Human Rights and Conservation Expert at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

• UNEP has been working on human rights and the environment for almost two decades and engages with Members States and other actors to promote, protect and respect human rights including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

UNEP wishes to engage the services of a consultant to:

• Assist UNEP to organize meetings and consultations in 2024 in polishing the draft human rights principles for conservation funding, including identifying key stakeholders and drafting background documents for these events.
• Update and revise the draft human rights principles for conservation funding incorporating feedback including from the ICCA Consortium, conservation organizations as well as conservation funders.
• Develop political strategies aimed at the endorsement of the human rights principles for conservation funding by conservation organizations, conservation funders as well as Indigenous Peoples organizations and other rights holder groups.
• Develop an options paper for a forum on human rights and conservation.
• Review and advise UNEP on policies, papers, and publications related to human rights and the environment.
• The consultant will work under the supervision of the Legal Officer of Frontiers in Environmental Law Unit, Law Division.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced level law degree from a university or institution of equivalent status with specialization in environmental and human rights related field, including natural resources management, environmental assessment, environmental policy, or law is required.
• A minimum of fifteen years of experience working on the intersection between human rights law and environmental law.
• Prior experience working on conservation and human rights, procedural rights, intergovernmental bodies, international organizations, including United Nations agencies; Engaging effective communications with diverse organizations and audiences interacting and coordinating large networks/groups; Prior experience in stakeholder and partnership engagement and experience in analyzing information and drafting recommendations, are required.

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

• Direct working experience in environmental law or environmental policy.
• Excellent writing and communications skills.
• Excellent research and analytical skills, in particular in legal analysis, and expertise in independent research and review.
• Results focused.
• Clear and concise communication.
• Demonstrated capacity to work in a consultative manner, good networking and good inter-personal skills.
• Excellent organization and partnership management skills.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.