institutions and media for the promotion of the respect and protection of human rights. • Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of and exposure to a range of human rights issues including approaches and techniques to address and advise on highly sensitive and complex problems in their political, ethnic, racial, gender and socio-economic dimensions. Knowledge of institutional mandates of human rights organizations, prevailing policies and procedures. Ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the human rights situation in the region or country of assignment, including the political environment and legal statutes as they pertain to human rights. Ability to complete in-depth studies and reach conclusions on possible causes and solutions to human rights problems in specific societies and systems. Ability to relate and advise on human rights issues and perspectives, including their gender equality dimensions, to political, social, economic and humanitarian programmes in affected countries and areas. 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; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. 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. MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

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

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in human rights field at the national and international level is required. Experience in developing, implementing and coordinating strategies and programmes related to human rights is required. At least five (5) years of experience in managing teams (3+ staff) is required. Experience working in the region of deployment or in comparable regional contexts is desirable At least five (5) years of experience working in field-based human rights work in OHCHR, other United Nations Entities, or comparable international organizations, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Russian is desirable. 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 LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingEnglishUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level III

Desirable Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeakingRussianUN Level IUN Level IUN Level IUN Level I

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or availability of funds. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 May 2026, are strongly encouraged to apply: Andorra, Brunei Darussalam, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu. Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, China, Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Libya, Liberia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Oman, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Turkmenistan, United States of America. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Candidate Profile (CP) and cover note. 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, with due regard to geographic diversity. 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. 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. 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.