Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

As per OCHA’s role in any context, OCHA in DRC coordinates the humanitarian architecture with all its complexity in DRC. OCHA negotiates humanitarian access on behalf of the humanitarian community, and advocates for the protection of civilians and for increased funding to meet the needs of the affected population. Key challenges include: - Low acceptance of the humanitarian community in some parts of the country, including in North Kivu - Access challenges due the insecurity, the poor infrastructure and the administrative im-pediments imposed by the government on humanitarian actors - Low levels of funding which does not correspond with the increase in needs - No political solutions in sight to shift the trend

Under the supervision of the Head of Protection Unit, the International UNV will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Foster the participation and engagement of AAP focal points, especially from smaller local and national organizations through AAP Working Groups, trainings, online Survey and communities, and targeted Focus Group Discussions. 2. Provide a series of ‘AAP for Frontline Workers Training (of Trainers) sessions’ to AAP Focal Points and relevant OCHA staff. 3. Support the coordinators of the North-Kivu and National AAP Working Groups and the North-Kivu CCCM Cluster, to develop and disseminate key messages on topical issues and recurrent complaints.
4. Support AAP Focal Points (particularly those from local and national organisations) to establish Complaint Feedback Mechanisms (CFMs) and Community-Based Complaint Committees (CBCCs) within their organisations, and jointly analyse and respond to information received through these CFMs and CBCCs. 5. Support OCHA’s offices in South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika to establish AAP fora at provincial-level (‘AAP fora’ could mean new AAP Working Groups like the one that exists in North Kivu, or the introduction of a new AAP standing agenda item in already established meetings (e.g. “Community’s Suggestions & Complaints” agenda item at the OCHA-South-Kivu’s Friday morning ‘Humanitarian Information Sharing’ meeting in Bukavu)). 6. Establish constructive working relationships with Goma-based, AAP-related, national officer counterparts in UN agencies (e.g. AAP/Protection/Gender/Community Engagement officers in IOM, HCR, WFP and UNICEF), evidenced by the monthly sharing and joint analysis of trends from these agencies’ complaint feedback mechanisms (CFMs) and complaint-referrals between their CFMs. 7. Prepare CFM Information Sharing Protocol template documents for head of agencies/missions to sign that will facilitate CFM data sharing and case/complaint-referral between humanitarian organisations. 8. Establish constructive working relationships with AAP Focal Points in Goma-based, local, national and international humanitarian organisations, evidenced by the identification of the unmet needs of IDPs with disabilities and the coordination of low-cost, high-impact, community-led assistance that bridges gaps between local organisations with access and international organisations with funding, to inform the formation of consortia and the capacity building of local organisations, to advance the localisation agenda. 9. Work with Humanitarian Fund (HF) colleagues to incorporate mandatory AAP indicators within all HF allocations in a way that simultaneously encourages AAP best practices by HF implementing partners and generates AAP data that can be used for the HPC and other purposes.

  Results/Expected Outputs:

1. Complaint feedback mechanism (CFM) data is shared and jointly analysed at coordination meetings (of the AAP working group and other fora) on a monthly basis.
2. Cumulative AAP training sessions are provided to organizations and agencies based in East DRC.
3. A Collective CFM is established where international, national and local humanitarian organisations publicly report and track complaints and feedback received, refer cases between organisations with due respect for data protection issues, and close the majority of cases within 30 days.
4. SMART AAP-focused indicators become standard within internationally funded humanitarian projects in Eastern DRC.
5. There is a mindset change, particularly among the senior management of humanitarian organisations, from “no complaints means no problems” to “no complaints means we’re ignoring what communities are trying to tell us about how we should improve our assistance to them”
6. OCHA is recognised as the best-placed, natural leader, impartial convenor, and neutral broker between donors and humanitarian organisations (international, national and local), driving progress towards the provision of higher quality humanitarian assistance that is more responsive to the needs and suggestions of affected communities.

• Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client- oriented; • Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment; • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, remote and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within the area of operations; willingness to transfer to other duty stations within area of operations as may be necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

• Proven experience in community engagement, chairing meetings, coordination, project management, mobilising stakeholders, managing Complaint Feedback Mechanisms, training junior staff • Excellent communication skills • Fluency in French and Kiswahili • Understanding of the context in Eastern DRC is desirable • Knowledge of other local languages and English is desirable

The DR Congo is larger than Western Europe, and therefore is very diverse. Living conditions - including the cost of living and availability of food, the level of accommodation and public services - vary widely among duty stations. In most places, basic infrastructure is available and private accommodation can be rented (power outages and water can be frequent, though).A certain level of medical service is provided at all MONUSCO duty stations on a 24/7 basis. United Nations Volunteers should be aware that they are exposed to a number of tropical diseases, including malaria. SIM and charging cards are widely available. In large cities (eg Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani), United Nations Volunteers are invited to open bank accounts in US Dollars, while in other locations banks may be absent. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. There are humanitarian flights for in country travel. Kigali Airport in Rwanda can be reached in about 4 hours from Goma and 7 hours from Bukavu by road and offers a good selection flights to European, Asian and African destinations. The Airport of Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi offers the same facilities. It is located at maximum 3 hours by road from Bukavu, the duty station of this position.