Protection Associate - Fast Track in Kandahar

About UNHCR:

Afghanistan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis following the economic collapse. Forty years of armed conflict, recurrent natural disasters – including droughts and floods – increased poverty, food insecurity, failing health systems, and lack of shelters, compounded by COVID-19 –  have made most of the people in Afghanistan vulnerable to extreme protection risks. Events after August 2021, in addition to the global economic impact of COVID-19, have severely affected the coping mechanisms of vulnerable population groups in the country, particularly internally displaced people.

The prices of main food commodities in Afghanistan are significantly higher than in the first half of the year. An average food basket now costs more than 82 per cent of the average family income. It is anticipated that 95 per cent of Afghans are now facing food insecurity. Some 23 million people, over half of Afghanistan’ s population, are facing acute food insecurity.

UNHCR has put in place a  Preparedness and Response Plan to meet needs in this fast-evolving context to: (i) provide critical protection and life-saving assistance and prevent human suffering; (ii) ensure life-saving assistance by improving access to essential services and by creating a conducive protection environment to mitigate further displacement; and (iii) support building resilient communities through  area-based programming, in so-called Priority Areas of Return and Reintegration (PARR), in line with the whole-of-society approach.

UNHCR Afghanistan’s population of concern includes 4.1 million persons including refugees, asylum-seekers, refugee returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and members of the host community.

Against the backdrop, UNHCR has been working to complement and support the de facto authorities in addressing the needs of IDPs through its coordinator role in the Afghanistan Protection and ES/NFI Clusters as well as the provider of last resort. UNHCR is one of the key actors conducting Community-Based Protection Monitoring (CBPM) to assess the protection needs and concern of the IDPs and other POCs. In addition, for IDPs identified as most vulnerable, UNHCR provides assistance through its Persons with Specific Needs Programme (PSN) and Cash for Protection Programme (CFP). Under the “Whole of Community Approach” and to realize the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus, UNHCR also concentrates its effort to support durable solutions for IDPs, primarily in the Priority Areas of Return and Reintegration (PARRs). In the PARRs, IDPs benefits from a range of services and projects, including, among others, education, health, shelter, youth empowerment, livelihood opportunities, WASH, and infrastructure.

Job Description:

Protection Associate will report to Associate Protection Officer.  The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff.

Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC) and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.

Protection Associate also ensures that PoC are involved 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 and Responsibilities

• Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
• Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
• Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to PoC.
• Provide advice on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
• Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC.
• Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
• Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy.
• Contribute to a country-level education plan as part of the protection strategy.
• Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
• Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
• Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
• Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
• Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems.
• Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
• Assist the supervisor in prioritizing PoC for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
• Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional
  
  

  Job Requirements:

  Education:

  International Law, Political Science or another related field

   

  Years of Experience:

  • For G6 - 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

   

  Desirable:

  Protection Learning Programme

   

  Functional Skills:

  • *IT-Computer Literacy
  • CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness
  • PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
  • PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

   

  Language:                    

  • 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.

   

  Core Competencies

  • Accountability
  • Communication
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Teamwork & Collaboration
  • Commitment to Continuous Learning
  • Client & Result Orientation

   

  Managerial Competencies:

  Judgement and Decision Making

   

  Cross-Functional Competencies

  • Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
  • Political Awareness
  • Stakeholder Management
  
  

  Submission Guideline:

  The management of the advertised openings in this announcement is in line with the provisions of the UNHCR Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS).   The vacancies are open to eligible internal (Group 1 and Group 2) and external applicants.

  • Internal applicants (Group 1 and Group 2) are requested to submit their applications through MSRP – Self-Service – Recruiting – Careers or CLICK HERE . It is important that applicants update their fact sheets (languages, education and prior working experience) before submitting their applications.
  • External applicants are requested to submit their applications through the UNHCR website - www.unhcr.org – Career – Career Opportunities – Other Opportunities  or CLICK HERE . You will need to create an account as “New User” and then click on “My Account Information”. Complete the application and submit it.

   

  IMPORTANT NOTE:

  Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be invited for an eliminatory written test. Only those who obtains 50% will be invited to an interview.

  The recruitment for this position shall be in line with the new Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS) policy.

  Only applications submitted through MSRP will be accepted.

  Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for consideration

  
  

  Submission Email:

  N/A

  
  
  

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