Legal Advisor, Human Rights, Washington

• Organization: WHO - World Health Organization
• Country: United States
• City: Washington
• Grade: P-4
• Follow @UNjobs

Closing date: Wednesday, 1 February 2017

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Vacancy Notice No: PAHO/17/FT5
Title: Legal Advisor, Human Rights
Grade: P4
Contract type: Fixed-term Appointment
Duration of contract: Two year, first year probationary period.
Date: 4 January 2017
Application Deadline: 1 February 2017
Duty Station: Washington, D.C., United States of America
Organization unit: AM Americas (AM) / AMRO Americas Regional Office (AM/RGO) Office of Legal Counsel (LEG)
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
Provides advice and legal counsel to PAHO/WHO's Governing Bodies, Executive Management, PAHO/WHO Representations (PWRs), Centers, and Country Offices on all legal matters, including the application of national and international law to the Organization's programs and activities, constitutional, administrative, and procedural matters, as well as technical legal matters related to legislation and human rights law. Drafts, reviews, and/or negotiates contracts, treaties, agreements, resolutions, and any other type of instrument which has legal implications for the Organization. Represents and defends the Organization before the internal appeals process as well as the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labor Organization and other national or international judicial and quasi-judicial fora, as appropriate
Description of duties
Under the direct supervision of the Legal Counsel, Office of Legal Counsel (LEG), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties

• Advise Member States, in collaboration with Country Offices, on all international human rights issues and action strategies to promote the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health ('Right to Health') and other related human rights in Member States and on the formulation/review of national health-related laws, policies, programs and practices consistent with regional and international human rights laws and standards, PAHO Resolutions, especially Resolution on Human Rights and Health (CD50.R8), and Resolution on Health-Related Law (CD54.R9);
• Plan and participate in training activities in Member States and within the Organization on international and human rights norms and standards that protect the Right to Health and other related human rights especially in areas such as communicable diseases, noncommunicable diseases, risk factors, determinants of health, cross-cutting themes (Gender, Ethnicity, and Equity), the life course, health systems and services and outbreaks and crisis responses;
• Coordinate human rights efforts at the regional, national, and local levels and communicate regularly with Country Offices in coordination with Ombudsmen and other governmental officials working in the field of human rights; non-governmental institutions: members of civil society; consumer organizations and family members (among others) in order to prepare common activities and strategies on human rights and public health issues;
• Support the Organization's technical cooperation in the formulation, review and, if necessary, reform of national health policies, plans and legislation, incorporating the applicable international and regional human rights instruments, norms and standards;
• Serve as WHO focal point on Human Rights for the Americas (AMRO) in close collaboration with the corresponding WHO Headquarters Office and other regions of WHO and communicate with them virtually and face to face, as appropriate;
• Participate in on-site visits to national institutions such as hospitals, health services and health centers amongst others and prepare reports and/or draft strategies/plans of action for presentation to PAHO's Governing Bodies, Member States, Country Offices and Technical Units, as appropriate, in order to promote the application of regional and international human rights norms and standards;
• Collaborate with the UN treaty bodies and with the corresponding Special Rapporteurs and working groups in order to promote and protect the Right to Health and other related human rights in the Americas. Responsibilities include the drafting of PAHO/WHO's recommendations on country/thematic reports, observations and recommendations in close collaboration with WHO (HQ) and to be considered by the UN treaty bodies, working groups and Special Procedures, as appropriate;
• Collaborate with the Organization of American States' (OAS) organs, working groups and treaty bodies such as the Inter-American Commission and Court on Human Rights, as appropriate, in order to promote and protect the right to health and other related human rights in the Americas and especially in relation to the Rapporteurships of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Responsibilities include the drafting of legal instruments and technical opinions on the right to health and other related human rights to be considered by the OAS' organs, working groups and treaty bodies; participation in general and specific hearings, as appropriate; coordination of promotional activities such as training workshops and on-site visits to national institutions and other public health facilities as appropriate;
• Provide training and guidance to staff of the Organization to ensure that technical cooperation programs related to health delivery, incorporate and implement the regional and international human rights instruments, norms and standards into the programs of work;
• Participate in the PAHO Cross-Cutting Themes (CCTs) Secretariat, Working Groups and Technical Advisory Groups to provide advice on human rights issues as applicable throughout the entire Organization;
• Promote and stimulate collaboration and research with academic institutions, the private sector, civil society organizations, and other social actors, when appropriate, to promote and protect human rights, in keeping with the regional and international human rights instruments, norms and standards related to health;
• Promote the sharing of good practices and successful experiences among the Member States in close collaboration with Country Offices so as to prevent stigmatization, discrimination and exclusion of individuals, groups and peoples;
• Promote and provide support for mobilization of national and international resources to support the implementation of programs under areas of responsibility;
• When called upon to directly supervise staff, establish clear work objectives, conduct timely and effective performance appraisals, provide coaching and feedback, and support staff development opportunities;
• Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Essential: A university degree in Law and a master's degree in international law, political science, international relations or other discipline related to Human Rights from a recognized institution.
In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. In addition, PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.
Skills
Key Behavioral Competencies

• Intrainstitutional Action: Leads team efforts toward full understanding of the policies the organization must operate within as well as the Standard of Conduct for the International Civil Service. Leads employees and co-workers toward operating in a fair, consistent and equitable manner, and displays such behavior by example. Behaves consistently in accordance with the Code of Ethical Principles and Conduct of the Organization.
• Communication: Leads the development of an environment that actively establishes and proactively engages in productive dialogues that involve multicultural environments. Encourages the skills and behaviors that facilitate productive dialogues. Expresses points of view effectively.
• Analysis, Synthesis, and Forecasting: After analyzing situations on the basis of the available evidence and knowledge, leads one's area of responsibility toward individual and collective actions. Encourages the importance of continual analysis. Verifies and promotes that action is taken in situations that will require future intervention, based on ongoing analysis. Leads others in decisions needed to implement required actions. Is capable of anticipating the implications of analyzed situations between one and two years ahead.
• Teamwork: Embraces and leads consensual decision-making, that is, leading the fulfillment of team decisions, even when they may not fully coincide with one's own opinions or proposals. Knows how to manage difficult team situations and promotes consensus building. Takes responsibility for the team's successes and failures.
• Service Orientation: Makes concrete attempts to add value to the client, to make things better for the client in some way. Is always aware of the client's need (internal and/or external clients).
• Resource Mobilization: Works in an objective manner to obtain and apportion resources (financial and non-financial) according to need. Supports and advises technical areas to enable best use of resources are aligned with the mission and vision of the Organization. Is able to work in a multicultural environment. Is flexible and has the ability to work well under pressure. Is able to give feedback to partners within and outside the organization about the use of the resources and the results acquired.
• External Action: Promotes the values of the Organization through mutually relationships with external institutions. Monitors one's work using transparency in the execution of all tasks.

Technical Expertise

• Expert knowledge of the basic principles of constitutional law and regulations concerning public and individual health.
• Sound knowledge of health law, public health law and public international law, at the national and international levels.
• Sound knowledge of human rights and social/economic determinants of health.
• Demonstrated competence in policy and legislative analysis; experience analyzing and addressing policy issues; skills in overseeing and implementing policy and advocacy work.
• Sound knowledge of most relevant aspects of current issues in health and safety which could form the basis for policy making and legislation.
• Strong research skills. Knowledge of data collection and analysis methods. Familiarity with databases related to legislation. Experience conducting quantitative and qualitative participatory evaluations.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of global/international health policy, organizations and actors and technical and financial cooperation in health as applied to health legislation processes.
• Demonstrated ability to consult, build relationships/partnerships and work with stakeholder groups.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to function in complex, changing environments, and to work with diverse groups as well as independently.
• Ability to write, analyze and discuss the potential impact of health-related legislation and its surrounding environment.
• Ability to develop model legislation alternatives in support of or as part of policies dealing with specific health problems. Ability to adapt health legislation approaches/models to the specific national context and analyses and proposes measures to strengthen the legislative process related to health issues and policies.
• Knowledge and skills to assess the effectiveness of the enforcement of specific legislation and able to negotiate with high-ranking political and civil authorities to harmonize national legislation within the context of globalization and regional integration.
• Strong written and communication skills. Expertise in synthesizing complex issues and presenting and writing of policymakers, academics and other audiences.

IT Skills

• Demonstrated ability to effectively use a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook.
• Other IT skills and knowledge of other software programs such as Visio and Project would be an asset.

Experience

• Essential: Nine years of combined national and international experience preferably within the Regional and/or International Human Rights Systems in juridical work and human rights research, with emphasis on the Right to Health and public health issues; familiarity with human rights and public health, and legislative, judicial and socio political issues.

Languages

• Very good knowledge of English and Spanish.
• Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

Additional Information
PAHO OFFERS AN ATTRACTIVE COMPENSATION PACKAGE INCLUDING AN ANNUAL NET SALARY AND POST ADJUSTMENT, WHICH REFLECTS THE COST OF LIVING IN A PARTICULAR DUTY STATION AND EXCHANGE RATES (SUBJECT TO MANDATORY DEDUCTIONS FOR PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS AND HEALTH INSURANCE). OTHER BENEFITS INCLUDE: 30 DAYS ANNUAL LEAVE, DEPENDENCY BENEFITS, PENSION PLAN AND HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME. BENEFITS FOR INTERNATIONALLY RECRUITED STAFF MAY INCLUDE HOME LEAVE, TRAVEL AND REMOVAL EXPENSES ON APPOINTMENT AND SEPARATION, EDUCATION GRANT FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN, ASSIGNMENT GRANT AND RENTAL SUBSIDY.
CANDIDATES APPOINTED TO AN INTERNATIONAL POST WITH PAHO ARE SUBJECT TO MOBILITY AND MAY BE ASSIGNED TO ANY ACTIVITY OR DUTY STATION OF THE ORGANIZATION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
ALL APPLICANTS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE AN ON-LINE PERSONAL HISTORY FORM TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POST.
CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED ONLY IF THEY ARE UNDER SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. A WRITTEN TEST AND/OR INTERVIEW WILL BE HELD FOR THIS POST. THE POST DESCRIPTION IS THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION FOR ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSES.
NOTE: CHANGES IN SALARY SCALE. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVED A REVISED NET BASE SALARY SCALE STRUCTURE, WHICH WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE AS OF 1 JANUARY 2017. AS A RESULT, THE PRESENT DUAL (SINGLE AND DEPENDENCY) RATE SCALE WILL BE REPLACED WITH A UNIFIED SALARY SCALE WHICH WILL HAVE 13 STEPS AT GRADES P1 TO D1 AND 10 STEPS AT THE D2 LEVEL.
Annual salary: (Net of tax)
US$ 70,647.00 at single rate
US$ 70,647.00 with primary dependants
Post Adjustment: 45.7 % of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.
This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.
Online applications are strongly encouraged to enable WHO to store your profile in a permanent database. Please visit WHO's e-Recruitment website at: www.who.int/employment. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement.
WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.