Associate RSD Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

The primary purpose of UNCR is to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee. Together with partners and communities, UNHCR works to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country. UNHCR also strives to secure lasting solutions. For over half a century, UNHCR has helped millions of people to restart their lives. They include refugees, returnees, stateless people, the internally displaced and asylum-seekers. Our protection, shelter, health and education has been crucial, healing broken pasts and building brighter futures .

Context

Multi Country Office (MCO) Panama covers nine countries and territories in Central America and the Southern Caribbean, with field offices/units in six of these countries (Aruba, Belize, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname). Of the Southern Caribbean countries covered by MCO Panama, there is a different legal and protection context for refugees in each country: Aruba, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago have ratified or acceded to both the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Although Trinidad and Tobago has a national refugee policy, it has not yet been fully implemented, nor does it have any domestic refugee legislation. Guyana and Curacao are not parties to either to the 1951 Convention nor its 1967 Protocol, and have no policies relating to refugees or asylum-seekers. The lack of refugee legislation or policies results in significant protection gaps for refugees in the Southern Caribbean. In the absence of domestic asylum adjudication systems in majority of the Southern Caribbean countries, the office implements the strategic use of Refugee Status Determination (RSD) under UNHCR’s mandate for a diverse population comprised of over 30 countries of origin, with Venezuelans comprising the highest number of asylum-seekers in the Southern Caribbean. Although there are generally no restrictions on refugees’ freedom of movement within the various Caribbean countries, many refugees are required to report periodically to the immigration authorities, have limited access to work or education rights, and have no path to permanent residency, thus precluding them from a durable solution. At the same time, several countries in the Caribbean use detention as a migration management strategy, and there are examples of refugees detained under threat of deportation or refouled to their country of origin. Therefore, the prospects for local integration are limited, where refugees cannot effectively exercise their rights. Caribbean small island states, given their limited resources and absorption capacity, welcome resettlement efforts as a demonstration of responsibility-sharing. Within this context, UNHCR uses resettlement strategically in the Caribbean to respond to refugees with the most urgent needs and to support efforts to create more favorable asylum procedures and local integration prospects. The Associate RSD Officer is a member of the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) team. Under the direct supervision of the RSD Officer (RSD Supervisor), s/he is responsible for conducting RSD interviews to determine eligibility for refugee status, undertaking country of origin (COI) and other research related to the claim, as required, and drafting RSD assessments, including for complex cases.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Associate Protection Officer the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Strategic Direction and Coordination: • Stay abreast of legal, political, security and other developments which impact on the protection environment, and in particular, on protection delivery through RSD. • Assist in the development of the RSD strategy of the operation and in the annual planning exercise. • Contribute to the development and enhancement of regional and global RSD standards and policies. Response and Advice: • Review RSD decisions and provide appropriate feedback and guidance to RSD staff (Note: RSD UN Volunteers are not authorized to endorse and co-sign RSD decisions). • Conduct RSD interviews and draft RSD Assessments in accordance with applicable standards and guidelines. • Maintain accurate and up-to date records and data related to all work on individual cases. • Provide counselling to asylum seekers and refugees. • Assist in designing, implementing and revising, as required, operation-specific SOPs for all aspects of the RSD operation in accordance with applicable standards and policies. • Systematically apply an age, gender and diversity (AGD) perspective in the performance of assigned functions. • Assist in monitoring RSD trends and in compiling and analysing RSD statistics related to RSD case processing to identify and respond to developments or issues impacting on the efficiency or quality of RSD decision-making, and to propose remedial measures. Advocacy, Information Management and Research: • Conduct research on country of origin information (COI) and legal issues related to RSD and assist in maintaining a local repository of relevant information, guidelines and standards accessible to RSD staff in the operation. • Ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities, and legal partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice. • Assist in developing and maintaining processes to ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities, and partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice. • Assist in initiatives to advocate with and support Government authorities and legal partners to establish and strengthen fair and efficient RSD procedures and RSD decision-making. Operational support: • Provide operational support to UNHCR operations under MCO and partners on all protection related issues; • Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors; • Monitor, and assist with the intervention in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents • Provide support to operations under MCO on resettlement and other durable solutions. Promotion and Capacity Building: • Assess training needs of UNHCR staff engaged in RSD and related activities and provide on-going training and coaching on legal and procedural RSD issues. • Support the development and implementation of RSD training initiatives for Government authorities and legal partners. Human resources: • Assist in evaluating and projecting RSD staffing needs using the RSD Staffing Bench-marks. • Support UNHCR staff engaged in RSD and related activities and exercise effective over-sight. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • 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; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute with 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 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: • The incumbent processes 4 first instance RSD cases or 6 second instance RSD cases per week (RSD Interview and RSD Assessment completed). These output targets are indicative only. Actual output, and related targets, depend upon a range of factors (including the experience, knowledge and skills of RSD staff; the complexity of RSD cases; and RSD case +management strategies in place for specific RSD caseloads). The RSD Unit in DIP recommends that the number of RSD interviews assigned correspond to the number of RSD assessments finalized, to maximize the quality and efficiency of procedures while minimizing potential for staff burnout). • UNHCR’s RSD procedures are implemented in accordance with relevant UNHCR standards and policies, including policies related to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming (AGDM). • Persons of concern have fair and transparent access to the RSD procedures. • Persons of concern are treated with dignity, respect and professionalism. • The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.