Mission and objectivesUNHCR's primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, and to return home voluntarily.
ContextThis UNV assignment is part of UNHCR project on assistance and protection (including seeking durables solutions) for Burundian refugees and asylum seekers and internal displaced persons in Uvira and Baraka in DRC. The project aims to support the social services offer to refugees and IDP, strengthen international protection for Burundian refugees and protection for IDP while seeking durables solutions and promoting inclusion of the PoC in national system in collaboration with Government counterparts, UN agencies, NGO and civil society actors. The Protection Assistant normally reports to the Protection Officer in the Office and performs a variety of functions related to protection activities within the office in Bukavu area The supervisor defines general work objectives, and the incumbent completes the work independently. Work is controlled for meeting expected results and conformity to policy and procedures by the supervisor. In term of duties, he/she will oversee the main tasks below: - Provide functional and administrative support to the protection unit on protection related liaison, correspondence, monitoring, case management and reporting activities in Bukavu area. - Support the protection unit in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and in providing quality, timely and effective protection responses to persons of concern (PoC). S/he may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on correspondence and/or protection issues as guided by the supervisor. - Facilitate the involvement of PoC in making decisions that affect them through AGD approach, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners in Bukavu area. - Provide support to protection unit on the implementation of voluntary repatriation, local integration, child protection and protection monitoring activities in Bukavu area,
Task DescriptionWithin the delegated authority and under the supervision of Protection Officer in the office, the UNV Protection Assistant will: - Observe and respect protection related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). - Provide functional and administrative support in all protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. - Provide functional and administrative support in implementing participatory approaches, needs assessments, monitoring, reporting and case management. - Support assessments on durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement. - Facilitate liaison with competent authorities for the issuance of personal and other relevant documents. - Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). - Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share. - Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners. - Perform other related duties as required by the supervisor. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: โข Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); โข Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. โข Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. โข Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. โข Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. โข Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. Results/expected outputs: As an active UNHCR team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: โข Liaison is systematically established with government counterpart (including CNR and other competent service) to facilitate the issuance of personal and other relevant document for PoC, โข Assessments on durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement are conducted, โข Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment โข A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed
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 remarksSince roughly 3 decades, the number of inhabitants has increased significantly in Bukavu, due to immigration from rural areas, business opportunities, and spatial planning problems in the surrounding areas of the city where people have no access to water, electricity, and roads. According to current estimates, Bukavu has more than one million residents and it is one of the most populated cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The above-mentioned demographic explosion was not accompanied by the enlargement of the city and therefore resulted to poor and insecure housing and infrastructure, problems related to housing conditions and tenure insecurity in the city. However, medical facilities are available in Bukavu, but urgent medical conditions are mostly referred to Goma (North Kivu). Therefore, candidates with conditions requiring regular treatment or medical supervision should be appropriately advised. As a general advice, applicants for the post should be psychologically prepared for the aforementioned context. Banking facilities are available; there also is an unlimited access to communication means, such as internet, telephone sim cards etc... The Office is also equipped with PAMA. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.