Special Rapporteur on Slavery & Trafficking - Independent UN Human Rights Council Expert, with Extensive Professional Experience in Human Rights

The Secretariat of the Human Rights Council is now accepting applications for the following additional vacancy:

Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons
(Human Rights Council resolution 60/25)

Note: The call for applications for the newly established mandate of Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons was launched on 27 October 2025. To be considered for this newly established mandate, all interested candidates who previously applied for the mandate of Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences need to reapply under the new call for applications before the 8 December 2025 deadline, using the new online survey and new application form. Applications submitted for the mandate of Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences will not be considered for this new mandate.

This unremunerated United Nations expert position established by the Human Rights Council on 8 October 2025 is expected to be filled at the Council’s 61st session (23 February – 2 April 2026), with the appointment to be made at the end of that session. Individuals seeking appointment should have extensive recognized professional experience and expertise in the field of human rights, with an emphasis on the particular human rights issues to which the position relates.

The “special procedures” of the Human Rights Council are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. Special procedures are either an individual (called "Special Rapporteur" or "Independent Expert") or a working group composed of five members, one from each of the five United Nations regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Western European and other group. These experts are appointed by and report to the Human Rights Council.

Candidates eligible for the vacancies in Working Groups are only nationals of States belonging to the specific regional groups for which specific vacancies have been advertised.

The work of independent mandate holders is unpaid. Those appointed as mandate holders serve in their personal capacities. They are not United Nations staff members, they are not based in United Nations offices in Geneva or at another United Nations location, and they do not receive salary or other financial compensation, except for travel expenses and daily subsistence allowance of “experts on mission”. Their specific functions are defined in the HRC resolutions creating or extending their mandate. Candidates must be available to perform effectively the functions of the mandate and to respond to its requirements, such as participating in Working Group and Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, travelling on country missions, drafting reports according to established deadlines, organizing and participating in consultations and meetings, addressing allegations of human rights violations with all concerned, providing advice to States and other stakeholders on issues related to their mandate and engaging with a variety of stakeholders. Candidates should be able to dedicate an estimated time of four to six months per year to the work of a mandate depending on its workload.