Background

Independent Board of Human Rights (IBHR):

 In 2010 steps were taken to create an independent national human rights institution. In May 2010 the Kurdistan Regional Parliament passed a law (Law no. 4/2010) formally establishing an Independent Board of Human Rights in the Kurdistan Region (IBHR) replacing the former KRG Ministry of Human Rights and taking over all of its staff and property. The law specifies that:

  • The Board will be answerable to the Kurdistan Parliament, will be headquartered in Erbil, and will have the right to open branches in the other governorates;
  • The overall purpose of the Board is to enhance respect for and protection of human rights in accordance with international human rights law and standards, and to raise awareness about human rights;
  • The head or president (Sarok) of the Board will be selected by the Council of Ministers of the Kurdistan Region, subject to approval by the Kurdistan Regional Parliament.

 Based on the law in its current form, the Board is a government-affiliated body rather than an independent human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles on human rights institutions set down in UN General Assembly resolution 48/143 (1993).

 Article 4 of the law lists a range of responsibilities for the Board, including:

  • Advising concerned ministries and departments about human rights;
  • Advancing a culture of respect for human rights;
  • Ensuring that the laws of the Kurdistan Region comply with international human rights principles;
  • Evaluating state compliance with human rights law;
  • Preparing reports and convening seminars and meetings on human rights;
  • Monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in prisons, detention centers, shelters and other such centers;
  • Receiving, investigating and acting on complaints about human rights violations;
  • Co-operating with non-governmental and civil society organizations which are engaged with human rights issues;
  • Co-operating with international human rights organizations and other institutions to represent the Kurdistan Region in international conferences and meetings on human rights;
  • Preparing an annual report on the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region.

 In November 2013 an Annual Working plan has been drafted and the Board agreed to focus on the following priorities:

  • Raising awareness on Human Rights through the improvement of educational structures;
  • Promoting the role of women in public life;
  • Reducing Domestic Violence and enhancing protection for female victims of violence;
  • Enhancing participation of Youth and Children;
  • Advancing legislation to abolish the death penalty.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Reviewing of the current Action Plan for 2014;
  • Reviewing the organizational structure of the Board; and propose a comprehensive and inclusive structure in line with the Board mandate;
  •  Develop Terms of References for departments, offices within the Board and identify the human resources capacity needed.
  • Assess the capacity needed for the IBHR and outline relevant training programme targeting the core technical and administrative staff;
  • Asses the development of outreach and communication strategy for the IBHR;
  • Assist the IBHR in identifying priority and thematic areas for work;
  • Developments of strategic action plan for the coming two years a long with timeframe and budget;
  • Establish and create case management capacity within the IBHR that includes, enhancing the capacity of the staff to receive cases, investigate violations, documentation of the case and report writing;
  • Assist IBHR to design a capacity development needs during crises, particularly for IDPs and Refugees;
  • Assist IBHR to create a good coordination mechanism among Government and non-government institutions.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

  • Ethics and Values;
  • Organizational Awareness;
  • Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring;
  • Working in Teams;
  • Communicating Information and Ideas;
  • Self-management and Emotional Intelligence;
  • Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements;
  • Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning;
  • Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making.

 Functional Competencies:

 Job Knowledge and Technical Expertise:

  • Ability to produce well written reports demonstrating analytical ability and communication skills;
  • Ability to work with the organization commissioning the evaluation and with other evaluation; stakeholders to ensure that a high quality product is delivered on a timely basis;
  • Knowledge of issues concerning local governance;
  • Facilitation skills and ability to manage diversity of views in different cultural context.

Required Skills and Experience

 Education: (Score weight 30%)

  • PHD or Master in Law, International Relations, Social Sciences, or related fields.

 Work Experience: (Score weight 40%)

  • 15 years of Experience in writing analytical research reports/ project reports/consultancy reports.
  • Previous work experience with National Human Rights Commissions is required.

 Skills: (Score weight 20%)

  • Experience in developing and implementing communications strategies for parliaments and other government institutions;
  • Knowledge of UNDP results-based management.

 Language: (Score weight 10%)

  • Fluency in English both written and spoken;
  • Fluency in Arabic both written and spoken/or Kurdish will be an asset.