Researcher on Uzbekistan

Organization: Human Rights Watch

Website: HRW

Title: Researcher on Uzbekistan

Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Salary: HRW seeks exceptional applicants and offers competitive compensation and generous employer-paid benefits.  HRW will pay reasonable relocation expenses and will assist employees in obtaining necessary work authorization, if required; citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply. 

Description:  
This Associate position, based in the Moscow office, will provide HRW's Moscow-based staff with logistical, administrative, and clerical assistance, including, but not limited to: maintaining extensive files, contact lists, and databases; maintaining communication among HRW's Moscow office and international offices; drafting and editing correspondence and other documents; retrieving and responding to requests for information; preparing, formatting and distributing documents such as press releases, reports, tables, charts, briefing papers, publications and web content; preparing for and taking minutes at meetings; arranging meetings; assisting with special events; assisting with hiring and training; assisting with travel arrangements and follow-up; assisting with research for HRW reports and other publications, and occasional translating; processing expenses and recording departmental finances; updating ECA's website to keep pace with events; photocopying filing, faxing, answering phones, and processing incoming mail.

This is a full-time opportunity for candidates with a strong interest in a future career in international human rights as it offers close supervision by HRW staff and the opportunity to gain valuable exposure to the work of an international human rights organization.  The Associate may have the opportunity to assist HRW's Moscow staff with research and monitoring activities, including interacting with local and international organizations, Russian officials, and visiting foreign delegations; helping with the collection of evidence of human rights abuses, including taking complaints; attending and taking notes at trials; and other tasks as they may arise.This is a full-time appointment in HRW's Europe and Central Asia ("ECA") division, to be based in Tashkent.  The Researcher will be responsible for developing and implementing research and advocacy agendas focusing on Uzbekistan.


Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Monitoring, investigating and documenting human rights abuses in Uzbekistan based on fact-finding field investigations as well as information gathered from other sources;
• Interviewing victims and witnesses to document human rights violations;
• Analyzing the compatibility of Uzbekistan's laws and policies with human rights law;
• Maintaining working relationships with local and regional human rights activists, journalists, diplomats and others;  
• Developing local, regional and international advocacy strategies to generate pressure for improvements in practices in Uzbekistan;
• Working with local groups and activists, including through coalition work and campaigns with local groups;
• Expanding contacts with government officials and human rights groups in Uzbekistan, and international organizations, the diplomatic community and multilateral institutions based in the region;
• Developing media strategies to highlight human rights issues in Uzbekistan;
• Producing, in a concise, accurate and timely manner, a range of written documents including detailed reports, shorter briefing memos, press releases, op-eds and letters to officials;
• Responding promptly to queries from the press, the public and colleagues in the human rights community; and
• Other responsibilities as may be assigned.

Qualifications: 
The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree in law, international relations, regional studies, journalism or a related field; several years of human rights experience, ideally with significant experience conducting on the ground research; and a demonstrated commitment to international human rights. Experience interacting with the media is highly desirable.  HRW seeks applicants who can be based full-time at the organization's office in Tashkent.  Candidates should be prepared to travel extensively in the region and occasionally to New York for consultations.  Candidates should be fluent in Russian and have excellent oral and written English skills.   Proficiency in Uzbek is desirable.

To Apply:
(no calls or email inquiries, please) by emailing in a single submission: a letter of interest describing your experience, your resume, names or letters of reference, salary requirements, and a brief writing sample (unedited by others) to eca@hrw.org.  Please use "Uzbekistan Researcher Ref ECA-09-1033-A" as the subject of your email.  If emailing is not possible, send materials (please do not split a submission between email and regular post) to:

Human Rights Watch
Attn: Researcher Search (Uzbekistan Researcher Ref ECA-09-1033-A)
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Fax: (212) 736-1300