Assistant Community-Based Protection Officer at UNHCR Rwanda-Karongi: Deadline:November 20, 2023

Assistant Community-Based Protection Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Assistant Community-Based Protection Officer is a member of the Protection Unit in a Country Operation and may report to the Protection Officer, Community-Based Protection Officer, or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit, and in coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Assistant Community-Based Protection Officer works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role the Assistant Community-Based Protection Officer is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern (PoC). The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.

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 – Be fully informed about community structures and the protection and security situation of the PoC and develop strong links with a cross-section of members of refugee/IDP/stateless communities, using an AGD approach.

– Through relationships with PoC and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to senior management.

– Ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes and operations plan addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, and marginalized groups.

– Support a consultative process with government counterparts at local levels, partners and PoC to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and GBV, and solutions approaches.

– Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners and implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on all community-based protection related issues.

– Support the design, implementation and evaluation of protection centred and solutions oriented programming with implementing and operational partners guaranteeing that community-owned activities are integrated.

– Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures – Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among PoC, authorities and host communities.

– Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with PoC, host communities, local authorities and partners. In operations applying the humanitarian cluster system, contribute the development of an AGD-compliant strategy on which the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded and covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations.

– Support the Operation’s work to fully integrate the protection strategy into the Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Humanitarian Country Team¿s common humanitarian action plan where applicable.

– Contribute to the Protection team’s information management component which: provides disaggregated data on PoC and their problems; researches, collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery and provide technical advice if necessary.

– Support the inclusion of participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches in strategies and plans in the Country Operation.

– Support community understanding of UNHCR’s commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.

– Support PoC to develop structures that enhance their participation and protection.

– Contribute to the design of project submissions and the budget for endorsement by the supervisor.

– Intervene with authorities on community-based protection issues.

– Negotiate with local counterparts, partners and PoC.

– Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA – 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
International Development, Cultural Studies, Human Rights,
International Social Work, Social Science, Political Science,
Anthropology, International Law or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Some professional working experience.in the areas of community services, social work (e.g., gender, GBV programs, women¿s empowerment and protection, work with refugees) or/and human rights or related tasks in government, NGO or international organisation.

Desirable
Proven communication skills, both oral and written.
Demonstrated knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches
Understanding of and demonstrated competencies in forced displacement and protection, particularly GBV prevention and response, child protection, education, gender equality, and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy.

Functional Skills
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
IT-Computer Literacy
DM-Database Management
PR-Coordination in Forced Displacement situations
PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming
PR-Gender Equality
PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention programming
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) response programming
(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.

In-depth experience in asylum and migration, refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights, or international humanitarian law, including experience in working directly with Field Offices. Good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles. Being fluent in English is essential and knowledge of French is desirable.
 As the Assistant Protection Officer CBP, the candidate should be able to engage constantly with the community, through a community base approach, and ensure that issues /protection concerns are quickly identified and resolve using the available community structures and mechanisms.
 The incumbent must be able to quickly build and maintain good relationships with the government, partners, and the refugee community, to enable him advocate for solutions to the people of concern to UNHCR.
 The incumbent must possess strong drafting, communication, advocacy, and legal skills, with the ability to work independently and make sound and balanced decisions and interventions. The incumbent should also demonstrate the ability to work in a multifunctional team to achieve shared goals and optimize results. A legal background with solid experience in protection principles and Rwandan law, the ability to pro-actively address problems and propose solutions is required.
 S/he contributes to comprehensive protection and solutions strategies and needs to ensure that the unit works strategically and is responsive to the needs of refugees. Experience with external stakeholder management is therefore key. It is also essential to possess the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, deal with emergency cases outside of office hours and coordinate interventions with various units. The ability to be flexible, innovative, have excellent coordination and facilitation skills as well as negotiation skills is therefore also essential, as is the proven ability to engage with government, non-governmental, statutory, and legal networks. Extensive awareness of the wider socio-political and economic operational context is critical to this position.
 The ability to write effective reports and appropriately share information will be an integral part of the incumbent’s role.
 Ability to work under pressure.
 Proven extensive experience in a case-sensitive and volatile camp.
 Proven experience to act in the absence of the Protection Officer
 Proven experience in negotiation and conflict resolution, and peace building especially using a community base approach.
 Proven experience working in an emergency.
 Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
 Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
 Work with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of PoC.
 Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
 Perform analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
 Contribute to participatory assessments and ongoing consultation with PoC using multifunctional teams.
 Plan and monitor programmes and budgets with an AGD perspective.
 Build capacity to maximize opportunities for participatory and community-based approaches and to make appropriate use of guidelines and tools in working with partners and other relevant entities.
 Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
 Ensure community understanding of UNHCR’s commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
 Assist in developing UNHCR communication strategies by emphasizing the participatory, community based and AGD approaches.
 Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
 Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR’s work.
 Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office, with external interlocutors, groups and individuals based on agreed parameters.
 Identify and select which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling, and targeted assistance and field visits based on agreed criteria.
 Intervene with authorities on protection and enforce compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
 Ability to analyze and approve individual payment requests for PoC.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.

 

Nature of Position:

Kiziba is the oldest camp in Rwanda, was built in 1996, and has been there for more than 26 years. The camp host a protracted caseload of Congolese refugees from DRC, and currently has a population of about 15817, with 3164 families, including more than 1031 asylum seekers. Kiziba is located about 15 km outside Karongi town in Karongi District, Western Province. The age under 25 years constitutes 60% of the population. The Office also covers the Kijote Transit Centre in Nyabihu District and the Nyarushishi Transit centre in the Rusizi district in Rwanda’s Western. Both TCs are 26 km and 22 km away from the DRC borders respectively. The camp is the most context-sensitive in Rwanda’s operation, and therefore needs well-informed personnel with adequate experience in the same or similar operational context ready to manage the expectations of the population on resettlement as the only most preferable durable solution to the plight of the persons of concern in Kiziba camp.

The government of Rwanda is a party to the 1951 convention and other important human rights convention and offers international protection to refugees and asylum seekers present on its territory including those in Kiziba and Karongi area of responsibility. The refugee situation in Rwanda has largely been a protracted one, but recently, increasing instability in Eastern DRC during the latter part of 2022 and early 2023 has forced people to flee across the border to Rwanda. As of end of September 2023, around 6,000 new arrivals have been recorded. At the policy level, Rwanda provides for refugee inclusion into national services such as education, health, socio-economic and financial services (including access to investment & bank accounts). Explicitly, Article 18 of the Law n°13ter/ 2014 of 21/05/2014 relating to refugees stipulates that “without prejudice to other laws, any person having obtained refugee status in Rwanda shall enjoy the rights and liberties provided for by international instruments on refugees ratified by Rwanda.

There is a gradual shift from a humanitarian approach to a developmental focus in the Rwandan refugee response, with emphasis on sustainable livelihoods and social cohesion (Humanitarian, Development and Peace nexus). UNHCR further strengthens its advocacy with partners and assists refugees to become more self-reliant with targeted assistance and an increased number of livelihood projects, including access to training, cash grants, and technical expertise, as well as establishing strategic partnerships with Development actors, UN agencies and private sector.  UNHCR current protection activities provided to refugees and PoCs include Registration, Refugee Status Determination, Resettlement and Durable Solutions while assistance is primarily focusing on life-saving activities such as health, education, livelihoods, and community development/empowerment. With resettlement being the main durable solution for Congolese refugees, it has become challenging to manage expectations in resettlement, and attempted fraud cases are being identified and managed. Reportedly, tensions within families have been reported, and domestic issues, all linked to resettlement expectations. The refugee communities are most often unwilling to develop their capacities/potentials, due to concerns of losing resettlement opportunities.

 

The Assistant Community-Based Protection Officer is responsible for monitoring, analysing, and identifying situational protection trends affecting the rights and conditions of asylum-seekers and refugees; developing protection advocacy strategies and activities to improve the protection environment. S/he will be involved in promoting law reform efforts through preparing and/or contributing to proposals, conducting training and outreach with Government officials, policy makers, professional associations, and the public, and providing comments on existing and drafted legislation.

The Assistant Community-Based Protection Officer works directly with the Protection Officer. He /she reports directly to the Protection Officer and can act in the position of the Protection Officer during his/her absence and leads and coordinate protection response.

Living and Working Conditions:

Field Office Karongi is designated as a family duty station, category C. Security situation in Karongi district is generally good with no reported security incidents.  Local transport to the capital city of Kigali is easily accessible. Accommodation is not easily available with good standards with rent ranging reasonably from 250 to 1000 USD. Basic health care services are available in the district hospital although staff travel to Kigali for serious ailments and better services at the UN Dispensary and other hospitals. Groceries are also always available, but expensive at the local markets and shops in the district. There are no English/international schools in Karongi.

Additional Qualifications

 

Skills

DM-Database Management, IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming, PR-Coordination in Forced Displacement situations, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention programming, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) response programming, PR-Gender Equality, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

 

Bachelor of Arts (BA): Anthropology, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Cultural Studies, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Human Rights, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Development, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Social Work, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Social Science

 

Certifications

 

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Add. 1 to Bi-annual Compendium 2023 – Part B

Additional Information

To be advertised immediately

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