VACANCIES OF INDEPENDENT UNITED NATIONS EXPERTS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, WITH EXTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN HUMAN RIGHTS

Six unremunerated United Nations expert positions established by the Human Rights Council are expected to be filled at the Council’s 47th session (21 June to 9 July 2021), with the appointments to be made at the end of that session. Individuals seeking appointment should have extensive and internationally recognized professional experience and expertise in the field of human rights with an emphasis on the particular human rights issues to which the positions relate. The appointment of the mandate holders for the mandates marked by an asterisk below will be made provided the mandates themselves are extended by the Council.

Applications are now accepted for:

1. Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism*

2. Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy*

3. Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences

4. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, member from Asia-Pacific States

5. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, member from Eastern European States

6. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, member from Western European and other States

The “special procedures” of the Human Rights Council (HRC) are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. Special procedures are either an individual (called “Special Rapporteur” or “Independent Expert”) or a working group composed of five members, one from each of the five United Nations regional groupings: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Western group. Only nationals of the States belonging to the regional groups, for which specific vacancies have been advertised, are eligible for the working group mandates. Please refer to the list of the United Nations regional groups of Member States. These experts are appointed by and report to the Human Rights Council – the main United Nations intergovernmental body dealing with human rights.

The work of independent mandate holders is unpaid. Those appointed as mandate holders serve in their personal capacities. They are not United Nations staff members, they are not based in United Nations offices in Geneva or at another United Nations location, and they do not receive salary or other financial compensation, except for travel expenses and daily subsistence allowance of “experts on mission”. Their specific functions are defined in the HRC resolutions creating or extending their mandate. Candidates must be available to perform effectively the functions of the mandate and to respond to its requirements, including participating in Human Rights Council (HRC) sessions in Geneva and General Assembly sessions in New York, travelling on two country visits per year, drafting reports according to established deadlines, organizing and participating in consultations and meetings, addressing allegations of human rights violations with all concerned, providing advice to States and other stakeholders on issues related to their mandate and engaging with a variety of stakeholders. Candidates should be able to dedicate an estimated time of four to six months per year to the work of a mandate depending on its workload.