A piece of Advice by OHCHR’s Birgit Van Hout
The next theme for our second interview is all about “advice”. So to anyone out there interested in Human Rights, Women’s Rights or would simply like to know more about different areas out there — then continue reading!
I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Birgit van Hout earlier on this year. Birgit is the EU Regional Representative and Head of the Brussels Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR for short) and kindly agreed to do this interview with me.
Aisha/PWI: Thanks a lot for taking the time today! You are currently working as the Regional Representative for Europe & Head of Brussels Office for the UN Human Rights, why did this type of work within the UN interest you and how did you get started?
Birgit/OHCHR: You’re welcome. To answer your question; I have always had a strong sense of justice and a keen interest in international politics. I knew early on that I wanted to be an agent of change by putting humanitarian and human rights law at the service of the most disenfranchised, wherever they may be. For a number of years, I led an NGO in the US, fostering dialogue among racial, cultural and religious communities. Two years ago, I became Regional Representative for Europe. It has been a great journey so far and I consider myself very fortunate.
Aisha/PWI: Can you tell us some of the key missions of the OHCHR’s Brussels Office?
Birgit/OHCHR: The key thematic areas of engagement for our regional office for Europe are (1) countering the erosion of civic space and protecting human rights defenders, (2) advancing equality and the positive recognition of diversity, (3) advocating for the dignity and rights of migrants, and (4) supporting the integration of human rights in the EU’s external action and development policies.
Aisha/PWI: What piece of advice would you give to any young person, who wants to start their career within the UN framework too?
Birgit/OHCHR: Joining the UN today means competing with talent from around the world, so it’s not easy. Also, as the UN seeks to balance its staffing profile to reflect the face of the world, more opportunities need to be given to persons, particularly women, from the global South who are underrepresented in the UN. Most colleagues at the UN Human Rights Office join the organization after having spent a number of years in the field working with an NGO or peace mission, or after having gained global experience as diplomats for their countries. Nowadays, service in hardship duty stations is often a prerequisite to be recruited for a headquarter position. There is also the UN entrance exam and the UN through the UN Volunteer Programme (UNV). UNV positions, however, do not automatically translate into jobs in the UN system. In the current unfavourable budget climate, sadly many UN colleagues spend years on temporary contracts. You have to be really determined to make it work, but it’s not impossible.
Aisha/PWI: Do you have any words of warning, as a result of your experience?
Birgit/OHCHR: My first advice is to find ways to promote and advance human rights in your own neighbourhood, community, or country. You don’t need to be a human rights professional to stand up for human rights. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities that are extremely fulfilling. Volunteering also demonstrates a commitment that is taken into account when applying for a job in the human rights field. It remains difficult for women to combine an international career with having a family, as mobility is a requirement now for most UN positions but it is not impossible.
Aisha/PWI: In the last few years, do you feel there are more and more women present in these institutions, more specifically in the OHCHR?
Birgit/OHCHR: Interestingly, female staff make up the majority at OHCHR, except at managerial levels (P-5 and D-1), and men are significantly underrepresented at junior levels. I believe we have a momentum now with the Secretary-General’s System-Wide Strategy for Gender Parity, which mandates gender parity at all levels of the organization. The effort that needs to be made is not just about numbers; it’s about transforming the UN’s culture, establishing an inclusive, supportive and diverse workplace. It remains difficult, however, to recruit women to serve in non-family duty stations. However, we now have the tools now to create a more level playing field, and time will show how effective we are at implementing these new instruments
Last but not least, Aisha/PWI: Birgit, you have spent most of your career travelling and working for organisations across almost different areas of the world, some of the places are also seen as dangerous. How was it adapting to each country, especially as a young woman?
Birgit/OHCHR: In Bosnia, I supervised the first elections after the war in the Republika Srpska. Hundreds of survivors of ethnic cleansing were bussed in to cast their ballot in a makeshift tent under the sweltering heat. I remember some 30 snipers standing on the hill right above the polling station pointing at the crowd. People started to panic. I only had a megaphone to calm a very tense situation. I will never forget that day. In Guatemala, I lived in the remote area on the border with Mexico, without water and electricity most of the time. The extreme marginalization and deprivation had led to high rates of child labor, alcohol addiction and domestic violence in the indigenous communities where we worked. Since the State justice system was virtually absent, public lynching for petty crime, like stealing a cow, were commonplace. We were called upon to intervene in very dangerous and desperate situations, but most of all I recall feeling very powerless in the face of so much individual and collective misery. In East Timor, when preparing the popular consultation on independence from Indonesia, I received death threats myself. When the pro-independence vote won, the militias attacked and I had to be evacuated by helicopter. But in East Timor, the health risks were as daunting as the security risks. Many colleagues got malaria, while others suffered from hallucinations or depression caused by the prophylaxis. And for someone with arachnophobia like me, the huge spiders were an important source of stress. In 2004, I lost my boss Sergio Vieira de Mello and 22 colleagues in the Canal Hotel bombing in Iraq, an attack that left our office traumatized. Over the years, I do believe the UN has gotten much better at security planning, mitigating risk and preparing its staff for challenging assignments.
My own experiences taught me to keep an open mind and remain humble. It’s not for nothing that integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity are the UN’s core values.
