Details
Mission and objectives
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)
Context
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), established on 14 December 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly, is mandated to protect refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stateless persons, and to promote durable solutions to displacement. UNHCR has been present in Chad since 1979 and works in close collaboration with the Government of Chad, UN agencies, development partners, international financial institutions, NGOs, and the private sector.
Chad is currently one of the countries most affected by forced displacement in Africa, hosting over 2 million refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Sudan, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The massive influx of Sudanese refugees since April 2023 has significantly increased pressure on fragile ecosystems, limited natural resources, and overstretched infrastructure, particularly in eastern provinces already affected by climate variability, land degradation, and energy poverty.
UNHCR Chad’s interventions are guided by the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) adopted by the Government in 2018, promoting a Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus approach. The operation’s Multi-Year Strategy prioritizes resilience-building, sustainable service delivery systems, environmental protection, climate action, and strengthened inclusion of refugees in national systems, while preserving social cohesion with host communities.
In alignment with UNHCR’s Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy (2019–2025), the UNHCR Strategic Framework for Climate Action, and the Policy on Environmental Sustainability, UNHCR Chad is scaling up development-oriented interventions focused on:
- Transitioning from diesel-based to solar-powered systems (including water pumping and electrification of public facilities);
- Promoting access to clean cooking solutions and reducing reliance on firewood.
- Supporting environmental restoration, reforestation, and sustainable natural resource management.
- Strengthening environmental governance and climate resilience in refugee-hosting areas.
These initiatives are implemented in partnership with national authorities, development actors (including the World Bank, African Development Bank, European Union, BMZ and others), and private sector stakeholders. As the portfolio of development projects expands, ensuring robust environmental and social risk management in line with UNHCR
By strengthening environmental and social safeguard oversight, the UNV assignment will contribute to minimizing environmental degradation, mitigating social risks, enhancing accountability, and ensuring that development interventions deliver sustainable and equitable benefits for both refugees and host communities, in line with UNHCR Chad’s multi-year strategic vision.
Chad is currently one of the countries most affected by forced displacement in Africa, hosting over 2 million refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Sudan, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The massive influx of Sudanese refugees since April 2023 has significantly increased pressure on fragile ecosystems, limited natural resources, and overstretched infrastructure, particularly in eastern provinces already affected by climate variability, land degradation, and energy poverty.
UNHCR Chad’s interventions are guided by the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) adopted by the Government in 2018, promoting a Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus approach. The operation’s Multi-Year Strategy prioritizes resilience-building, sustainable service delivery systems, environmental protection, climate action, and strengthened inclusion of refugees in national systems, while preserving social cohesion with host communities.
In alignment with UNHCR’s Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy (2019–2025), the UNHCR Strategic Framework for Climate Action, and the Policy on Environmental Sustainability, UNHCR Chad is scaling up development-oriented interventions focused on:
- Transitioning from diesel-based to solar-powered systems (including water pumping and electrification of public facilities);
- Promoting access to clean cooking solutions and reducing reliance on firewood.
- Supporting environmental restoration, reforestation, and sustainable natural resource management.
- Strengthening environmental governance and climate resilience in refugee-hosting areas.
These initiatives are implemented in partnership with national authorities, development actors (including the World Bank, African Development Bank, European Union, BMZ and others), and private sector stakeholders. As the portfolio of development projects expands, ensuring robust environmental and social risk management in line with UNHCR
By strengthening environmental and social safeguard oversight, the UNV assignment will contribute to minimizing environmental degradation, mitigating social risks, enhancing accountability, and ensuring that development interventions deliver sustainable and equitable benefits for both refugees and host communities, in line with UNHCR Chad’s multi-year strategic vision.
Task description
Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Associate Field Officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Environment Assistant will:
• Support the environmental and social screening of development and energy-related projects in refugee-hosting areas in line with UNHCR environmental policies, national regulations, and applicable donor safeguard frameworks.
• Assist in the monitoring of the implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) and mitigation measures by partners and contractors.
• Contribute and support the monitoring of reforestation activities and sustainable natural resource management with local authorities (e.g. Energy and Environment Delegations), refugees and host communities.
• Conduct regular field visits to project sites to verify compliance with environmental and social standards and identify potential risks or gaps.
• Contribute to the preparation of environmental assessments (rapid environmental assessments, simplified ESIAs, checklists) where required.
• Ensure proper documentation, tracking, and archiving of safeguard-related reports and follow-up actions.
• Support the monitoring and follow-up of energy and environmental activities implemented by UNHCR partners, ensuring alignment with UNHCR’s Sustainable Energy Strategy, Climate Action Framework, and the Operation’s Multi-Year Strategy.
• Assist in enforcing minimum technical and environmental standards applicable to energy, electrification, clean cooking, and natural resource management interventions.
• Consolidate environment and energy awareness raising plan in refugees camps and host communities.
• Contribute to the rollout of sustainable energy initiatives, including solarization of infrastructure, public lighting, and clean cooking solutions, with attention to environmental sustainability and community acceptance.
• Coordinate and promote with local authorities, environmental restoration, reforestation and sustainable natural resource management plans in Sila Region, in accordance with UNHCR environmental policies, Chad legal environmental framework (loi n°014), and applicable donor safeguard frameworks (e.g PARDERCA project).
• Participate in desk reviews of past initiatives to identify lessons learned, best practices, and sustainability challenges
• Support liaison with relevant government entities (e.g., Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Energy, local authorities) and technical stakeholders on environmental compliance and sustainable energy matters.
• Assist in organizing and documenting coordination meetings, technical working groups, and consultations related to energy and environmental programming.
• Facilitate community-level consultations to ensure that environmental and social considerations are integrated into project design and implementation.
