The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the principal UN entity mandated to promote and protect human rights globally, has announced a range of career opportunities for January 2026. These openings span professional, general service, consultancy, and internship categories, offering diverse pathways for candidates committed to human rights, equality, justice, and international law.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has listed the vacancies for the January 2026 recruitment cycle. The locations are set in Geneva and multiple duty stations worldwide across several contract types, which include professional and higher categories (P-level, D-level), General Service (G-level), consultancies, internships, and short-term/temporary appointments.
Vacancies provide opportunities for both early-career professionals and experienced specialists in human rights law, advocacy, policy analysis, programme implementation, field operations, research, and communications.
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Types of positions
The positions include professional and higher categories. These competitive posts require advanced academic qualifications and relevant professional experience in human rights or related fields. Roles may include human rights officers, legal officers, monitoring and reporting specialists, policy and advocacy officers, field operation coordinators, and programme managers.
A candidate who holds an advanced university degree (Masterâs or equivalent) in law, human rights, international relations, political science, or a related field and demonstrated expertise in human rights mechanisms, treaty bodies, or field-based monitoring. The candidate must have multilingual proficiency, often including English and another UN official language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, or Chinese).
General service positions
These roles provide essential administrative, operational, and programmatic support across OHCHR offices. The roles include administrative assistants, programme support assistants, communications support, and logistics and operations support.
The candidates who want to apply must have a high school diploma with relevant work experience or a post-secondary qualification and demonstrated competency in administrative tasks, office systems, and UN procedures.
Consultancies and short-term contracts
OHCHR periodically recruits consultants and specialists for discrete assignments, research projects, or technical support activities. These may include human rights research and analysis, development of training materials, support for special procedures or country mandates, and technical reporting and documentation. Consultancy engagements often require subject-matter expertise and the ability to deliver defined outputs within specified timeframes.
Internship Programme
The OHCHR Internship Programme offers a unique opportunity for students and recent graduates to gain firsthand exposure to international human rights work. Interns typically support research and documentation, preparatory work for human rights mechanisms, communications and stakeholder engagement, and support for special rapporteurs and mandate holders.
Interested candidates must possess university enrolment or recent completion of a relevant degree, excellent research and writing skills, and a demonstrated interest in human rights.
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How to apply?
The candidates must visit the UN Careers Portal. The candidates must register or log in to the official UN Careers website and search for OHCHR Vacancies. The candidates are advised to use the âOrganisationâ filter to select the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and review job descriptions. Each vacancy includes detailed information on responsibilities, qualifications, competencies, duty station, contract type, and application instructions. Apply.
The candidates are required to upload a tailored CV, cover letter, and any required supporting documents before the vacancy deadline.
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OHCHR offers professionals and emerging talent a chance to be candidates who desire to contribute to international human rights norms and standards, engage with governments, civil society, and multilateral partners, support human rights defenders and rights-holders globally, work in multidisciplinary, multicultural environments, and influence policy and practice on issues such as gender equality, freedom of expression, economic rights, and justice reform.
