Job Description
Senior Human Rights Advisor (New York)
Description of the Organization: The International Disability Alliance (IDA) is an alliance of eight global and six regional organisations of persons with disabilities. We advocate at the UN for a more inclusive global environment for persons with disabilities and their organisations.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is our touchstone. We are invested in ensuring that the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals are inclusive and in line with CRPD.
We support organisations of persons with disabilities worldwide to take part in UN and international human rights processes and use international accountability mechanisms. With member organisations globally, IDA represents the estimated one billion people worldwide with disabilities. This is the world’s largest and most frequently overlooked marginalised group.
Background: While significant progress has been made towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the international human rights and development frameworks, concerted advocacy efforts are still needed to ensure that these commitments translate into an enabling environment that mobilizes stakeholders, enhances participation of DPOs and strengthens political will and the capacity of governments to implement the 2030 Agenda in line and together with the UNCRPD. This requires constant attention to ensure that human rights mechanisms uphold the highest CRPD standards and facilitating interconnections and consistency of these mechanisms with normative development frameworks.
In this context, IDA will continue to work to ensure increased internationally agreed diplomatic language within the General Assembly resolutions are compliant with the UNCRPD and CRPD Committee jurisprudence.
Furthermore, IDA will continue to work with the Conference of States Parties to ensure inclusion and meaningful participation of organizations of persons with disabilities.
IDA will pursue its work to ensure representation of and advocacy to advance the rights of persons with disabilities across the mechanisms and events related to 2030 Agenda, including the High-Level Political Forum.
This work needs to be done in a way that enhances consistency and coordination between intergovernmental bodies, UN agencies and UN system in New York, as well as consistency with intergovernmental human rights advocacy led by IDA in Geneva. In addition, IDA will explore new frontiers of advocacy, such as with private sector, the World Economic Forum, G7, G 20, Clinton global initiative and other emerging areas.
A. Working Environment
Location: New York
Reports to: IDA Head of Advocacy (based in Europe)
The Senior Human Rights Advisor will join an international team of 5 high-level specialists in Human Rights, development and humanitarian action, split mainly between Geneva and North-America.
B. Job Description
a) Mission
The Senior Human Rights Advisor is responsible to support IDA’s strategy to uphold the highest CRPD standards across all human rights mechanisms and institutions in New York as well as to support the mainstreaming of the rights of persons with disabilities across the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This Senior Human Rights Advisor will also explore new and emerging areas for advocacy, such as with the private sector, the World Economic Forum or G7/G 20 intergovernmental mechanism. S/he supports and advise on the inclusion of the rights of persons with disabilities across the work of the UN system including all relevant UN agencies. S/he also contributes to the transatlantic coordination of advocacy between Geneva and New York.
b) Responsibilities
1. Lead IDA advocacy at the Conference of State Parties to the CRPD (COSP) and the High-Level Political Forum, as well as any other relevant events at the UN New York headquarters
- Implement the advocacy strategy related to COSP, engaging with Member States, UN system and the Civil Society Coordination Mechanism to ensure an inclusive and participatory Conference of States Parties in line with the standards set by the CRPD;
- Coordinate the IDA overall advocacy and presence of IDA and IDA members at COSP;
- Sustain and increase the presence of IDA in engagement with the UN sustainable development pillar including on preparation and delivery of the DPOs engagement with the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF);Deliver IDA’s strategy and thinking on the SDGs, and generate ideas for policy, advocacy, and other initiatives to accelerate progress and tackle challenges to SDG implementation, including in areas such as financing, monitoring and accountability, global indicators and the intersection of SDGs and climate;
- Coordinate, oversee and provide technical guidance and mentoring to regional and national DPOs involved in developing SDG reports from a CRPD perspective;
- Coordinate the work of the Stakeholders Group of Persons with Disabilities and engagement of IDA and DPOs with the Agenda 2030 and implementation of the SDGs in UN, including the oversight and preparation of the annual HLPF position papers of the Stakeholder Group;
2. Lead the delivery of high-level advocacy towards the UN system in New York
- Deliver on the IDA advocacy strategy towards the UN General Assembly (UN GA), with particular focus on Second, Third and fifth Committee, as well as the annual political declaration of the UN GA;
- Contribute to cross-Atlantic collaboration in securing the coherence of messaging between Geneva and New York office of IDA, and lead on coordination with Member States as well as OHCHR and DESA, especially when it comes to thematic resolutions in Human Rights Council and General Assembly;
- Sustain and build the relationship with the Member States in New York, in particular the Group of Friends, as well as with the relevant UN agencies;
- Maintain and enhance strategic collaboration with strategic stakeholders such as UN Executive Office of the Secretary-General, UNICEF, UN DESA, UNDP, UN PRPD, UN Women, UNFPA; UN Statistical Division, IATF Secretariat for Financing for Development, UN Sustainable Development Branch
3. Contribute to new advocacy agendas
- Support the development of new partnerships and alliance allowing the sustained growth of IDA
- Create new advocacy opportunities in areas such as corporate world, global financial institutions, G7, G20, World Economic Forum, etc.
