Refugee Higher Education and Complementary Pathways Assistant

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 co-ordinate 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).

ContextThe 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). The UNHCR Regional Bureau for East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes (EHAGL) supports country operations in enhancing access to higher education and expanding complementary education pathways for refugees. The Bureau is committed to fostering sustainable solutions for refugee education and building capacity across the region. This UN Volunteer assignment will play a key role in advancing these objectives.

Task DescriptionUnder the direct supervision of the Associate Complementary Pathways Officer and in close collaboration with the Education team, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: 1. Development of a regional Student Outreach Approach: o In collaboration with complementary pathways and communication colleagues, support the development of outreach materials, including information guides and digital content, to raise awareness about available higher education and scholarship opportunities. o Maintain partnerships with educational institutions, NGOs, and community-based organizations, diaspora refugee groups and refugee-led organizations (RLOs) to support outreach efforts. o In coordination with universities, support with organizing virtual education clinics and webinars with various universities and COs, targeting different scholarship programmes for refugees. (This is done twice a year). o Support with Organizing regular regional learning exchanges, delivered by internal and external experts where appropriate. This may include CO-to-CO, partner-to-partner, or inter-regional exchanges to foster shared learning and best practices. 2. Maintain a database or repository of higher education scholarship opportunities: o Assist with Updating the mapping of relevant initiatives and programmes available to refugees (to be carried out in 2025), including but not limited to university programmes, bridging programmes, skills training programmes, language skilling/certification programmes, vocational skills programmes (TVET), internships, traineeships, and voluntary work opportunities. 3. Implementation of the Refugee Fellowship Programme: o Provide administrative and logistical support for the Refugee Fellowship Programme, which will support two master’s degrees for refugee students engaged in education-related research or studies, including application processes, selection, and onboarding of fellows. o Monitor the progress of fellows and gather feedback to improve the programme’s implementation. o Ensure timely communication with participating fellows and other key stakeholders. 4. Coordination and Oversight: o Maintain a database of higher education and complementary pathways opportunities for refugees in the region; share this resource with and liaise with other colleagues delivering outreach and guidance on higher education and complementary pathways access in the region. o Track key performance indicators related to higher education and complementary pathways, preparing regular progress reports. 5. Compilation of Periodic Newsletters: o Support with the compilation of information from country offices (COs) to draft periodic education and complementary education pathways newsletters, featuring inspirational stories, good practices, and updates on ongoing initiatives. 6. Administrative and Logistical Support: o Assist in coordinating meetings, events, and field missions related to education and complementary pathways. o Support the development of funding proposals and donor reports related to education and pathways initiatives. 7. General Responsibilities: o Stay informed about global and regional developments in refugee higher education and complementary pathways. o Ensure the integration of gender, diversity, and inclusion principles in all activities. o Perform other duties as required by the supervisor. Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned 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: • 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). • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. • Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc. • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers. • Promote and utilize the UNV Online Volunteering service providing themselves and their organizations with flexible, free of charge, Online Volunteer capacity to support their efforts. Information and promotional material can be found in the onsite kit.

Competencies and valuesProfessionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNHCR technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to 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; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviors while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behavior; does not abuse power or authority. • 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; • 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. • 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. • 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; • 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

Living conditions and remarksThe Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO). Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP. The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate. Link to the Entitlement Calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator