Human Rights Monitoring Associate (Gender Equality)

OHCHR’s office in Mexico works to ensure that institutions, Government authorities, and the United Nations Country Team have adequate information, understanding, and skills to identify human rights concerns and to develop measures to address them effectively. OHCHR-Mexico also works to ensure that civil society and human rights victims have increased awareness of human rights standards and mechanisms.
Main activities are focused on technical cooperation and legal advice on harmonization of legislation, development of indicators on human rights, support the elaboration of public policies with human rights based approach, follow-up the international recommendations, gender and human rights, amongst other issues, and monitoring of human rights situation throughout the country, with emphasis on grave human rights violations (such as enforced disappearances and torture) as well as the situation of human rights defenders and journalists and the right of indigenous peoples to prior consultation.
OHCHR-Mexico is divided into several functional units: Administration, Grave Human Rights Violations, Gender and ESCR, Democratic Space, Vulnerable Groups, Indicators and Public Communications. The UNV would be part of the Democratic Space Unit, which currently consists of a coordinator (international staff) and an international UNV. The Democratic Space Unit personally receives complaints of alleged human rights violations and gives legal orientation to victims, particularly human rights defenders, and journalists. The Democratic Space Unit also participates in field missions to follow up cases of alleged human rights violations, meeting with victims, family members of victims, local NGO´s and government authorities

The UN Youth Volunteer will be part of the Gender and ESCR Unit. According to the OHCHR Management Plan (OMP), the Gender and ESCR Unit has strategic priorities which includes (1) Non-discrimination: States advance gender equality and combat gender-based discrimination and stereotypes against all women and girls; (2) Mechanisms: State institutions enhance their engagement with international human rights mechanisms particularly on women´s human rights, mainstreaming gender perspective and the intersectionality principle.


In Mexico, despite significant progress in strengthening the legal framework and public policies to protect women's rights and to promote gender equality, challenges regarding gender-based violence persist. An average of nine violent deaths of women and girls are recorded every day. 7 out of 10 women over the age of 15 reported having experienced some type of violence throughout their lives. OHCHR-Mexico, especially the Gender and ESCR Unit supports authorities and other relevant stakeholders in their efforts to protect and promote the equal rights of all, particularly women’s rights and to monitor compliance with international obligations. 

Under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of the Gender and ESCR Unit, the UN Youth Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Supports substantive research and analysis on issues pertaining to gender equality and non-discrimination and assesses their impact on the human rights situation in Mexico.

Contributes to monitoring the human rights situation of women and people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities, collects and analyses gender-specific data and indicators.

Assists in the provision of technical support to authorities, Civil Society Organizations, and (Women) Human Rights Defenders with a view to reinforce their capacity and supporting the formulation and/or revision of legislation and policies in line with international human rights standards and jurisprudence in the area of women’s rights and gender equality.

Participates in interviews with relevant authorities, civil society organizations, human rights victims, and human rights defenders specializing in the rights of women, people of diverse sexual orientation, and gender identities.

Assists in drafting inputs for reports, communications for UN reports and correspondence relating to human rights matters, particularly related to gender equality and women’s rights.

Supports in other tasks as required.