4 answers
Maria
Student
Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
1
Question
Asked
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How is it like to work at UN? What do you specifically do working with the part of humans rights?
I’m a student from Brazil and next year I will join an university. I wanna do the International Relations course and in the future work in the UN with human rights, traveling all around the world and helping others. #career #International #Travel # #job # #work #work #humanrights #humanitarian #UnitedNations #Un #Global # #travel #Helping #Politics #PoliticalScience
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4 answers
Ana Gaspar
Learning Delivery Portfolio Manager
1
Answer
São Paulo, Brazil
Updated
Ana’s Answer
Hi Maria,
I think that working at the United Nations (UN) is a dream for many young people like you. Before working at IBM I was a consultant at UNOPS, a UN agency for projects and services, so I will share some points with you.
Major: the UN is huge. There are many agencies related to all human rights. This means you can have any degree. Anyone really. My first degree is in History, just to give you my point of view. The thing here is, you don't necessarily need a degree in International Relations to work at the UN. In terms of hard skills, I would recommend investing in language learning, that is a big differentiator. In my experience I worked with Portuguese and Spanish. So, my advice here is: take the course that catches your attention the most and pay attention to the skill standards that each agency has. At UN, for example, this is the skills matrix: https://hr.un.org/sites/hr.un.org/files/Un_competency_development_guide.pdf
I worked on my professional development on these skills and they helped me not only in my work with the UN, but also in getting other jobs like the one I have today at IBM.
Role: I worked on a project to guarantee education for young people in conflict with the law. My role as a consultant in this project was to ensure that young people would have access to an emancipatory and innovative education that could support them in their processes of resocialization and rebuilding bonds with society and the community. I exchanged experiences with several experts, financiers and government managers at state and federal levels.
Travel Expectations: I'm not sure if all UN workers have such recurring travel commitments. In my case again, I did 100% remote work from Brazil. And I worked on projects in my country and in Panama. I never traveled for work during my time at UN.
Types of employment: there are many opportunities for temporary workers and not just official employees. Additionally, there are many volunteer and internship opportunities for those just starting their careers.
Finally, move on. Invest in your studies and refine your skills based on the UN skills matrix.
Read the UN competency matrix.
Get to know the different UN agencies.
Get in touch with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and choose 1 or 2 to research and try to find projects that interest you.
I think that working at the United Nations (UN) is a dream for many young people like you. Before working at IBM I was a consultant at UNOPS, a UN agency for projects and services, so I will share some points with you.
Major: the UN is huge. There are many agencies related to all human rights. This means you can have any degree. Anyone really. My first degree is in History, just to give you my point of view. The thing here is, you don't necessarily need a degree in International Relations to work at the UN. In terms of hard skills, I would recommend investing in language learning, that is a big differentiator. In my experience I worked with Portuguese and Spanish. So, my advice here is: take the course that catches your attention the most and pay attention to the skill standards that each agency has. At UN, for example, this is the skills matrix: https://hr.un.org/sites/hr.un.org/files/Un_competency_development_guide.pdf
I worked on my professional development on these skills and they helped me not only in my work with the UN, but also in getting other jobs like the one I have today at IBM.
Role: I worked on a project to guarantee education for young people in conflict with the law. My role as a consultant in this project was to ensure that young people would have access to an emancipatory and innovative education that could support them in their processes of resocialization and rebuilding bonds with society and the community. I exchanged experiences with several experts, financiers and government managers at state and federal levels.
Travel Expectations: I'm not sure if all UN workers have such recurring travel commitments. In my case again, I did 100% remote work from Brazil. And I worked on projects in my country and in Panama. I never traveled for work during my time at UN.
Types of employment: there are many opportunities for temporary workers and not just official employees. Additionally, there are many volunteer and internship opportunities for those just starting their careers.
Finally, move on. Invest in your studies and refine your skills based on the UN skills matrix.
Ana recommends the following next steps:
Katie Do Guthrie
Field Marketing Manager
2
Answers
San Diego, California
Updated
Katie Do’s Answer
Wonderful you're interested in a career in international relations and global studies. A few professionals have recommended the U.S. State Department, which is a good idea if you are really keen on becoming a U.S. diplomat. Also highly suggest you can apply for internships through the State Department as well. I was able to do one in Taiwan as a junior in university, another friend did her internship at the U.S. Embassy in Venezulea. Both epic times and great for the resume.
My major was International Relations with a Master's Degree in International Economics. Luckily I was able to put my degrees to work at UNICEF, the UN agency advocating for children. Working for Unicef is one of the most fufilling professional accomplishments I have done. The UN, has many specialized organization under the main UN name, is another good career path to consider. Here is a list of the main agencies: https://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/funds-programmes-specialized-agencies-and-others/index.html There are UN internships, you can look for them under each agency.
Finally, an International Relations degree can also be put to use at global multi-national corporations. Currently, I work as a Field Marketing Manager at Dell Technologies. Dell has offices in almost 100 countries, so I can use my background to bring value to a large global company.
My favorite piece of advice -- STUDY ABROAD! Later when the current health situation is better, studying abroad is a must. Both professionally and to grow as a young person to see the world. Working at UN agencies has been the highlight of my professional career so far. Wishing you best of luck!
Be efficient in one of the 5 main UN languages (English and Chinese is likely most useful)
Learn about the different UN agencies Here is a list of the main agencies: https://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/funds-programmes-specialized-agencies-and-others/index.html
Study Abroad!
My major was International Relations with a Master's Degree in International Economics. Luckily I was able to put my degrees to work at UNICEF, the UN agency advocating for children. Working for Unicef is one of the most fufilling professional accomplishments I have done. The UN, has many specialized organization under the main UN name, is another good career path to consider. Here is a list of the main agencies: https://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/funds-programmes-specialized-agencies-and-others/index.html There are UN internships, you can look for them under each agency.
Finally, an International Relations degree can also be put to use at global multi-national corporations. Currently, I work as a Field Marketing Manager at Dell Technologies. Dell has offices in almost 100 countries, so I can use my background to bring value to a large global company.
My favorite piece of advice -- STUDY ABROAD! Later when the current health situation is better, studying abroad is a must. Both professionally and to grow as a young person to see the world. Working at UN agencies has been the highlight of my professional career so far. Wishing you best of luck!
Katie Do recommends the following next steps:
Jane Hernandez
Teach - retired
20
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Jane’s Answer
Dear Maria,
Having never worked at the UN, I can only surmise. In College we had an opportunity to participate in what was called a Mock UN. It was a simulation of the real experience. It was held on a Saturday and we used all the classrooms on one floor. It was very exciting. Then a month or so later we had another one in another city with other schools participating. We each acted as delegates to the UN. We made resolutions, some of which no doubt had to do with human rights.
What impressed me was how much politics was involved in the whole operation. The delegates need public speaking ability. Language isn't much of an issue because the UN hires hundreds of translators.
There are other ways to travel around the world helping others. For example, there is an organization called Habitat for Humanity. There are many volunteer opportunities as well.
Ask in the University you will be joining if they have something like a Mock UN. If not, maybe you could help organize one.
Also ask if they know of any volunteer opportunities to travel to other parts of the world under the auspice of the University with the intent to help with human rights issues.
Having never worked at the UN, I can only surmise. In College we had an opportunity to participate in what was called a Mock UN. It was a simulation of the real experience. It was held on a Saturday and we used all the classrooms on one floor. It was very exciting. Then a month or so later we had another one in another city with other schools participating. We each acted as delegates to the UN. We made resolutions, some of which no doubt had to do with human rights.
What impressed me was how much politics was involved in the whole operation. The delegates need public speaking ability. Language isn't much of an issue because the UN hires hundreds of translators.
There are other ways to travel around the world helping others. For example, there is an organization called Habitat for Humanity. There are many volunteer opportunities as well.
Jane recommends the following next steps:
Melissa Reardon
Independent Consultant
1
Answer
Washington, Washington
Updated
Melissa’s Answer
Hi Maria,
I did an internship with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights while I was in graduate school, and I am happy to share some insights. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), based in Geneva, is the main human rights agency in the United Nations. It employs people with a wide variety of skills- many people have a regional expertise in human rights, like human rights in Latin America, and many others who are experts in a specific thematic area, like gender equality, business and human rights, or human rights and the environment. All employees are committed to the protection and promotion of human rights, have knowledge of international human rights law and the international systems that address human rights abuses.
Human rights officers also have a number of different functional roles. Some are based in field offices in countries around the world, including conflict zones, who monitor the news and other local sources for information about the human rights situation in that country, and report on this information to OHCHR headquarters and other UN agencies. Field agents often work with local government officials to educate them about human rights and offer training and technical assistance. If an alleged human rights violation occurs, it is often the human rights officer's responsibility to investigate. There are also many talented human rights officers who work in Geneva, who monitor certain thematic issues across the world, writing reports, conducting research, drafting letters and writing speeches. There are human rights officers that manage the workings of the human rights treaty bodies, ensuring that these bodies can meet and their decisions are recorded. There are also human rights officers who arrange travel and logistics for important trips to investigate human rights violations across the world. There are also human rights officers that have technological skills, like statistics and GIS mapping, who can help record human rights violations as they occur. There are many roles you can take if you would like to be human rights officer- it is good to explore them all.
