Associate Operations Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (the UN Refugee Agency, also known as UNHCR) is an intergovernmental organization with a mandate to protect refugees and stateless persons worldwide. Since 1950, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of more than 15,000 people in 130 countries continues to help and protect millions of refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people. UNHCR provides lifesaving assistance, protection, shelter, food, clean water, education and medical care to some of the world’s most vulnerable. UNHCR also provides assistance to refugees who want to return home when it is safe to do so and helps integrate refugees within their local host country or resettle to a third country when returning home is no longer an option. Non-governmental organization (NGO) partners work with UNHCR around the globe to assist and protect refugees and internally displaced people. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all human rights. The Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international human rights laws and treaties established those rights.UN Human Rights is the leading UN entity on human rights and represent the world's commitment to the promotion and protection of the full range of human rights and freedoms. We work to ensure that institutions, Government authorities, and the United Nations Country Team have adequate information, understanding, and skills to identify human rights concerns and to develop measures to address them effectively. OHCHR also works to ensure that civil society and human rights victims have increased awareness of human rights standards and mechanisms.

Context

The city of Tapachula has been identified as one of the hotspots for human mobility in the Americas, meaning that the city is facing several challenges - and opportunities - related to the continuous and increasing arrival of refugees and migrants. Is in the southern part of Mexico, in the state of Chiapas and has the lowest socio-economic development indicators in Mexico, thus social services in the city and its surroundings are already rather limited. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation as well as the sound development of the Japanese and global economy by supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions. JICA, with its partners, will take the lead in forging bonds of trust across the world, aspiring for a free, peaceful and prosperous world where people can hope for a better future and explore their diverse potentials. JICA dispatches experts and overseas volunteers to developing countries, and in return welcomes government officials and specialists as training participants and overseas students. People-to-people connections established through human resource development are the foundations of trust between developing countries and Japan.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Field Office in Tapachula, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Strengthen the Multi-year strategy and the 4 pillars: Access to the territory, Improved reception conditions & access to services with attention to specific needs, Ensuring sustainable integration and Engagement in internal displacement issues. • Improve and focus on peacebuilding, transitional justice, reintegration, and social cohesion in compliance with donor requirements. • Liaise with local Government and NGO service providers and promote community groups to establish strong linkages for accessing services • Provide appropriate support for operational planning and forward-looking coordination of the inter-agency humanitarian and development response. • Provide analysis on key humanitarian / development issues and trends in close collaboration with the protection and information management team. • Conduct regular programmatic and funding gaps analysis, in a MFTeam approach. • Support the development of harmonized assessment, monitoring and evaluation activities in line with the agreed inter agency response • Provide technical assistance in elaborating concept notes, background papers, and policy briefs on peaceful coexistence and integration. • Cooperate with the Unit’s team to design a strategy aimed at consolidating programmatic linkages with relevant government agencies, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, CSO, and UN Agencies. • Develop an awareness/training program for the private sector and strengthen labor relations from the first reception communities in southern Mexico (Tapachula, Palenque and Tenosique), in cooperation with companies and the “Servicio Nacional de Empleo”. • Perform other related duties as required. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. Results/expected outputs • Implementation of the Multi-year strategy is supported, focusing on priority areas such as access to the territory, strengthening of reception conditions and local integration opportunities. • Best practices on reception of PoC, integration and peaceful coexistence are identified. • Integration and peaceful coexistence between PoC and host communities Capacities to mainstream peacebuilding and conflict prevention within the Unit’s project portfolio are reinforced. • Proposals, applications, and funding requests for new initiatives are improved with technical inputs. • The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.