Mission and objectivesThe Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org). In line with this mandate UNHCR supports the Republic of Uganda in protecting individuals who seeks asylum in the country as well as those in the country at risk of being stateless or who already are considered stateless. UNHCR also provides direct assistance through implementing partners to refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda. UNHCR puts strong effort into identifying durable solutions for all refugees in Uganda and to reduce the risk of persons in the country becoming stateless.
ContextUNHCR Field Office Moyo reports to Sub Office, Adjumani. It is in Moyo District in northern Uganda and shares a border with South Sudan to the north and east, Adjumani District to the south across the West Nile, and Yumbe District to the west. Moyo District comprised West Moyo and Obongi Counties and has an estimated population of 140,000. Obongi became a District on 1 July 2019. Over 94% of Moyoโs population lives in rural areas and depends on natural resources for their livelihoods. More than 85% of the districtโs households mainly depend on substance agriculture as their main economic activity; most agricultural production is for household consumption. Only 9.7% of the population was dependent on earned incomes and 0.4% on property income by 2014 statistic. 99% of the households relies on wood fuel for their domestic energy needs. Palorinya Refugee Settlement in Obongi District was established in December 2016. It hosts 130,889 refugees verified as of 31 March 2024. The settlement still receives new arrivals from South Sudan. The profile of refugees in Palorinya is characterized by a high proportion of children (56%) and women (26%), and other vulnerable categories of refugees. At-risk children (6%) include orphans, unaccompanied and separated children, teenage mothers, etc. Protection priorities include ensuring access to asylum and documentation; protection from crime and access to justice; registration; child protection; SGBV mainstreaming, prevention and response; protection-based social welfare support to persons with specific needs; and community feedback and referrals. In addition, UNHCR maintains simultaneous protection presence at litigation desks at the four food distribution points in Palorinya, to address and resolve the litigation cases. UNHCR Field Office Moyo collaborates with the Office of the Prime Minister, Moyo and Obongi District Local Governments incorporating relevant line ministries, UN, and NGO partners to provide protection, basic social services and livelihood support for refugees and host communities in Palorinya Settlement, Obongi District.
Task DescriptionUnder the direct supervision of the Head of Field Office, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: - Ensure that UNHCRโs policies, standards and procedures are constantly and coherently applied in the Area of Responsibility (AoR). - Ensure that the needs of persons of concern in the AoR are assessed and analysed in a participating manner and using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective to form a firm basis for planning. - Ensure that protection incidents and gaps in assistance are immediately identified and addressed. - Identify vulnerable groups or individuals who may need special attention or special arrangements and make recommendations on the needs of different groups of refugees. - Assess protection and assistance needs of refugees and asylum-seekers in the region and monitor implementation of refugee assistance programmes. - In co-ordination with implementing partners, handle the reception, registration and provision of assistance to persons of concern to UNHCR. - Provide inputs for project submissions and periodic narrative and financial reports for the annual programme. - Develop and maintain relations with local authorities ensuring smooth negotiations in all aspects of UNHCR's mandate for the benefit of refugees. - Monitor the security situation in the area and intervene as appropriate with the local authorities. - Participation in needs assessment as a member of the Multi-Functional team - In close coordination with programme and project control, monitor project implementation and provide feedback on the progress to the relevant units/sections - Undertake other relevant duties as required.
Competencies and valuesโข Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNHCR; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNHCR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; โข Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organizationโs interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; โข Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; โข Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. โข Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; โข Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; โข Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; โข Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNHCRโs mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.
Living conditions and remarksThe Moyo Field Office is in Moyo District and is part of the West Nile Region, Uganda and approximately 490 km (10 hoursโ drive) by road from Kampala. FO Moyo covers UNHCR operations and representation in Moyo and Obongi Districts. The primary populations of concern are South Sudanese refugees hosted in Palorinya Settlement in Obongi District while the UNHCR field office is located 5 km from Moyo town along the Kampala/Moyo road. Moyo is generally hot throughout the year averaging at 30 degrees centigrade. Physical in-frastructure is characterized by poor roads, unstable and unreliable power supply, and a network coverage which is fair with available internet connectivity. Travel through Moyo is mostly by road, with two locations to cross the River Nile from Adjumani District by ferry at Laropi or Obongi. Moyo is also reachable by road via Arua and Yumbe, where UNHCR has two Sub Offices. Moyo town has a small civilian airfield, but it is not yet cleared for UN travel. Moyo Town has roughly 20,000 inhabitants. The centre is dominated by Govern-ment buildings. There is one commercial bank with ATMs (Stanbic) where one may trans-act in Uganda Shillings and US Dollars. There is a market where basic commodities and fresh produce are sold. Moyo District Hospital and Moyo Mission hospital are the 2 major hospitals operating on a 24-hour basis. UNHCR staff receive medical treatment in Kampa-la and other towns. There are two UNDSS-cleared hotels as well as several restaurants where local food is served. The security situation is generally calm, with the main threat being petty crime. Moyo is a family duty station with a 12-weeks R&R cycle for interna-tional staff. There is housing available for rent, with the endorsement of UNDSS for MORSS compliance. Lack of schools and social amenities means that most staff have rented accommodation in Moyo Town and do not live with their families. In October 2023 a new UNHCR Guesthouse, adjacent to the office in Moyo was opened and most interna-tional staff are residing there. The Head of a UNHCR Field Office (HoFO) is the most senior position at the FO Moyo with full managerial responsibilities both administrative and operational including repre-senting the organization, as appropriate, to authorities, UN sister agencies, partners and other stakeholders on protection issues, programmes and humanitarian interventions. The incumbent reports to the Head of UNHCR Sub-Office in Adjumani.