- Identify new agendas that, IDA should be present E.G.: food security, assistive technology, artificial intelligence ETC
- Support the Advocacy Director and the Executive Director in identifying new areas of cooperation with new stakeholders such as corporate world
- When possible create synergies between advocacy work and other IDA existing mechanisms such as GDS, GLAD, DRG ETC
C. Skills and Qualifications
a) Essential Requirements
- Master’s Degree in human rights, international development or a subject directly relevant to the position
- At least 8 years of experience in similar positions, including provision of consultancy services directly related and relevant to the position
- Prior experience in working with organizations of persons with disabilities, or organizations for persons with disabilities
- Sound knowledge human rights mechanisms and the UN system
- Strong knowledge of the UNCRPD as well as the Agenda 2030
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
- Strong sense of diplomacy and managing complex and multi-stakeholder communication, excellent inter-personal skills
- Ability to work collaboratively, to multi-task, to work under pressure and effectively manage time to respect multiple deadlines
- Willingness and availability to travel occasionally
- Previous experience of advocacy towards Member States and of engagement with diplomats at global or regional levels
- Understanding and awareness of IDA safeguarding policies. IDA works in multi-cultural environments and with persons with disabilities, who experience higher rates of discrimination, violence and abuse. Therefore we expect any staff, consultant or collaborator to understand and fully comply with IDA's Safeguarding policy and IDA’s Code of Conduct (available here: https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/reporting-fraud-abuse). IDA will not tolerate any form of abuse, violence, fraud, corruption, or any breach of IDA policies.
b) Desirable Requirements
- Ability to transfer complex UN human rights-related information and content to a variety of audiences
- Knowledge of at least one other UN language
- Lived experience of disability
- Willingness and ability to work occasionally at non-standard hours and to undertake regular travel.
D. Application
o All information given on the application will be treated in a confidential manner.
o IDA may save your application and reserves the rights to contact you for future opportunities. The organisation will keep your information during 18 months after the recruitment process; after that time period, your information will be deleted. If you prefer IDA to delete your application once the recruitment process is over, please mention it clearly in your email.
o Persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
o Please send your CV and a cover letter by email to recruitment@ida-secretariat.org, indicating in the subject line: “Job Application: Senior Human Rights Advisor”, before the 01st of March 2023, 8 pm CET.
o Please share your expected gross annual salary in your email.
Please ensure you respect the following:
o Please complete the form in type only.
o Only completed application (CV and cover letter) will be accepted.
o Please remember to take the time zone into consideration when submitting your application. Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Application process:
o After receiving your application, a confirmation of receipt will be sent to you via email. Should you not receive a confirmation, please contact the IDA Secretariat by email.
o Please be advised that only shortlisted applicants will be informed about the next steps of selection process.
o Please note that a selection process may last several months. No information will be released during this period.