Community-Based Protection Associate - TA

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in Afghanistan invites qualified AFGHAN candidates to apply for the following vacancy:

Functional Title: Community-Based Protection Associate
Type of Appointment: Temporary Appointment ¿ 6 Months
Grade: GL6
Duty Station: Sub Office Jalalabad
Issue Date: 26 September 2021
Closing Date: 05 October 2021

Organizational/ Operational Context:

Having entered the fifth decade of their displacement, Afghan refugees constitute one of the largest protracted displacement crises of our time. Over the years, the region has remained in flux and return movements have been interspersed with waves of emigration, sporadic flows of refugees, and exponential internal displacement. COVID-19 has pushed millions of vulnerable people further into poverty, with potential implications for population movements within the region and further afield. Hundreds of thousands remain further afield, notably in Germany, other European Union Member States and Turkey.

Between 2002 and 2020 an estimated 7 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan, with more than 5.2 million being refugees who have voluntarily repatriated with UNHCR¿s assistance. Refugee returns during the last three years have been far lower than in previous years, with 2,147 Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan (1,092), Iran (939), and other countries (116) in 2020, the lowest return figure that could be attributed to the deteriorating political, security and economic situation in Afghanistan and the impact of COVID-19. These returns have taken place against a backdrop of increased internal displacement due to conflict and natural disaster. OCHA, estimates that overall, nearly five million persons have been displaced since 2012 and have not returned to their place of origin.

There are 72,445 refugees living in Afghanistan. Most of this group were displaced from Pakistan to Afghanistan in 2014 and settled in areas of Khost and Paktika provinces. A small number (approximately 380 people) reside in urban areas of Kabul and other cities. Refugees constitute one of the most vulnerable populations in the country. They face significant legal challenges due to the fact that that the National Law on Asylum still has not been enacted.

UNHCR provides international protection and finds solutions to the refugee situation in Afghanistan building upon the ongoing consultations within the context of the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) and the Global Compact on Refugees. These include the Inaugural Meeting of the Core Group of the SSAR Support Platform (7 October 2020), the 7th Meeting of the SSAR Quadripartite Steering Committee (1 October 2020), and the High-Level Meeting on the SSAR Support Platform (6 July 2020).

While ongoing security challenges remain significant, there is also an opportunity at present for Afghanistan¿s gradual progression on the path towards peace and stability, which could pave the way for
the long-awaited solution of voluntary repatriation. UNHCR will expand the Priority Area of Return and Reintegration (PARR) from 20 to 40 areas in 2021. Full, explicit and impactful inclusion of returning refugees into national development planning and programming is essential to enable their sustainable reintegration which will in turn solidify and fortify the broader peacebuilding, reconciliation and stabilization efforts, the integral linkages between timely, inclusive and forward-looking planning for return and reintegration and the three overarching pillars of Afghanistan¿s National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF II) for 2021-2025, as well as relevant implementation mechanisms, including the National Priority Programs (NPPs):

1. Peace-building: ensuring that the imperative of voluntary return and reintegration is firmly embedded in relevant peace processes and any subsequent agreement with a view to enabling returning refugees to become part of cohesive and harmonious communities and to
participate in peace-building and reconciliation efforts;

2. Market-building: capitalizing on the human capital, skills and assets acquired by refugees in host countries to support market-building efforts and address human resource gaps, including through return of qualified individuals, private sector investments or opportunities for regional connectivity; and

3. State-building: advancing inclusion of the displaced in development processes, planning and programmes; with particular focus on enhancing absorption capacity and delivery of quality services and ensuring rights through targeted humanitarian, development, and peace (triple nexus) investments in priority areas of return and reintegration, building resilience of communities as a whole; in full alignment with the strategic long-term approach to peacebuilding outlined by the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The Community-Based Protection Associate is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Protection Officer, Community-Based Protection Officer, or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit, and in coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Community-Based Protection Associate works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role, the Community-Based Protection Associate is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of PoC. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results, form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.

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 and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of Protection Officer, the incumbent will undertake the following responsibilities:

Duties/Responsibilities:

¿ Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
¿ Through relationships with PoC and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
¿ Work with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of PoC.
¿ Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to SGBV.
¿ Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
¿ Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with PoC.
¿ Assist in planning and monitoring of programmes and budgets, with an AGD perspective
¿ Build office capacity for community-based protection through training and establishing systems for community mobilization and participation of PoC.
¿ Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
¿ Ensure community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
¿ Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
¿ Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR¿s work.
¿ Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office, with external interlocutors, groups and individuals based on agreed parameters.
¿ Identify and select which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
¿ Intervene with authorities on protection.
¿ Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
¿ Recommend and prepare payments to individual cases.
¿ Perform other related duties as required.

Essential qualifications, skills and professional experience

Education:
¿ Completion of High School Diploma or higher

Language:
¿ Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English

Certificate:
Development Studies, Human Rights Community Development /Social Work
Social Science, Political Science International Law

Work Experience:
¿ For G6 - 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Desirable
¿ UNHCR learning programmes (PLP). Knowledge of MSRP.

Functional Skills:
¿ *IT-MS Office Applications
¿ *IT-Computer Literacy
¿ IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
¿ UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
¿ UN-UN/UNHCR Financial Rules and Regulations and Procedures
¿ PR-Community-based Protection
¿ PR-Community-based Protection - Principles and methodologies
¿ CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
¿ PG-Experience with coordinating with Implementing Partners (Governmt/INGO/NGO/Corporate)
¿ TR-Capacity Building

Core Competencies
¿ Accountability
¿ Communication
¿ Organizational Awareness
¿ Teamwork & Collaboration
¿ Commitment to Continuous Learning
¿ Client & Result Orientation

Cross-Functional Competencies
¿ Political Awareness
¿ Planning and Organizing
¿ Stakeholder Management
Managerial Competencies
¿ Judgement and Decision Making
¿ Managing Performance

APPLICATION:

The management of the advertised openings in this announcement is in line with the provisions of the UNHCR Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS).   The vacancies are open to eligible internal (Group 1 and Group 2) and external applicants.

¿ Internal applicants (Group 1 and Group 2) are requested to submit their applications through MSRP ¿ Self-Service ¿ Recruiting ¿ Careers or CLICK HERE . It is important that applicants update their fact sheets (languages, education and prior working experience) before submitting their applications.

¿ External applicants are requested to submit their applications through the UNHCR website - www.unhcr.org ¿ Career ¿ Career Opportunities ¿ Other Opportunities  or CLICK HERE . You will need to create an account as ¿New User¿ and then click on ¿My Account Information¿. Complete the application and submit it.

Important note:
- Candidates will be required to sit for a test. Only candidate who score 50% of the total marks will be invited for oral interview.
- Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be invited for written test. 
- The recruitment for this position shall be in line with the new Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS) policy.
- Only applications submitted through MSRP will be accepted.
- Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for consideration