Details
Mission and objectives
The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assem-bly. 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. The UN Refugee Agency in Niger acting within its mandate of protecting persons in need of international protection, and in partnership with the Government of Niger has established the Evacuation Transit Mechanism (ETM). The mechanism aims at evacuating persons of con-cern with acute protection needs from Libya to Niger, where they undergo RSD and are di-rected to appropriate durable solutions. Most of these evacuees come from Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia and are victims of severe human rights violations during their journey.
Context
Niger was a host to a total population of 682,412 persons of concern to UNHCR as of 31 August 2023. This population is mainly composed of 308,917 refugees and asylum seekers, 335,277 internally displaced persons, and 38,218 Nigerien returnees. These populations are mainly distributed in six regions and grouped into three situations the Lake Chad Basin situation with Nigerian refugees in the regions of Diffa, Maradi and recently in Tahoua, the Sahel situation with Malian refugees in the regions of Tahoua and Tillabéri, the Urban situation with refugees and asylum seekers in Niamey, including the evacuees from Libya to Niamey by humanitarian flights (Emergency Transit Mechanism - ETM), and the mixed migration where we have refugees and asylum seekers in Agadez region. Following the widespread insecurity that erupted in the northern region of Mali, Malian refugees began to arrive in 2012, mainly in the region of Tillabéry and in the region of Tahoua. In the Tahoua region, Malian refugees have settled in Agando, a town near the Malian border. In view of the threats of overflowing attacks or infiltration of non-state armed groups on the Niger side of the border with Mali, these refugees have been relocated to the refugee reception area (ZAR) of Intikane. At the end of May 2020, the ZAR was hosting around 20,000 Malian refugees and 15,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). The majority ethnic component being those of the Tuareg, followed by that of the members of the Peul ethnic group. In 2018, with the increase in attacks in Agando, IDPs were relocated to the ZAR and Agando continued to be an area of military operations. During 2020, the resurgence of violent attacks on Nigerien territory has also led to significant internal displacement in the border areas of Niger where the majority of refugees are also hosted. On May 31, 2020, an attack by elements of non-state armed groups (GANE) took place in the ZAR of Intikane. It caused material damage to infrastructure and loss of human life. There also followed the displacement of populations from Intikane to the locality of Telemces and to small camps located near Intikane. These localities include sites such as: Talokames (located approximately 7 km from Intikane), Adarzagaren (located approximately 17 km from Intikane), Inabagargar (located approximately 80 km from Intikane), Intakana (located approximately 83 km of Intikane), etc. Faced with this situation, the authorities took several drastic measures concerning the reception area in June 2021, measures which led to its closure and the cessation of all humanitarian interventions. Tahoua Field-Office provides protection and assistance to Nigerian, Malian refugees and nigerien IDPs, through respectively an integrated services approach aimed at promoting the autonomy of per-sons of concern, the policy of alternatives to camps and a humanitarian coordination mechanism . The Strategy invests in four complementary priority areas: data management and governance; information systems; capacities and skill development; and culture for evidence-informed decision-making. The Data Transformation Strategy also includes UNHCR’s forward learning action plan on digital identity and the importance of strengthening a trusted and secure digital platform to facilitate protection and solutions, assistance delivery and the inclusion of POCs in State systems and their increased access to services.
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the Protection Officer, the IUN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: - Assist in the implementation of appropriate registration strategies and methodologies for populations of concern in compliance with the protection strategy of the operation and ensuring that registration standards are met. - Assist in the drafting and implementation of operation-specific SOPs for all aspects of registration in accordance with applicable standards and policies, including provisions for the protection of individual data and prevention and identification of fraud. - Assist in the implementation of appropriate procedures and systems for the assurance of quality registration data through continuous registration and verification exercises, including in the securing and distribution of identity and entitlement documents. - Assist in conducting regular data quality checks to monitor the accuracy of data collected. - Assist in the development of mass information campaigns to ensure that persons of concern have accurate information on registration procedures. - Liaise with Government authorities and partners as necessary for delivery of assistance and other registration-related activities. - In coordination with the operational data management staff, assist in the timely consolidation and drafting of statistics and registration data reports on persons of concern. - Contribute to training and internal capacity building of UNHCR staff in registration, including on-the-job coaching and guidance. - Enforce compliance by UNHCR staff engaged in registration and related activities with UN-HCR standards and policies and operation specific SOPs for all aspects of the registration operation. - In consultation with the supervisor, make decisions relating to the day-to-day operations of the registration unit and ensure registration procedures are efficient and effective. - Draft and submit reports and statistics related to registration. - Perform other related duties as required.