Protection Assistant

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

BFamilyUNOPS LICA42023-05-01May 6, 2023Operational Context
The Royal Thai Government (RTG) is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention and does not have national legislation governing the status of refugees in Thailand. The presence of refugees is regulated under an exception clause in the Immigration Act and refugees from Myanmar are hosted in temporary shelters on the Thai-Myanmar border, administered by the Ministry of Interior. Protection issues are emblematic of a prolonged stay in enclosed shelters and continue to surface, requiring prevention measures and responses from UNHCR and partners. UNHCR Field Office Mae Hong Son covers four temporary shelters: Ban Mai Nai Soi (BMN), Ban Mae Surin (BMS), Mae La Oon (MLO) and Mae Ra Ma Luang (MRM) which together host approximately 28,600 verified camp residents for both the registered and unregistered persons by the RTG.



Additional responsibilities
- Identify refugees in need of protection intervention in the camps primarily through conducting regular protection counselling sessions in the camps, in-camp detention monitoring and court monitoring.
- Respond to identified protection cases and incidents by providing legal advice to concerned individuals, coordinating with camp justice and security teams, and making referrals to external partner NGOs and other internal UNHCR units.
- Coordinate facilitation of access to the Thai statutory justice system for criminal offenses as per the Mediation and Dispute Resolution Guidelines (MDRG).
- Conduct monitoring of the in-camp detention facilities and the alternative conflict resolution mechanism to ensure their adherence to the MDRG and international protection standards.
- Identify protection cases for which resettlement is considered the most preferred solution. Prepare required documents to be submitted to the RTG’s FTPAB (Fast Track Provincial Administration Board) processes for this purpose as necessary.
- Ensure documentation of protection cases through updating UNHCR database, i.e., ProGres V.4.
- Attend coordination meetings at camp and district levels. Support senior Protection colleagues and take meeting minutes as required.
- Assist in drafting reports and provide statistical inputs to routine and ad hoc reporting obligations with AGD breakdown.
- Collect information concerning arrest and deportation of refugees in the area of operation through media monitoring and direct communication with the local authorities.
- Respond to immigration arrest and detention incidents out of the camps.
- Perform other duties as required.

Standard Job Description

Protection Assistant Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. The incumbent provides functional and administrative support to the protection unit on protection related liaison, correspondence, monitoring, case management and reporting activities. The Protection Assistant also supports the protection unit in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and in providing quality, timely and effective protection responses to persons of concern (PoC). S/he may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on correspondence and/or protection issues as guided by the supervisor. The Protection Assistant also facilitates the involvement of PoC in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties - Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. - Observe and respect protection related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). - Provide functional and administrative support in all protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. - Provide functional and administrative support in implementing participatory approaches, needs assessments, monitoring, reporting and case management. - Support assessments on durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement. - Facilitate liaison with competent authorities for the issuance of personal and other relevant documents. - Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). - Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share. - Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Years of Experience / Degree Level For G4 - 1 year relevant experience with High School Diploma; or Bachelor or equivalent or higher Field(s) of Education Not applicable Certificates and/or Licenses Protection (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) Relevant Job Experience Essential: Not specified. Desirable: Not specified. Functional Skills PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework IT-Computer Literacy (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Required Languages

Thai

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Desired Languages

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Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

HCR Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Protection Induction Prog - UNHCR, HCR Protection Learning Program Statelessness - UNHCR, HCR Protection Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Thematic Protection Learning Program - UNHCR

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

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