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
Dadaab refugee operation is home to more than 236,254 refugees and asylum seekers from 10 different nationalities; with the majority originating from Somalia followed by Ethiopia. Children and youth constitute approximately 80% of the registered refugee population. While in general refugees and the host community continue to live in harmony, the continued increase in refugee numbers, minimal prospects for livelihood options coupled with the Government’s encampment policy present challenges to peaceful coexistence, social cohesion and increase competition over scarce resources. Additionally, the local host community in Dadaab is mostly pastoralist with limited opportunities to alternative livelihoods options such as agriculture due to the harsh and dry weather conditions. For years, refugees have mainly been dependent on humanitarian assistance and with minimal livelihood and self-reliance opportunities, this has heightened their expectations that protection solutions can only be sought through dependency on external actors. This has therefore resulted in low refugee participation and increased challenges in sustaining the available assistance programmes. The volatile security situation in Dadaab continues to hinder smooth access to asylum and mobility for refugees and coupled with the encampment policy, refugees face restrictions on access to business and livelihood opportunities. There is therefore a growing need to create programmes that engage the youth, and which serve as a safety net and help to contribute to their well-being and development towards peaceful coexistence. UNHCR invites applications from qualified candidates including females to apply for the position of Refugee UN Volunteer to support the implementation of the key strategic objectives as outlined in UNHCR’s National Youth Strategy 2019-2021 complemented with the UNHCR Core Actions for Refugee Youth and the UN Youth 2030 Strategy. The focus will be on supporting the physical, social and emotional well-being of youth, further developing their capacities, empowering them and promoting their role as agents of peace building and social cohesion, thereby leading towards peaceful, sustainable and secure co-existence within the refugee community and towards the host community in close collaboration with UNHCR Protection covering Dadaab camp. The position will be subject to review at the end of duration to examine the progress made and determine the way forward.
Task description
Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Community-Based Protection Officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Youth Community Services Assistant will: • Conduct a stock-taking exercise of the effectiveness of current youth programmes and programmatic gaps in close collaboration with UNHCR and partners; make recommendations regarding enhancing youth programming; • Provide support to the roll-out of special projects related to youth, including the Youth Initiative Fund (Dadaab) and other new initiatives in the operation; • Organise Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) twice per month with youth, including minorities and those with disabilities, to identify pressing issues (for example in relation to documentation, service delivery, radicalization, secondary migration, feedback from young mothers on education needs, etc.), draft report and propose way forward; • Assist with the implementation and coordination of a Youth Working Group, arrange monthly meetings and draft minutes; • Submit monthly reports of activities which will be used at Nairobi level to produce a monthly “Youth Snapshot Report”; • Support other Community-Based Protection and related activities; • Perform any other related tasks as may be required or assigned 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 and utilize the UNV Online Volunteering service providing themselves and their organizations with flexible, free of charge, Online Volunteer capacity to support their efforts.