Forensic Coordination Associate, Colombia, L6

Organization profile

Every year, millions of people around the world go missing as a result of conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, irregular migration, and other causes. This is a complex global challenge that can be tackled effectively through cross-cutting programs that address a variety of difficult, interconnected issues.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) is the only international organization tasked exclusively to work on the issue of missing persons. It works with governments and other stakeholders, including families of the missing, to help them develop and maintain successful missing persons processes. To learn more about ICMP click here.

ICMP’s Colombia Program

In the aftermath of half a century of conflict, Colombia faces a legacy of more than 85,000 cases of missing and disappeared persons. The inclusion of this issue in the Final Peace Agreement signed in November 2016, provides an exceptional opportunity to advance efforts to account for missing persons and to secure the rights of victims.

ICMP is mandated under the Peace Agreement to assist this process. It has identified the most important challenges and is supporting the Search Unit, families of the missing, civil society organizations and parties to the Peace Agreement in their efforts to secure long-term peace and reconciliation. ICMP is working closely with its international and Colombian partners to make a positive and practical contribution to this process.

Position Background

Under the direct supervision of the Forensic Coordinator, Forensic Coordination Associate’s main duties and responsibilities will include the following:

• Support the Forensic Coordinator in the design and participate in delivering targeted forensic archaeological and/or anthropological training for technical and non-technical personnel employed in domestic institutions responsible for the search, location recording and recovery of human remains and associated evidence in mass graves and other body disposal contexts
• Support the Forensic Coordinator in the design of assessment frameworks and conduct targeted assessments of domestic institutions to establish capacity and infrastructure gaps related to forensic science, in line with international norms and standards of forensic best practice
• Assist in the planning and organization of formal meetings and field missions with external partners and other stakeholders.
• Deployment to the field and/or mortuaries to support the program objectives
• Be responsible for the documentation of the day to day monitoring and documentation of initiatives and generation of institutional knowledge and understanding of the forensic-related activities in Colombia
• Support the participation in exchange activities with other country programs as these further ICMP's delivery of results, in particular in the region of Latin America
• Provide translation from/to English and to/from Spanish as required
• Other related duties as assigned