Rule of Law and Business and Human Rights Associate

As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience. UNDP’s mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. We advocate for change, and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

India’s rapid economic growth and digital transformation have opened new opportunities for prosperity and innovation. Yet the benefits of that growth have not been evenly shared. Persistent socio-economic inequalities and justice deficits continue to hold back inclusive development, particularly for women, Scheduled Castes and Tribes, religious minorities, persons with disabilities, and migrant and informal workers.

Meaningful access to justice remains out of reach for many. The justice delivery system faces structural constraints, including a large pendency of cases and low judicial capacity. Digital innovations such as the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, Tele-Law, and emerging AI tools hold potential to improve efficiency and reach. Yet the digital divide, driven by geography, caste, gender, and income, continues to limit equitable uptake. Importantly, infrastructure gaps, limited digital literacy, and language barriers compound that divide.

India’s private sector plays a defining role in this transformation. But fragmented regulatory frameworks, weak enforcement, and limited awareness of human rights obligations, particularly among micro, small and medium enterprises, undermine equitable growth. Women and migrant workers remain overrepresented in precarious work. They face unsafe conditions, wage disparities, and limited access to remedy for workplace violations.

Against this backdrop, UNDP India is implementing its programming on strengthening institutional capacities for equitable justice delivery and sustainable economic development. The work advances two connected agendas. The first strengthens access to justice, including through an ‘Ease of Justice’ diagnostic study assessing the structural bottlenecks in judicial operations, ethical AI adoption in the courts and first-mile legal awareness through legal aid institutions and law universities. The second advances Business and Human Rights, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, human rights due diligence, and responsible consumption. The assignment sits within this programme. It supports both agendas under the guidance of the Business and Human Rights Specialist, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Unit.

Under the guidance and supervision of the National Program Manager, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, UNDP India, the UN Volunteer will carry out the following tasks:
Research, analysis and programme support
• Provide research and analytical inputs to advance Business and Human Rights and Responsible Business priorities in India, in line with national and international standards.
• Undertake supervised secondary research on sustainability and responsible consumption themes, and consolidate findings into actionable notes for programme design and stakeholder engagement.
• Provide drafting and quality assurance support for project documentation, including concept notes, proposals and briefs, and synthesise evidence to inform programme planning and advocacy.
• Support the identification and prioritisation of intervention areas for engagement on ethical AI adoption in justice delivery with the Supreme Court and High Court e-Committees and MeitY, and on first-mile legal awareness and legal aid outreach with National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), State Legal Service Authorities (SLSAs) and law universities.
• Support responsible consumption programming through the engagement and mobilisation of youth stakeholders on social and environmental sustainability, including youth-led advocacy on responsible production and consumption.
• Support the identification of intervention areas for private sector engagement, with a focus on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), on decent work, respect for human rights, environmental sustainability and the reduction of inequalities.

Communications and knowledge management
• Contribute to policy briefs, speeches, talking points and background materials that strengthen communication with stakeholders on the Business and Human Rights agenda.
• Proof-read and edit reports, booklets and other publications, and support the social media strategy for the programme.
• Document and help disseminate best practices and stories on responsible business and access to justice, and prepare presentations, visual representations and infographics as required.
• Assist in the organisation of webinars, conferences, events and forums, and support the team with other relevant tasks.

Engagement with the private sector, with a focus on MSMEs
• Support the building of networks with industry associations at the national and regional level, including on outreach, training, monitoring, reporting and evaluation.
• Support coordination and engagement on the uptake of human rights due diligence tools and processes with the private sector, sector by sector.
• Work closely with UN system-wide coordination groups, industry associations and civil society actors on the agenda.

The UN Volunteer will perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the office.