Org. Setting and Reporting
The Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is
the Secretariat department responsible for strengthening international human rights mechanisms; enhancing equality and countering discrimination; combating impunity and strengthening accountability and the rule of law; integrating human rights in development and in the economic sphere; widening the democratic space; and early warning and protection of human rights in situations of conflict, violence and insecurity.
This announcement broadcasts international internship assignments with the OHCHR Tunisia Country Office. Attached to the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa
Branch (APMENAB) of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division (FOTCD),, and in collaboration with other OHCHR entities, it is responsible for OHCHR's work in Tunisia. Throughout its various activities, the Office is supporting the Tunisian authorities, civil society organizations, the various national mechanisms/bodies mandated to protect and promote human rights and other relevant actors through the provision of technical cooperation, training, and advocacy. This role is undertaken with an inclusive and gender sensitive approach that ensures the meaningful participation of all stakeholders, in close cooperation with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT).
For more information on the Tunisia Country Office of OHCHR, visit: https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/tunisia/our-presence
Based in Tunis, under the overall guidance of the Deputy Representative, the intern
reports to a Human Rights Officer. This assignment shall be offered for an initial period of three (3) months, renewable for a combined period of six (6) months, upon further approval by the supervisor, with an initial commencement date ranging/starting from January to June 2023.
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.
This internship is an UNPAID and full-time engagement that provides a framework through
which students from diverse academic backgrounds gain exposure to the work of the United
Nations by way of their service within Secretariat entities. Applicants should have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations with a personal commitment to
the ideals of the Charter, and have the demonstrated ability to successfully interact with
individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs - which includes willingness to
understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, APPLICANTS MAY BE
REQUESTED TO UNDERTAKE THE INTERNSHIP REMOTELY IN VIEW OF
CONSTRAINTS REGARDING VISA ISSUANCE, INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND
ACCESS TO UN PREMISES. APPLICANTS MUST BE WILLING AND PREPARED TO
UNDERTAKE THE INTERNSHIP REMOTELY FOR A PART OR THE ENTIRETY OF
THE INTERNSHIP.
THE UNITED NATIONS IS COMMITTED TO BUILDING A DIVERSE AND
INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE AND WELCOMES APPLICANTS FROM DIVERSE
BACKGROUNDS AND COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
MIGRANTS AND/OR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. APPLICANTS SHOULD
INDICATE THEIR PRESENT MATRICULATION STATUS AND PERIOD OF
AVAILABILITY IN THE APPLICATION COVER LETTER. Responsibilities
The intern shall support OHCHR in fulfilling its mission: to work for the protection of all
human rights for all people; to help empower people to realize their rights; and to assist those
responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented.
Daily responsibilities of the Tunisia Country Office human rights intern will depend on activities being carried-out within the Office and the individual's background.
Duties may include but are not limited to assisting the Country Office in the systematic collection and analysis of information regarding the human rights situation in Tunisia and in the preparation of reports, documents and other written
materials and, in particular, the intern may: assist the Country Office in researching and drafting various notes, daily and monthly updates/reports or background materials on issues of human rights concern being monitored by the Office; support human rights officers in carrying out legal research and drafting thematic human rights briefers;; support human rights officers in the preparation and delivery of technical cooperation activities;; assist the head of office and human rights officers
in attending events and taking minutes of meetings; support the Country Office in compiling and managing data pertaining to human rights developments; and perform other related duties
as requested by supervisor, as appropriate. Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: 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.
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 the 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.
CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be \"clients\"
and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; establishes and maintains productive
partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients' needs and
matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the
clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of
progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. Education
High school diploma or equivalent is required.
Work Experience
No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this
internship fluency in French or English is required, knowledge of the other is desirable.
Working knowledge of Arabic is also desirable Assessment
Incomplete applications/personal history profiles (PHPs) will not be reviewed. Middle East
and North Africa Section hiring managers will directly contact short-listed applicants for an
interview. For this reason, in the application cover letter it is important that you:
-Specify your general interest in OHCHR, including in the human rights issues, including
their political, ethnic, racial, gender equality and socio-economic dimensions and, particularly
in the work of the Middle East and North Africa Section;
-Indicate the scheduled graduation for university study currently underway or more or actual
graduation date for recently obtained degree;
-Indicate information technology (IT) skills and programs in which you are proficient;
-Specify your period of availability and earliest commencement date; and
-Provide three references in support of submission.
Download the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which is available for the
hearing impaired, in the official United Nations working languages at:
For English click here on https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?
LangID=eng, for French click here on https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.
aspx?LangID=frn Special Notice
FAMILY RELATIONS: Applicants who are children or siblings of a staff member shall not
be eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. For the purpose of participation in
the internship programme, \"child\" means: (a) the child of a staff member; (b) the child of the
spouse of a staff member (stepchild); or (c) the son- or daughter-in-law of a staff member.
\"Sibling\" includes a half-sibling or step-sibling.
CONDITIONS AND TERMS: Download the Secretariat UN Internship programme
administrative policy in either of the Organization's official working languages (i.e. English
and French) at: http://undocs.org/ST/AI/2020/1
APPLICATION PROCESS: You may view the full list of United Nations Secretariat
employment opportunities at: https://careers.un.org. Qualified individuals who have created
an Inspira account may apply directly at: https://inspira.un.org/
WORKING HOURS: Interns must adhere to the established weekly working hours of the
duty station where the assignment is located. Working hours shall not exceed 5 days per week
(40 hours), including one hour lunch break.
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.
The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.
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.
This vacancy is archived.