Associate Field Officer - Community Based Protection

Details

Mission and objectives

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations 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. UNHCR 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. UNHCR also has a mandate to help stateless people. As of 31 December 2021, UNHCR had recruited 18,879 people, of whom around nearly 91 per cent are based in the field. UNHCR works in 137 countries and territories, with personnel based in a mixture of regional and branch offices and sub and field offices. Our teams work hard to help the displaced, specializing in a wide range of disciplines, including legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs and health.

Context

UNHCR established its presence in Zambia in 1967 initially to assist in the protection of Angolan asylum seekers. As of 2023, UNHCR has its Representation based in Lusaka and two field offices in Solwezi (Northwestern Province) and Kawambwa (Luapula Province). The main responsibility for UNHCR, in line with the statutory responsibilities is to monitor the implementation of the 1951 Convention and promote mixed durable solutions for refugees and other persons that we care. UNHCR discharges this role primarily by providing technical support and guidance to the Government on policy formulation and refugee matters. There are 87,871 refugees and asylum seekers in three refugee settlements (Mayukwayukwa, Meheba and Mantapala). Majority of Persons of Concern (PoCs) in Zambia are from Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Somalia. Congolese make 52.064% of the total PoCs in Zambia. The vast majority of persons that we care live in the three refugee settlements, namely Mayukwayukwa (21,632), Meheba (35,934) and the newly established settlement in Mantapala (7,320). Meheba Refugee Settlement was established in 1971 and is located in Kalumbila District (North-Western Province). The settlement covers an area of 720 sq./km demarcated into eight blocks from A-H. It is located 10 kms from the Kalumbila District Administration Centre, and 75 kms South-West of Solwezi, the provincial capital of the North-Western Province (NWP). The settlement hosts a protracted Congolese (the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Somali population, new arrivals from Burundi and the DRC as well as “former” refugees from Angola and Rwanda. They remain under the management of the Department of Resettlement (in the Office of Vice President). Health, education, protection, community and security services are provided by Government staff who reside in the settlement. Livelihood initiatives are provided by different operational and implementing partners, while warehousing and fuel management lies with Action Africa Help Zambia (AAHZ). Humanitarian assistance by UNHCR is prioritized for new arrivals and persons with specific needs Zambia has adopted a comprehensive refugee response approach as envisioned by the New York Declaration of 2016, which guided the country’s. The framework envisages an all-of-society approach with solid investment and support from the international community in various key life-saving sectors to guarantee a dignified reception and productive stay in the country of asylum. The Government of Zambia (GRZ) coordinates the response to refugee arrivals through the Office of Commissioner for Refugees (COR), with the direct support of UNHCR. An Inter-Ministerial Committee was established in 2017 to coordinate the response to the Congolese refugee situation. An Inter-Agency Task Force for the Congolese Situation, co-chaired by UNHCR and COR in Lusaka, coordinates the ongoing reception and response, while in Meheba a similar Inter-Agency Task Force with sectoral working groups on protection, WASH, health, shelter and education coordinates the response in bi-weekly coordination meetings.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Associate Protection Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Be fully informed about community structures and the protection and security situation of the population of concern and develop strong links with a cross-section of members of refugee/Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)/stateless communities, using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach; • Through relationships with persons of concern and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to peers and stakeholders. Ensure, through direct advice by other colleagues, that necessary resources are allocated to enable community work to identify and address protection and assistance gaps; support persons of concern to develop structures that enhance their participation and coordination in community-based protection; • Assist in supporting consultative process with Government counterparts at local levels, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education, GBV, and solutions approaches; work with community structures, partners and other UNHCR units to enhance sustainable data collection and analysis; • Contribute towards the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on all community-based protection issues providing technical and operational guidance and support to UNHCR and partners as well ensure its ensure implementation; • Support the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of protection centred and solutions-oriented programming with implementing and operational partners guaranteeing that community-owned activities are integrated. Assist in programme planning stages, generating operational feedback to enhance budget preparations; ensure that after completion of various projects (rehabilitation of facilities, provision of assistance and others) planned community-based intervention project is implemented and monitor the expected outcomes. • Prepare projects’ implementation work plans and maintain tracking sheets in collaboration with UNHCR units and partners to ensure data available; • Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities and host communities; • Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities, local authorities and partners; • Work in close coordination with all functional Units in UNHCR (Protection, Programme, Field, Administration, and Supply) for all issues related to protection, population of concern figures and assistance; • Participate in other field activities, including regular monitoring, distributions, assessments and others.