Associate Registration Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

The High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCR’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, the Office strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, and to return home voluntarily. By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle permanently in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight. UNHCR’s Executive Committee and the UN General Assembly have authorized involvement with other groups. These include former refugees who have returned to their homeland; internally displaced people; and people who are stateless or whose nationality is disputed. The Office seeks to reduce situations of forced displacement by encouraging states and other institutions to create conditions which are conducive to the protection of human rights and the peaceful resolution of disputes. In all of its activities, it pays particular attention to the needs of children and seeks to promote the equal rights of women and girls. The Office works in partnership with governments, regional organizations, international and non-governmental organizations. It is committed to the principle of participation, believing that refugees and others who benefit from the organization’s activities should be consulted over decisions which affect their lives.

Context

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).

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Senior Protection Officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Associate Settlement Planning Officer will undertake the following tasks: Assist in the implementation of registration, enrolment and digital identity strategies, for populations of concern in compliance with global and regional protection and inclusion objectives and priorities, ensuring that relevant standards are met, and appropriate methodologies and technologies are implemented. Provide technical support to staff on planned registration and digital identity management activities. Contribute to the development and dissemination of operational guidance, instructions and capacity-development initiatives, in accordance with policy and guidance disseminated by the Global Data Service in Headquarters. Design appropriate procedures and systems for assurance of quality registration data and conduct regular data quality and audit checks to monitor the accuracy of data collected, as well as a tool for identification and prevention of fraud. Provide post-deployment support and maintenance of the UNHCR refugee systems applications as required. Assist the country team to establish and strengthen internal digital identity, registration and identity management capacity and/or that of government counterparts to manage registration and maintain population data. Liaise with Digital Identity and Registration Section of the Global Data Service as necessary to facilitate registration and identity management activities in the region/ country. Advocate with and support government authorities to establish and strengthen fair and efficient registration and digital identification procedures and systems and that POCs’ identity documents or credentials are recognized for the purposes of accessing humanitarian, public and private sector services. Establish linkages with key partners to implement appropriate case and data management approaches for efficient, accountable and standardized targeting and delivery of assistance and other programming and protection needs. Support the operationalization and negotiation with government and UN partners related to interoperability of external digital identification systems with UNHCR refugee registration and identity management systems. Liaise and actively engage with government, humanitarian and development actors, and the private sector to promote the inclusion of refugees and asylum-seekers into host States’ population registers and digital identity systems and the registration of birth, marriages, deaths and other vital events of forcibly displaced persons in the host Government’s civil registry. Support the collection of reliable data and the availability of effective analysis relating to POCs’ registration, identity management and digital identification at global, regional and country levels (as appropriate) including for the purposes of strategy development and monitoring and evaluation. Monitor, document and report on registration and identity management activities at the regional/ country level, and report on the impact of support interventions to the management of operations. Facilitate the planning, preparation and conducting of the comprehensive verification exercise which will be led by both the government of Malawi and UNHCR technical team. Perform other related duties as required.