• Contribute to the preparation of donor reports, technical briefs, and internal updates related to environmental and energy activities.
• Consolidate environmental monitoring data and support the development of dashboards or tracking tools as required.
• Document good practices, case studies, and innovative approaches in sustainable energy and environmental management.
• Support the integration of environmental sustainability and climate risk considerations into Nexus and development-oriented projects.
• Contribute to the identification of green livelihood opportunities linked to energy and environmental interventions (e.g., clean cooking value chains, solar maintenance, sustainable biomass production).
• Provide technical input to emergency responses related to energy and environment when required.
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
Results/expected outputs:
• As an active UNHCR Chad Nexus project management team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR Chad and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
o Environmental and social safeguards effectively integrated into the design and implementation of development and Nexus projects in refugee-hosting areas.
o Environmental and social screening tools systematically applied across relevant projects, with mitigation measures identified, monitored, and documented.
o Improved compliance of partners and contractors with UNHCR environmental policies, Chad environment legal framework, and applicable donor safeguard requirements.
o strengthened coordination with relevant government counterparts and technical stakeholders on environmental sustainability and energy-related matters.
o Environment and energy awareness raising plans in refugee’s camps and host communities elaborated and implemented.
o Reforestation activities and sustainable natural resource management with local authorities are successfully implemented.
o Timely and quality technical inputs provided to project proposals, donor reports, and internal strategic documents related to environment and sustainable energy.
o Regular field monitoring reports produced, highlighting risks, corrective actions, and recommendations to enhance sustainability and social inclusion.
o Environmental and energy-related data consolidated and made available to support evidence-based decision-making within the Nexus and Project Management Unit.
o Increased awareness among partners and communities on environmentally sustainable practices and climate-resilient approaches.
o Good practices, lessons learned, and case studies documented to inform future programming and scale-up of sustainable solutions
• Support the environmental and social screening of development and energy-related projects in refugee-hosting areas in line with UNHCR environmental policies, national regulations, and applicable donor safeguard frameworks.
• Assist in the monitoring of the implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) and mitigation measures by partners and contractors.
• Contribute and support the monitoring of reforestation activities and sustainable natural resource management with local authorities (e.g. Energy and Environment Delegations), refugees and host communities.
• Conduct regular field visits to project sites to verify compliance with environmental and social standards and identify potential risks or gaps.
• Contribute to the preparation of environmental assessments (rapid environmental assessments, simplified ESIAs, checklists) where required.
• Ensure proper documentation, tracking, and archiving of safeguard-related reports and follow-up actions.
• Support the monitoring and follow-up of energy and environmental activities implemented by UNHCR partners, ensuring alignment with UNHCR’s Sustainable Energy Strategy, Climate Action Framework, and the Operation’s Multi-Year Strategy.
• Assist in enforcing minimum technical and environmental standards applicable to energy, electrification, clean cooking, and natural resource management interventions.
• Consolidate environment and energy awareness raising plan in refugees camps and host communities.
• Contribute to the rollout of sustainable energy initiatives, including solarization of infrastructure, public lighting, and clean cooking solutions, with attention to environmental sustainability and community acceptance.
• Coordinate and promote with local authorities, environmental restoration, reforestation and sustainable natural resource management plans in Sila Region, in accordance with UNHCR environmental policies, Chad legal environmental framework (loi n°014), and applicable donor safeguard frameworks (e.g PARDERCA project).
• Participate in desk reviews of past initiatives to identify lessons learned, best practices, and sustainability challenges
• Support liaison with relevant government entities (e.g., Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Energy, local authorities) and technical stakeholders on environmental compliance and sustainable energy matters.
• Assist in organizing and documenting coordination meetings, technical working groups, and consultations related to energy and environmental programming.
• Facilitate community-level consultations to ensure that environmental and social considerations are integrated into project design and implementation.
• Contribute to the preparation of donor reports, technical briefs, and internal updates related to environmental and energy activities.
• Consolidate environmental monitoring data and support the development of dashboards or tracking tools as required.
• Document good practices, case studies, and innovative approaches in sustainable energy and environmental management.
• Support the integration of environmental sustainability and climate risk considerations into Nexus and development-oriented projects.
• Contribute to the identification of green livelihood opportunities linked to energy and environmental interventions (e.g., clean cooking value chains, solar maintenance, sustainable biomass production).
• Provide technical input to emergency responses related to energy and environment when required.
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.
Results/expected outputs:
• As an active UNHCR Chad Nexus project management team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR Chad and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
o Environmental and social safeguards effectively integrated into the design and implementation of development and Nexus projects in refugee-hosting areas.
o Environmental and social screening tools systematically applied across relevant projects, with mitigation measures identified, monitored, and documented.
o Improved compliance of partners and contractors with UNHCR environmental policies, Chad environment legal framework, and applicable donor safeguard requirements.
o strengthened coordination with relevant government counterparts and technical stakeholders on environmental sustainability and energy-related matters.
o Environment and energy awareness raising plans in refugee’s camps and host communities elaborated and implemented.
o Reforestation activities and sustainable natural resource management with local authorities are successfully implemented.
o Timely and quality technical inputs provided to project proposals, donor reports, and internal strategic documents related to environment and sustainable energy.
o Regular field monitoring reports produced, highlighting risks, corrective actions, and recommendations to enhance sustainability and social inclusion.
o Environmental and energy-related data consolidated and made available to support evidence-based decision-making within the Nexus and Project Management Unit.
o Increased awareness among partners and communities on environmentally sustainable practices and climate-resilient approaches.
o Good practices, lessons learned, and case studies documented to inform future programming and scale-up of sustainable solutions
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