Associate Protection Officer

The 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).

UNHCR has also been involved in various IDP operations at the request of the concerned countries or the United Nations General Assembly/Secretariat General (UNGA/SG). Further to the humanitarian reform in 2005, UNHCR has been appointed to ensure the leadership of Protection, Shelter/NFI, and Camp management and camp coordination clusters in emergency settings. As a result, the staffing requirements have increased in UNHCR’s operations worldwide. In Nigeria, UNHCR plays the role of co-sharing with IOM the Shelter/ NFI and CCCM sector, coordination for the Protection sector working group. In the meantime, UNHCR, as a protection agency, is implementing activities to promote a favorable protection environment. In addition, UNHCR Nigeria continues to respond to a complex humanitarian situation in northeast Nigeria which has caused massive internal displacement and refugee outflows into the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.

Benue promotes itself as the nation’s food basket, while in practice its agricultural economy has been challenged over the last decade due to violence – from clashes between farmer and headers, to banditry and armed gangs – and that is resulting in forced displacement and inability of communities to cultivate their lands.

Most of the Tiv community that have been forcibly displaced over the past decade, have been residing in some of the most overcrowded and underserved settlements in the world -- established out of necessity rather than design. Basic services are strained, with access to shelter, clean water, food, and healthcare limited. Communicable diseases such as malaria and cholera are often widespread especially during the rainy season. Risks of gender-based violence persist, especially for women and girls, with inadequate support systems for survivors. Flooding further disrupts the already fragile living conditions, underscoring the multidimensional nature of the crisis.

Displaced Fulani communities are also forced to pick up roots and relocate elsewhere on their migratory routes, thereby disrupting families and hindering economic opportunities. They are more invisible compared to displaced farming communities.
The farmer-herder conflict represents a flashpoint over land, livelihoods, and identity and the urgent need for a coordinated, forward-looking response is clear. Without targeted, protection and solutions-driven interventions anchored in local realities and linked to a broader peace and development framework, the cycle of displacement and instability will continue.

Spanning the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, and anchored in UNHCR’s mandate to protect and find solutions for displaced communities, over the next 12 months UNHCR will focus on 15 of the 50 most recently affected wards in 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs), where we will:

 Provide emergency life-saving assistance in the form of core relief items or cash to forcibly displaced and affected communities in support of their immediate needs. A particular focus would be placed on persons with specific needs such as the elderly, disabled, single parents, women at risk, and unaccompanied and separated children.

 Support communities in returning home safely or find a viable alternative to returning home where access to livelihoods would be available. This would include supporting communities with small area-based projects to improve their homes, ensuring clean water, access to health and educational facilities etc.

 Promote alternative dispute resolution mechanisms at the grassroot level, especially the work of existing and functioning peace committees, traditional dispute resolution mechanisms and offering training on innovative approaches tailormade for specific communities and situations. It will also support community-led organizations in sup-port of this. UNHCR will also commission a conflict and peace analysis supported by the Federal and Benue governments to allow us to better understand the crisis and opportunities in the long run.

These activities will be undertaking in close collaboration with the federal and state governments, traditional leaders including the Tor Tiv in Benue, religious organizations, civil society members from all communities, and the military and security organizations most engaged in Benue.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Ogoja Sub Office covering Makurdi, Benue the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

(i.) Working with partner protection monitoring staff to appraise the protection environment of the location and draft related reports.

(ii.) Undertake community engagement and empowering related activities.

(iii.) Support the functions tied to the UNHCR protection desks and advocate for targeted protection responses and access to services for the displaced community.

(iv.) Participate in peace initiatives to be carried out in the state along with other key stakeholders (UN/Govt/NGOs/etc) and this would from time to time also include training on alternative dispute resolution.

(v.) Support with humanitarian assistance related activities as applicable.

(vi.) Participate in IDP Coordination meetings, joint assessments, and field monitoring engagements.

(vii.) Support any emergency response actions that may be required at moments of impromptu displacement incidents.

(viii.) Emergency and protection reporting related tasks.