Human Rights Monitoring Associate – Grave Human Rights Violations Unit

OHCHR’s office in Mexico works to ensure that institutions, Government authorities, and the United Nations Country Team have adequate information, understanding, and skills to identify human rights concerns and to develop measures to address them effectively. OHCHR-Mexico also works to ensure that civil society and human rights victims have increased awareness of human rights standards and mechanisms.
Main activities are focused on technical cooperation and legal advice on harmonization of legislation, development of indicators on human rights, support the elaboration of public policies with human rights based approach, follow-up the international recommendations, gender and human rights, amongst other issues, and monitoring of human rights situation throughout the country, with emphasis on grave human rights violations (such as enforced disappearances and torture) as well as the situation of human rights defenders and journalists and the right of indigenous peoples to prior consultation.
OHCHR-Mexico is divided into several functional units: Administration, Grave Human Rights Violations, Gender and ESCR, Democratic Space, Vulnerable Groups, Indicators and Public Communications. The UNV would be part of the Democratic Space Unit, which currently consists of a coordinator (international staff) and an international UNV. The Democratic Space Unit personally receives complaints of alleged human rights violations and gives legal orientation to victims, particularly human rights defenders, and journalists. The Democratic Space Unit also participates in field missions to follow up cases of alleged human rights violations, meeting with victims, family members of victims, local NGO´s and government authorities

The UN Youth Volunteer will be part of the Grave Human Rights Violations Unit, which currently consists of a coordinator and three staff members. The Grave Human Rights Violations Unit personally gives legal orientation to institutions and victims. The Grave Human Rights Unit also participates in field missions to follow up on cases of alleged human rights abuses, meeting with victims, local NGOs and government authorities. The Grave Human Rights Unit members collaborate in the activities of the task forces created in the Office around the main issues, such as access to justice, torture, disappearances and the right of indigenous people to prior consultation, among others. In addition, the Grave Human Rights Unit prepares mission reports and reports for UN Special Procedures, treaty bodies and headquarters in Geneva.

The observance, respect for and protection of human rights is a fundamental pillar of the rule of law and democracy. In order to build prosperous, peaceful, just societies, all human rights must be ensured without discrimination, locating at the center groups in a condition of vulnerability.

OHCHR has observed the need to bolster the democratic institutions and to strengthen the capacities of the State to implement public policies with a human rights approach. It is crucial to promote the independence and separation of powers, the system of checks and balances, effective spaces for democratic participation, the judicial independence, the autonomy of human rights national and local institutions, as well as of other specialized bodies that promote and protect human rights in the country. In addition, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections; the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations; transparency; responsible public administration on the part of governments are key elements in order to build an atmosphere for the protection of all human rights.

In Mexico there is a strong and vibrant debate about the democratic institutions. Several proposals have been submitted under the Congress that could define the future of this environment.

The appointment of key public officials is also critical for the effective implementation of human rights. Several public positions have not been appointed and others could improve their standards in order to guarantee the requirements of knowledge, impartiality and independence. Promote the participation of civil society on these processes is also essential.

Under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of Grave Human Rights Violations Unit, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

- Contribute to research and collect information pertaining to human rights issues through monitoring human rights situations and from a variety of data sources (e.g. communications, publications, the press) to keep abreast of issues/events and provide up-to-date information;

- Assist in the analysis of information regarding substantive matters in the field of human rights, and recommend actions to be taken;

- Assist in drafting inputs for reports, communications for UN reports and correspondence relating to human rights matters;

- Provide inputs for meetings with relevant authorities to assist in strengthening their capacity for protection and promotion of human rights;

- Participate in interviews with human rights victims, relevant authorities and civil society organizations as part of the documentation of cases;

- Perform other tasks as required.

Results/Expected Outputs

- Documents with international human rights standards related to the democratic institutional framework and the enjoyment of human rights.
- Provision of monitoring and analysis of human rights situations and individual cases of human rights violations.
- Analytical mission reports for all field missions.
- Accurate new and updated cases in the human rights database.
- Contribution to communications on cases or human rights situations.
- The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs);
- Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
- A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.