Background
OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to:
• Alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies
• Advocate for the rights of people in need
• Promote preparedness and prevention
• Facilitate sustainable solutions.
In December 1991, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 46/182 designed to strengthen the United Nation's response to both complex emergencies and natural disasters. In addition, it aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of the UN's humanitarian operations in the field.
Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous and most violent, crisis-ridden countries in the world with a continued deepening and geographic spread of the conflict. Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Human Rights Law (HRL) occur regularly - including targeted killings, forced recruitment, and attacks on health and education facilities.
At the same time, Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, flooding, drought, landslides, and avalanches. Over three decades of conflict, coupled with climate change, environmental degradation, and insufficient investment in disaster risk reduction strategies, have contributed to the increasing vulnerability of the Afghan people to cope with the sudden shock of natural disasters and increased risks posed to livelihoods. On average, each year, around 230,000 people are affected by natural disasters. Destruction of shelters, crops, and food stocks and damage to household and community assets such as water and sanitation infrastructure results in the need for emergency support to protect people from the elements.
Given the context in which it operates, the National Humanitarian Affairs Assistant will help strengthen OCHA’s humanitarian coordination, disaster preparedness, and response in the field offices. Activities include communicating humanitarian priorities, responsibilities, and challenges and supporting public information and advocacy activities as defined by the OCHA Afghanistan office.
Job Purpose
Under the supervision of the Head of Sub-office, OCHA Head of Access and Field Coordination Units, the incumbent will be expected to be able to perform the following, but tasks will be assigned according to OCHA Afghanistan requirements and capacity:
Duties and Responsibilities
| Summary of key functions:
- Information Management
- Programme Support including support to sub-national access activities
- Coordination
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- Information Management
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- Help the HoSO in mapping areas where potential humanitarian crises might arise.
- Assist in the establishment and maintenance of contacts with provincial government officials, UN AFPs, non-governmental organizations, media, etc., in the Region.
- Run, consolidate and maintain a database of information on who is doing what where (3W). Produce contact lists of humanitarian actors and of coordination meetings in the region.
- Assist the NHAOs in developing provincial profiles for provinces in the Region.
- Support the HoSO in tracking the functionality of the regional Clusters.
- Track, consolidate and act as custodian of all humanitarian information produced in the Region (Coordination meetings, Cluster activities, assessments and media) to ensure that the institutional memory of the humanitarian response in the Region is preserved for both the Sub-Office and Country Office compatibly with OCHA knowledge management protocols.
- Support in mapping partners and agency presence
- Link with the OCHA IMU section in Kabul to support the extension of country office standards and protocols to the work of the SO in the Region.
- Update the OCHA-SR web portal to ensure relevant content is shared in a timely manner in accordance with office and regional partners’ confidentiality requirements.
- Under the supervision of the HoSO, track the availability of emergency supplies and the distribution of humanitarian assistance in the Region.
- Assist in establishing appropriate monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
- Support in uploading, updating, and maintenance of work files on shared drives.
- Consolidate draft daily and weekly updates, humanitarian overviews, and context analyses submitted by OCHA Sub-offices.
- Assist to draft briefing notes, advocacy messages, talking points, presentations (including PowerPoint), etc as required.
- Assist the office in providing data and the background required for OCHA situation reports.
- Contribute to the preparation of various written reports, documents and communications, e.g. case studies, humanitarian stories, presentations, correspondence, etc., as required;
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- Programme Support including support to sub-national access activities
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- Strengthen access working group to support coordination for National and International NGOs and UN Agencies with the objective of ensuring their effective principled humanitarian action.
- Negotiate access with the de-facto authorities and various authority bearers on behalf of the humanitarian community when required and/or requested and work towards improved engagement and develop public and private advocacy to support the access agenda.
- Provide strategic advice with background information and policy guidance on access dynamics to enable high level decision-making on access.
- Provide key advocacy messaging related to access and international humanitarian and human rights laws in line with advocacy strategy and provide a platform for the articulation of messages including the protection of civilians, humanitarian space and access to basic services.
- Support the production of timely and relevant access analysis, and reports.
- Liaise with national access staff and partners on operational access issues.
- Support efforts on access outreach and trainings to ensure partners capacity and understanding of access is built.
- Support on access negotiation and engagements with the De-facto Authorities, as needed.
- Maintain access agenda throughout the Humanitarian Program Cycle.
- Any other task as delegated by the supervisor.
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| 3). Coordination |
- Support the National HAOs in discharging their provincial coordination responsibilities, including traveling regularly to the provinces to provide continuity to OCHA’s outreach, facilitating the work of the Operational Coordination Teams in responding to agreed vulnerability and priority needs.
- Enhance partnerships with humanitarian agencies active at the provincial level to better map access and operational capacity of the humanitarian community.
- Assist the office with interpretation (English, Pasto, and Dari), translation, minute taking, reporting, and providing support to overall administration as required by the Head of the Sub-Office.
- Monitor access constraints faced by the population in need, including gap in assistance, lack of access to humanitarian assistance or basic social services.
- Engage National and International NGOs and UN Agencies with the objective of ensuring their effective participation in the different coordination forums.
- Provide support to regional partners through the decentralization of access activities
- Support with the facilitation of Regional Humanitarian Access Group meetings.
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| Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None |
Competencies
| Expected Demonstration of Competencies |
| Core: |
| Achieve Results: |
LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline |
| Think Innovatively: |
LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements |
| Learn Continuously |
LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback |
| Adapt with Agility |
LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible |
| Act with Determination |
LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident |
| Engage and Partner |
LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships |
| Enable Diversity and Inclusion |
LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination |
| Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
| Thematic Area |
Name |
Definition |
| General (across the functions) |
Event planning and execution |
Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as OCHA's overall brand and mandate. |
| General (across the functions) |
Public relations |
Ability to build and maintain an overall positive public image for the organization, its mandate and its brand, while ensuring that individual campaigns and other communications and advocacy initiatives are supported in reaching the public |
| Communications |
Brand & quality management |
Ability to position a OCHA brand and uphold it to a high level of quality |
| Communications |
Media Relations |
Ability to develop media relations across all aspects of media work including relationships with media and preparing media materials such as messages |
| |
Multimedia production |
Ability to create and combine images, text, and audio-visuals to produce multimedia content. |
| Digital & Innovation |
Innovation management |
Being able to create the strategies, conditions, structures, and systems to enable innovation at an organizational level. |
| Business Management |
Customer Satisfaction / Client Management |
Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfill and understand the real customers' needs. Provide input to the development of customer service strategy. |
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| VI. Keywords |
| List 3-5 most important skills from competencies required for the position – limited to 1-3-word descriptions – that will help inform workforce planning of critical skill supply and demand. |
Information Management
Coordination
Communication
Required Skills and Experience
- High School certificate. Bachelor’s degree in political or Social Science, Law, International Relations, Public administration, or related field
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| Experience, Knowledge, and Skills |
- Secondary Education/High School certificate. A Bachelor’s degree in Political or Social Science, Law, international studies, Public Administration, or another relevant field is desirable, but it is not a requirement
- Minimum 5 years of relevant progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, or another related area, preferably with a UN organization or an NGO.
- Humanitarian experience in the field (actual setting where a mission and/or project is being implemented) in emergency situations (complex emergency or natural disaster) is required.
- Experience in managing access partners and supporting with information management activities
- Experience in United Nations or Non-Government Organization, preferably with at least two years with a UN organization or an international NGO is desirable
- Fluency in oral and written English, Pashto, or Dari is required
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Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
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