Assisting to the UNHCR Senior Emergency Coordinator in Bulgaria in response to the Ukrainian crisis

Details

Mission and objectives

UNHCR Bulgaria assists the authorities and civil society organisations working directly or indirectly on the protection of refugees and supports the further development of the national protection system within the ever-evolving pan-European asylum system. On July 22, 1993, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria concluded a formal agreement under which the UNHCR's mandate in the country was launched. Previously, in the post-1990 period, around 20 people were granted status under the UNHCR mandate, through a procedure in which interviews were conducted by the Bulgarian Red Cross and status determination was carried out at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. Historically, the Bulgarian people are known for their traditional sense of hospitality and asylum to persecuted persons from other countries. At the beginning of the 20th century, people banished from Armenia, Russia and Eastern Thrace, as well as people from countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, fleeing repression during the anti-colonial and liberation struggle after the 1950s, were found refuge. Bulgaria laid the legislative foundations for the protection of refugees with the ratification of the 1951 Geneva Convention and the New York Protocol thereto in 1967 with the publication of the relevant texts in the State Gazette No 88 of 15 October 1993. In 2008 Bulgaria, together with Romania, joined the UNHCR Regional Representation for Central Europe. Today, the Regional Representation for Central Europe covers 7 countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The role of UNHCR in Bulgaria is to support, advise and advocate partnership with governments and NGOs to ensure: Effective access for asylum seekers to EU terr

Context

Russia began an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian tension that began in 2014. It is the largest conventional military attack in Europe since World War II. The conflict forced millions of people to flee and seek asylum in neighboring countries. In light of the emergency and the scale of humanitarian needs of refugees from Ukraine, an inter-agency regional refugee response is being carried out, in support of the efforts of refugee-hosting countries. The Regional Refugee Response Plan brings together UN, NGO and other relevant partners and focuses on supporting host country governments to ensure safe access to territory for refugees and third-country nationals fleeing from Ukraine, in line with international standards. It also prioritizes the provision of critical protection services and humanitarian assistance, as displacement and needs continue to grow exponentially.

Task description

Volunteer will support UNHCR operation to map the activities of various NGOs and help creating a 5Ws mapping dashboard using data from the previous site profiling as a baseline. They assist in coordinating ongoing / planned activities (capacities) of NGOs (including their possible mobilization for monitoring at a number of areas where refugees will be relocated to)