Public Information Officer

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the principal United Nations agency responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights. It is part of the Secretariat of the United Nations, an inter-governmental organization made up of 193 Member States.
OHCHR’s headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. It maintains an office at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, country and regional offices, and human rights advisers assigned to United Nations Country Teams. It also manages United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has been operating in Cambodia since October 1993. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords had given the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) a mandate to monitor the human rights situation during the transitional period (1991-1993). Once the work of UNTAC was concluded, the Accords mandated the United Nations to continue its human rights work in the country. The Office’s programme developed from this mandate.

The OHCHR Cambodia Country Office is the oldest field presence of OHCHR. In fulfilling its mandate to promote and protect human rights, the Office works on three core areas: the Rule of Law Unit supports the development of a legal and institutional framework that protects the exercise of human rights, monitors the implementation of laws and policies, and assists the Government in fulfilling its treaty obligations; the Economic and Social Rights Unit promotes the implementation of laws and policies protecting people’s right to an adequate standard of living, including the right to social security; and the Civil Society and Fundamental Freedoms Programme helps to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations and individuals in the exercise of their rights to freedom of association, expression and assembly. The Public Information Officer will work directly with the management of the office under the responsibility of the Representative, and in close coordination with the programmatic units at country level and relevant sections at headquarters level.

Under the direct supervision of the Country Representative and in close coordination with the programmatic and administrative units of the Office, the Public Information Officer will have oversight over the communications activities of the office and assist with public communications, campaigns and also monitoring media for internal purposes. In particular, the Public Information Officer will undertake the following tasks:
• Establish and maintain regular contact with local and, ideally, international media;
• Undertake communications tasks and campaigns as needed and in coordination with programmatic units and country representatives;
• Draft press releases and draft/edit media responses where needed;
• Prepare daily media review of relevant news for distribution amongst a select address list.
• Participate in meetings and missions where required, provide photographic support and draft social media posts.
• Work in coordination with other members of the United Nations Communications Group.
• Develop strategy and implement campaigns on critical calendar days, such as Human Rights Day, working with external contractors where necessary.
• Provide advice to the unit heads and management on issues, developments or trends within the media that intersect with the mandate of the office.
• Draft human interest web stories and social media posts to illustrate human rights success stories or needs within the country office mandate.
• Liaise with the communications/media counterparts at OHCHR Headquarters in Geneva on all necessary matters.
• Carry out such other related tasks as requested by the Country Representative.

Furthermore, Public Information Officer are required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.