Organization: UNHCR
Location: Mekele
Closing Date: May 15, 2022
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Protection Associate normally reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff.
The Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC) and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.
The Protection Associate also ensures that PoC are involved in making decisions that affect them, 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.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
Duties
– Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
– Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
– Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to PoC.
– Provide advice on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
– Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC.
– Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
– Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy.
– Contribute to a country-level education plan as part of the protection strategy.
– Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
– Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
– Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
– Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
– Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems.
– Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
– Assist the supervisor in prioritizing PoC for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
– Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
– Assit the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
– Submit individual payments request for PoC for approval.
– Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education
Not applicable
Certificates and/or Licenses
International Law, Political Science
or other related field
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified
Desirable
Protection Learning Programme
Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Language Requirements
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates. Competencies as defined in Job Profile Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).
An eliminatory or complementary written test for shortlisted candidates may be conducted which will be followed by competency-based interview.
Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.
Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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See below for this position’s Operational Context
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Nature of the Position
On 4 November 2020, military confrontations between federal and regional forces in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, which borders both Sudan and Eritrea, led the Government to declare a State of Emergency. Since then, and despite the announcement of an official end to military operations in late November, large areas of Ethiopia’s Tigray region are still affected by armed clashes and insecurity, leading to further forced displacement of population particularly in Western Tigray. Since fighting broke out, mass casualties have been reported in different parts of Tigray, while over 50,000 Ethiopians have fled to neighboring Sudan. The situation has adversely affected the refugee population who resided in Tigray, comprised of approximately 100,000 Eritrean refugees. UNHCR was able to reach the refugee camps in March 2021, and found them destroyed, while the refugee population had fled. A relocation process began in late January. Internal displacement in Tigray has occurred on a massive scale.
The Protection Associate reports to the Associate Protection Cluster Coordination Officer. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures, and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff. The Protection Associate is expected to contribute to the delivery of quality, timely and effective protection responses to the Protection Cluster partners and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all cluster partners. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive Protection Cluster Strategy and liaises externally with authorities and Protection Cluster partners on protection delivery as guided by the supervisor. The Protection Associate also ensures that PoC are involved in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems.
The Protection Associate assist in the design and implementation of protection surveys and profiling exercises, in protection reporting, minutes taking and record keeping, in protection coordination (protection cluster and protection-related working groups). Experience working in refugee/IDP emergency responses in similar functions, case management, experience of government/NGOs social protection programmes and experience of conducting academic researchers will be an asset.
Living and Working Conditions
Staff members should be prepared to operate under challenging conditions with extremely limited resources. The staff members will be working within a city that has been isolated for several months due to the crisis which began in November 2020. The office deals primarily with several local camp environments with inherent risks to staff health. Regardless of information campaigns, there are realistically few, or no COVID-19 protocols adhered to by the camp(s) population. Staff wear masks but will often work within large groups of refugees who do not. There is still no second round of cholera and COVID-19 vaccines for the populations of concern, nor sufficient drugs and medical supplies. While the primary hospital is functioning, it is currently running low on medical supplies. Most pharmacies in town are open, but they also struggle to get medical supplies, so staff with prescriptions should come with at least 3 months of prescription medication. Communications blackout persists in Tigray with no mobile network and Wi-Fi as all local internet companies are closed. In Shire, the office relies on VSAT for internet connectivity. Although there are functioning banks, there is still a serious shortage of cash. So, staff are advised to bring along a cash reserve. It is recommended that first time travelers to the duty station dispense sufficient funds from the ATMs in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. The Closing Date for Submission of Application is Tuesday 17 May 2022 (Mid Night Ethiopia Time).