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OHCHR·Apr 2, 2026
Human Rights Associate
Under the direct supervision of Civic Space Team Coordinator, the UN Youth Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: - Assist in monitoring, fact-finding and follow-up activities in relation to the situation of huma...
On-siteInternationalAssociate UCoS from Apr202616. Peace, justice and strong institutions
On-site
Colombia
Bogota
Duration
365 days
Positions
1 Available
Deadline
Apr 16, 2026
14 days ago
🎯
Sustainable Development Goal
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
General Information
Description of assignment title
Human Rights Associate
Assignment country
Colombia
Expected start date
Jun 1, 2026
Sustainable Development Goal
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions
Volunteer category
Associate UCoS from Apr2026
Host entity
OHCHR
Type
onsite
Duration
365 days
Number of assignments
1
Duty stations
Bogota
Assignment Details
Mission and Objectives
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Colombia was established, upon request of the Commission on Human Rights and the initiative of the Government of Colombia, on 29 November 1996 by an Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/1997/11). OHCHR has been present in Colombia since 1997. OHCHR-Colombia operates from the capital city, Bogotá, and eight offices across the country. It implements a comprehensive strategy that includes:
1) Monitoring of the human rights situation with a view to advising the authorities on the formulation and implementation of policies, programmes and measures to promote and protect human rights, also in the context of violence, including through the presentation of annual reports on the human rights situation in Colombia to the Human Rights Council.
2) Cooperation and technical assistance and advice to the Government to promote respect and observance of human rights and international humanitarian law in Colombia.
3) Provision of technical assistance and advice to civil society and non-governmental human rights organizations and individuals, and
4) Promotion of human rights to the general public and dissemination of information on international human rights and humanitarian law standards.
Context
The historical Peace Agreement signed in November 2016, by the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) has provided OHCHR with additional responsibilities on a wide range of human rights related components. This includes monitoring and reporting on public policies for the dismantling of criminal organizations and protecting human rights defenders, security for FARC members as they transition from ex combatants to fully fledged political party members, case review of detained FARC members, and accompanying victims in their search for truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.
Task Description
Under the direct supervision of Civic Space Team Coordinator, the UN Youth Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
- Assist in monitoring, fact-finding and follow-up activities in relation to the situation of human rights defenders in Colombia through: field monitoring missions; dialogue with state authorities including the AGO, security forces and no state actors; networking with human rights defenders and following individual cases in close coordination with the regional OHCHR field presences;
- Contribute to regular reporting on the situation of human rights defenders with a spe-cial attention on women human rights defenders and areas related with the fight against impunity in cases of attacks against human rights defenders including identifi-cation of regional trends and patterns of attacks, early warning analysis and regular in-ternal and external reports on activities
- Provide support in capacity building and advisory services as appropriate to the Spe-cialized Unit for the investigation and prosecution of crimes against human rights de-fenders of the Attorney General Office and other relevant state institutions.
- Ensure the timely entry of accurate and verified human rights cases into an estab-lished database; conduct quality control and deliver statistics and trend reports as re-quired.
- Ensure a gender mainstreaming with an intersectional perspective.
- Identify key contacts and opportunities for strategic partnerships to facilitate commu-nication.
- Assist the Office to transmit and spread its mandate.
- Perform other duties as required.
Eligibility Criteria
Age
18 - 80
Required experience
3 years
Nationality
Open to all nationalities
Assignment Requirements
Relevant experience
3 years
Language Requirements
EnglishRequired
Fluent
SpanishRequired
Fluent
Required education level
Master's degree
Area(s) of expertise
Communication, Crisis and emergency response, Legal affairs
Driving license
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Competencies and values
Accountability
Adaptability and Flexibility
Commitment and Motivation
Communication
Ethics and Values
Integrity
Working in Teams
Skills and experience
Demonstrated interest and/or experience (ideally one year) in:
- Human rights monitoring and reporting is required
- Good knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to human rights.
- Good knowledge of and exposure to a range of human rights issues to include ap-proaches and techniques to address sensitive problems.
Capacity of research, analysis, discussion and drafting.
Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national person-nel.
- Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and of-fice technology equipment.
- Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.
- Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded;
Additional Information
Living conditions and remarks
The UN Volunteer will be in Bogotá, which is the capital of Colombia. All public and health services are available in Bogotá, as well as cultural and other recreational activities. Since this is an international UNV assignment, the holder will be responsible for the organization of his or her own home and the other essential elements of life. Official missions and all movements must be reported to UNDSS. United Nations Volunteers are part of an insurance plan.
Bogotá is the capital of Colombia and one of the most populated cities in Latin America, so that subsistence expenses (including housing expenses) are higher than in other cities. Living and working conditions in Bogotá present "low" risks. The city has security problems common to most growing capitals, however this does not create a permanent risk exposure for national and international staff. All UN Volunteers receive a report from the Mission Security Section that addresses the security environment of the duty station, guides the security measures to adopt and the selection of the residence. United Nations Volunteers are entitled to a grant for improvements in residential security (MORSS) and have access to security training (some are mandatory, and others recommended).
In Bogotá there are complete health services. In addition to the public service, several international schools are present in the city. Bogotá offers a lively cultural program and other recreational activities.
The El Dorado Airport in Bogotá is the largest in the country. It is served by flights from the Americas and from the main airports in Europe. It is very close to the urban area and is easily accessible, either by public or private transport.
Conditions of Service
The Conditions of Service outline the policies and rules governing UN Volunteer assignments. These, along with other resources, are available on the Unified Volunteer Platform (UVP) at https://app.unv.org/explore. You can also access the entitlement calculator here: https://app.unv.org/calculator.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity without distinction.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to vaccination requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19), in line with the applicable host entity policy.
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