Associate Programme 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). Malawi acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees and its 1967 Protocol (herein after jointly referred to as the 1951 Convention). Malawi is also party to the 1969 OAU Convention governing the specific aspects of refugee problems in Africa. Malawi maintains a reservation with regards to Article 26 of the 1951 Convention (freedom of movement). According that, refugees cannot leave their area of residence (camp) without permission from the Commissioner of Refugees or the the delegate thereof. According to the criminal act, refugees who leave the the place of residence assigned to them without a travel permit will be subjected to a fine determined by a court. During the 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), Malawi pledged/committed itself to introduce the settlement approach in order to enhance integrated development of refugees and local community and serve as a conceptual operational bridge for closing the dysfunctional gap between humanitarian response and development activities. A CRRF roadmap is in place covering the period 2019 to 2022 and it aims to, among others, an expansion and de-concentration of Dzaleka Refugee Camp, while increasingly including the refugees in the local programming.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Through a consultative process within the country and field visits, stay involved in the development of the strategies, methodologies, contingency plans that respond to new and emerging operational challenges for the country; Assist in ensuring that global strategic priorities (GSP) and regional priorities as well as information on projected resource availability guide the planning parameters; Provide inputs for developing the country operations plan in compliance with global strategic priorities and regional priorities as well as with annual programming/planning instructions; Assist in organizing a consultative process to ensure a consistent application of the organization’s criteria and policies for the selection of implementing and operational partners; Assist in managing the development of a broad network of partners, good coordination practices and the development of partner capacities; Assist in training UNHCR as well as implementing partners (IP) staff in UNHCR standard procedures related to the Results Based Programme (RBM) management; Undertake proper collection, monitoring and use of baselines, standards and indicators needed to measure and analyze UNHCR’s performance, trends and target interventions; Undertake field visits to evaluate and improve the planning, programming, implementation and monitoring of assistance projects; Assist in implementing the establishment of sound monitoring processes, in reviewing final reports and on progress in order to advise on any corrective actions required or the need for additional resources to reach planned target levels; Apply UNHCR’s corporate tools (e.g. Global Focus, Focus Client) to record data and assess the technical soundness of the operation and generate data for evidence-based decisions at the country-level; Assist in keeping donor representatives briefed on developments and assist in the development of funding submissions, appeals and reports; Assist in monitoring compliance to the organization’s resource allocation framework, providing support and assisting in corrective action where required; Assist in establishing and handling Implementing Partners Reports.