Additionally, its important to note that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is the main human rights body in the United Nations, but it is not the only place where you can work on human rights issues. UN Women works on the protection and promotion of women's rights across the world. UNICEF is the UN agency focused on children's rights. UNFPA manages the UN efforts on women's reproductive health and rights. UN High Commissioner for Refugees manages refugee rights across the world. Again, there are many options here, take some time to research and learn about the different UN agencies and what issues they cover.
Finally, a few things to think about: If you are interested in human rights, try to take a course in International Human Rights Law at your university. English and French are the two functional languages of the UN, so try to work on gaining proficiency (if not fluency) in one or both of them. There are many opportunities to take an internship at a UN agency while at university, and there are many UN offices based in Brazil that cover a variety of topics. Finally, I would encourage you to look at UN Volunteers, which is a resource fewer people know about. UN Volunteers allows people to volunteer with different UN agencies on a variety of topics. There are special programs for young people- called UN Youth Volunteers, where you could work in your home country or in countries around the world, with a small stipend. These opportunities are competitive, but would give you direct experience working with the UN. UN Volunteers also has opportunities to volunteer online- some tasks are simple, like editing and translation, and some are more difficult (building websites). But take a look and see if there is something that interests you. And as someone else mentioned, it is a good idea to take a look at some job descriptions for UN human rights officers, to see what skills the UN is looking for in candidates.
Hope this was helpful. Best of luck!
Check out UN Volunteers at https://www.unv.org/become-volunteer
Look to see if your university has a course in International Human Right Law
Gain professional proficiency in English and/or French
Look at job descriptions for UN Human Rights Officers: go to careers.un.org , and look for 'political, peace and humanitarian' under job network and then 'human rights affairs' under job family.
I did an internship with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights while I was in graduate school, and I am happy to share some insights. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), based in Geneva, is the main human rights agency in the United Nations. It employs people with a wide variety of skills- many people have a regional expertise in human rights, like human rights in Latin America, and many others who are experts in a specific thematic area, like gender equality, business and human rights, or human rights and the environment. All employees are committed to the protection and promotion of human rights, have knowledge of international human rights law and the international systems that address human rights abuses.
Human rights officers also have a number of different functional roles. Some are based in field offices in countries around the world, including conflict zones, who monitor the news and other local sources for information about the human rights situation in that country, and report on this information to OHCHR headquarters and other UN agencies. Field agents often work with local government officials to educate them about human rights and offer training and technical assistance. If an alleged human rights violation occurs, it is often the human rights officer's responsibility to investigate. There are also many talented human rights officers who work in Geneva, who monitor certain thematic issues across the world, writing reports, conducting research, drafting letters and writing speeches. There are human rights officers that manage the workings of the human rights treaty bodies, ensuring that these bodies can meet and their decisions are recorded. There are also human rights officers who arrange travel and logistics for important trips to investigate human rights violations across the world. There are also human rights officers that have technological skills, like statistics and GIS mapping, who can help record human rights violations as they occur. There are many roles you can take if you would like to be human rights officer- it is good to explore them all.
Additionally, its important to note that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is the main human rights body in the United Nations, but it is not the only place where you can work on human rights issues. UN Women works on the protection and promotion of women's rights across the world. UNICEF is the UN agency focused on children's rights. UNFPA manages the UN efforts on women's reproductive health and rights. UN High Commissioner for Refugees manages refugee rights across the world. Again, there are many options here, take some time to research and learn about the different UN agencies and what issues they cover.
Finally, a few things to think about: If you are interested in human rights, try to take a course in International Human Rights Law at your university. English and French are the two functional languages of the UN, so try to work on gaining proficiency (if not fluency) in one or both of them. There are many opportunities to take an internship at a UN agency while at university, and there are many UN offices based in Brazil that cover a variety of topics. Finally, I would encourage you to look at UN Volunteers, which is a resource fewer people know about. UN Volunteers allows people to volunteer with different UN agencies on a variety of topics. There are special programs for young people- called UN Youth Volunteers, where you could work in your home country or in countries around the world, with a small stipend. These opportunities are competitive, but would give you direct experience working with the UN. UN Volunteers also has opportunities to volunteer online- some tasks are simple, like editing and translation, and some are more difficult (building websites). But take a look and see if there is something that interests you. And as someone else mentioned, it is a good idea to take a look at some job descriptions for UN human rights officers, to see what skills the UN is looking for in candidates.
Hope this was helpful. Best of luck!
Melissa recommends the following next steps:
Hello Maria, to add to Melisa answer I can highly recommend UNV ( United Nations Volunteers) program to check for open positions in Human Rights area. This can give You insights how UN works. I have done it and worked as UNMISS (United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan) in the logistics area.
Agnieszka Kicun