Timeframe: March 7 – June 5, 2022 (13 weeks, remote)

Deadline to apply: February 27, 2022

The mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights is looking for a research assistant to assist with the preparation of a country visit to Kyrgyzstan.

Description: The position will consist in conducting research on the nature of poverty in Kyrgyzstan, including main groups affected by poverty, regional distribution, and key features of rural poverty, as well as collecting research, organizing spreadsheets, proposing social media posts, etc. Expected outputs include a research memorandum of 20 to 30 pages focusing on poverty in Kyrgyzstan and polished after a series of revisions. Other outputs may include media roundups, contact lists, and other assistance as appropriate.

The research assistant can expect to learn about the work of the Special Rapporteur (and by extension the UN Special Procedures and the UN Human Rights system as a whole) through working closely with his team; hone in their writing skills; acquire knowledge about cutting-edge policy issues relevant to the eradication of poverty; and learn how we use human rights to deliver on their promise of social justice.

Qualifications: graduate student in law, public policy, or related discipline; knowledge of social policy and/or labor rights through academic, professional, or personal experience; experience conducting critical and message-focused literature reviews; ideally some knowledge of international law and human rights, including socio-economic rights, an asset.

Languages: English and Kyrgyz required; Russian an asset.

Workload and compensation: Applicants should be available to devote a minimum of 10hrs/week to this position over the course of 13 weeks. Compensation has been set at 13€/hr for a total maximum of 1,820€ (against timesheet and deliverables).

How to apply: Please send your CV, a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, and a short unedited writing sample in English (ideally relevant to the abovementioned topics) to jobs@srpoverty.org before February 27. Please send these documents in one email attached as three separate files named with the format “LAST NAME, Name – CV/Cover letter/Writing sample”. You may send any questions to paula.fernandez-wulff@srpoverty.org.

For more information about the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, please visit: