Community Based Protection Assistant

Details

Mission and objectives

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).

Context

The Protection Assistant is integrated in the Camp Protection Unit of the UNHCR Sub-Office in Kakuma and reports directly to the Protection Officer (Community-based) under the leadership of the Sr. Protection Officer. He/she will work closely with the team and partners in conducting individual protection assessments and referrals as appropriate; mobilizing and strengthening the refugee community structures; providing support in setting up, monitoring and coordinating community workforce for persons with specific needs and participating to planning, implementation and monitoring of social cohesion and peacebuilding programme in line with signed agreements, work plans and other strategic documents. He/she may also receive technical guidance from other sections and units as deemed necessary. S/he has daily contacts with staff in the various Office Units. S/he also has close liaison with a range of local authorities and counterparts in NGOs and UN agencies to discuss matters of common interest. The incumbent works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families, and communities. He/she will directly work with community-based approaches in strengthening the self-reliance and capacity of the refugee community. To fulfil this role the Protection Assistant is required to spend a substantial percentage of her/his time working outside the office, building, and maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with persons of concern that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results forms the core of the work of the Protection staff.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the CBP officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Protection CB Assistant will: · Through relationships with persons of concern, authorities and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic, and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment. · Build trust with refugee girls, women, boys, men of all ages. · Build partnerships and working relations with partners and government counterparts. · Ensure protection needs of persons of concern are identified timely and responded to, including through provision of case management when required. Case management is a substantive component of the Protection Associate’s portfolio. · Ensure participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches are included in protection programming, implementation, and monitoring. · Carry out mobilization and capacity building of refugee community, partners, and local authorities jointly with Protection Officer and the team. · Support UNHCR’s consultative process with local government counterparts, partners, and persons of concern for effective needs assessment and planning. · Support in maintaining protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities, local authorities, and partners. · Work with the team and partners in mapping, strengthening, and coordinating community representative structures. · Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities, and host communities. · Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of programs ensuring that identified protection needs, including an Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) approach, are adequately addressed. · Assist in the coordinated implementation and oversight of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. · Support with the case management tasks inside the office and conduct home visits verification for the cases. · Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration, and where appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to the largest possible number of persons of concern. · Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. Results/expected outputs: As an active [insert name Host Agency] 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: · The protection needs of populations of concern are met through the application of International and National Law, and relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards. · Specific protection needs are identified and addressed. · Coordination with partners and other humanitarian actors is effectively maintained. · Effective and timely support is provided to the formulation of a clear and coherent protection strategy, which incorporates a thorough age, gender, and diversity (AGD) analysis and reflects the Organization’s global, regional, and country-level priorities. · The participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights, and community-based approaches, ensuring that UNHCR is accountable to persons of concern. · Protection incidents and gaps in assistance are immediately identified and addressed. · The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring, and formal on-the-job training,