Refugee Outreach Volunteer

Details

Mission and objectives

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Globally, UNHCR operates in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions. The UNHCR Multi-Country Office (MCO) for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is located in Almaty, providing overall coordination and strategic oversight of UNHCR operations through National Offices in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. As a non-resident agency, we have a small presence in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and implement projects in Turkmenistan through NGO partners. Across the four countries, UNHCR and partners work together to implement programmes that uphold the basic human rights of people forced to flee and the stateless. We work with governments to improve laws and national systems so our people of concern stay safe, get documents, can go to school, work and exercise other rights. In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, UNHCR focuses on strengthening local ownership of and investments in quality asylum systems; pursuing opportunities for local integration of refugees; eradicating statelessness; and collaborating with partners on emergency preparedness and response. UNHCR contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSCDF) at the respective country levels in the sub-region to ensure refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless people are not left behind in States’ achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Engagement ranges from rule of law, to access to and transparency of administration, justice, and human capital development.

Context

Communication with Communities (CwC) is a key element of UNHCR’s protection response and engagement with communities. The priority of CwC activities is to ensure that refugees receive the right information in a timely manner in order to ensure participatory approach in strategic/planning activities, to preserve their protection, access to services, well-being, and to prevent fraud and other protection risks. In line with UNHCR’s policy on accountability to affected persons (AAP), UNHCR is accountable in ensuring that its responses include continuous and meaningful engagement with persons of concern, understand their needs and protection risks and build on their capacities. To ensure that refugees and asylum-seekers receive the right information and prevent any protection risks associated with misleading information, UNHCR shares information both proactively and reactively through various communication channels. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective relationships with communities of concern. The Refugee Outreach Volunteer reports to Senior Protection Associate. The UNV is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. He/she assists in monitoring protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

Task description

The Refugee Outreach Volunteer will provide support to UNHCR Kazakhstan National Office and will be based in Almaty, Kazakhstan in implementation of everyday activities. Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Senior Protection Associate or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Refugee Outreach Volunteer will: • Direct and sustained engagement with communities, through transparent and continuous two-way communication • Assist Office in organizing activities for effective participation of communities in identifying their needs and concerns throughout programme cycle for providing informed response • Assist in implementation and monitoring of a community-based protection reflecting the organization’s regional and country level protection priorities, and ensuring systematic application of participatory, rights, community-based, disability and gender responsive approaches in protection and solutions planning, programming and strategies • Support the UNHCR activities in compliance with UNHCR Age, Gender and Diversity Policy (AGD), including ensuring AGD inclusive programming, advocating for gender equality and accountability to affected populations (AAP) • Assist the Office in conducting the annual participatory assessment exercises with PoCs and ensuring the necessary follow-up • Support the Office in implementing SGBV prevention and response as well as community-based child protection programmes • Support the Office in implementing feedback and response mechanism (including on PSEA) and participate in the analysis of feedback gathered through formal and informal feedback and response • Assisting in the analysis that identifies the existing capacities and risks in communities of concern • Work with refugee youth in building their capacity to maximize opportunities for self-reliance • Contribute to the development of partnerships with a variety of stakeholders including UN agencies, refugee community, civil society actors inclusive of youth, disability, LGBTI, women rights stakeholders and other diverse groups for the purpose of advocating for community-based approaches for the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers, including communication with diverse groups • Is there need to involve this UNV to coordinate with DAFI students and or identification of future DAFI students? • Acting as interpreter and translator when needed • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. Results/expected outputs: As an active UNHCR team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: o UNHCR provides an informed and efficient protection response to refugees and asylum-seekers o Protection concerns of POCs are provided on time and mainstreamed through all sectors o The UNV is expected to work closely with other staff from different units in organizing various events i.e., participatory assessments, FGDs o The UNV is expected to communicate effectively with the population of concern in achieving its work objectives which requires specific skills and expertise of the refugee community, language, cultural understanding and other peculiarities of community o Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment o A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed