UNHCR'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.

This 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,

Within 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:

• 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 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:

• 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,
• Assessments on durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement are conducted,
• 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 peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed