Human Rights in Conservation Specialist at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – July 2025

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Legal Officer of Law Division’s Frontiers in Environmental Law Unit, the consultant will:

• Organize consultations for strategy development
• Coordinate the planning and logistics for consultations aimed at developing implementation strategies for UNEP’s Core Human Rights Principles for Private Conservation Organizations and Actors.
• Engage with key stakeholders, including representatives from private conservation organizations, human rights experts, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities to ensure an inclusive consultation process.
• Document and synthesize feedback from consultations to inform strategy recommendations.
• Support multistakeholder platform coordination
• Facilitate and coordinate the multistakeholder platform dedicated to implementing the Core Human Rights Principles, fostering cross-sector engagement.
• Develop and maintain engagement materials to keep stakeholders informed.
• Assist in scheduling, organizing, and documenting platform meetings, preparing agendas, and tracking action points to ensure smooth coordination.
• Stakeholder engagement and outreach Conduct outreach and manage relationships with diverse stakeholders to strengthen buy-in for the Principles, focusing on the inclusion of rights holders, including Indigenous Peoples.
• Collaborate with human rights experts and other stakeholders to gather insights and recommendations that will enhance the implementation strategies.
• Reporting and documentation
• Prepare a detailed final report summarizing activities, outcomes, and recommendations based on consultations and platform engagements.
• Provide periodic updates to the Law Division’s Frontiers in Environmental Law Unit on progress, challenges, and key milestones.
• Other relevant assignments
• Undertake relevant additional tasks, as requested by the Legal Officer, including supporting fundraising efforts.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced level law degree from a university or institution of equivalent status with specialization in environmental law, or human rights law, including natural resources management, environmental assessment, environmental policy, or environmental justice.
• A minimum of fifteen years of experience, and at least 10 working on the intersection between human rights law and environmental law. Prior experience working on conservation and human rights; and procedural rights
• Prior experience working with intergovernmental bodies. Working experience in engaging and effective communications with diverse organizations and audiences interacting and coordinating large networks/groups.