Associate Child Protection Officer

Volunteering Legal

Overview

Guide child protection work with refugees in Guatemala.

You have:

• Experience in child protection with refugees and/or other people of concern.
• Knowledge of UN policies and procedures.
• Training skills for large groups.
• Excellent drafting and analytical skills.
• Experience in working with communities.

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.

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. 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 (www.unhcr.org).

Since 2014, in response to the protection crisis in northern Central America, UNHCR has progressively increased its presence in Guatemala, gaining a deeper understanding of the complex context in the country. UNHCR has increased its efforts to support States in Central America and Mexico to respond to this protection crisis through the San Pedro Sula Declaration and the Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS) which began in 2017 to foster regional cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination.

In recent years, Guatemala has seen an escalation of violence linked to street gangs and organized criminal groups driving forced displacement. There are constant flows of persons creating mixed movements from and in transit through Guatemala. In 2020, Guatemalan nationals were the largest population group apprehended at the USA southern border and its nationals now belong to the top ten countries with the highest number of new asylum claims. Among movement of persons of concern there are high numbers of families, unaccompanied children, persons fleeing acute violence and targeting, GBV survivors and LGBTQI individuals.

The overall socioeconomic situation in Guatemala is exacerbated by acute violence and compounded by weak institutional capacity to provide adequate state protection and solutions, which significantly impacts persons of concern. It highlights the need to address root causes in Guatemala and provide safe and dignified options for persons of concern in need of international protection.

There are no restrictions on movement in Guatemala and public healthcare, education and employment are accessible, but vary greatly in quality. Documentation for asylum seekers and refugees are issued by the authorities and recognized refugees are eligible to apply for residency. Persons of Concern are only detained if they commit a crime and refoulement is usually not a concern.

Persons of concern to UNHCR in the NCA countries are both people still in their countries of origin, as well as refugees and asylum seekers from neighboring countries. Resettlement is one of the durable solutions offered to persons of concern in the NCA countries. ‘Traditional’ resettlement of persons outside of their country of origin, particularly those returned by the USA government, and persons in transit is taking place from Guatemala. Moreover, UNHCR already has in place a resettlement programme called the Protection Transfer Arrangement (PTA) for persons of concern who are still in their countries of origin, that is occurring from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Under the overall supervision of the Community-Based Protection Officer, the incumbent will be responsible to guide the child protection work in the Country Office located in the capital city. This includes:

Needs Identification, Strategy and Advocacy - Contribute, under the overall guidance of the supervisor, to the formulation of child protection key considerations in multi-sectoral and protection specific assessments and monitoring. -Provide effective and timely support to the formulation and monitoring of a clear and coherent child protection strategy as part of the operation’s broader Protection and Solutions Strategy. - Ensure compliance with UNHCR’s child protection policy, priorities and commitments, as well as other aligned policies on age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP), GBV, gender equality, disability and youth empowerment. - Contribute to assessment of the capacity of national child protection system and services, the inclusion of children of concern into national child protection laws, policies and services and strengthening the capacity of the national child protection system to provide quality support to children of concern. - Support child protection data collection, analysis and dissemination within UNHCR and partners. - Assist in defining context-appropriate approaches for a meaningful participation of children, adolescents and youth in the development and implementation of strategies that address key child protection priorities. - Support the supervisor in evidence-based advocacy with UNHCR senior management, authorities and other actors on child protection.

Programme planning and implementation - Contribute to the design and implementation of child protection programmes, including multi-sectoral activities based on identified needs and in line with Child Protection Strategy and UNHCR's global, regional and national policies and standards. - Contribute to the effective implementation of Best Interests Procedure by UNHCR and partners for timely support for children at heightened risk including supervision of UNHCR case management staff in line with UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines.The Associate Child Protection Officer will oversee and supervise the best interest process (BIP) for partners and UNHCR, monitor the completion and review of BIA and BID reports compiled, convoke the BID panel and provide regular trainings to partner and UNHCR staff involved in the best interest process for children. - Contribute to the development/update and implementation of Child Protection Standard Operating Procedures in collaboration with partners and other sectors, particularly GBV, Education, Cash-based Interventions and MHPSS. - Support implementation of child protection information management systems in accordance with UNHCR's Policy and procedures and interagency child protection information management standards and agreements. - Support community-based child protection programmes based on thorough understanding of the community structures, capacity and needs and in collaboration with Community-Based Protection colleagues. - Assist in monitoring the implementation of UNHCR and partners’ child protection programme and recommend corrective actions, if required. - Provide technical support to UNHCR colleagues to effectively mainstream child protection in UNHCR’s overall response - Make recommendations for planning, programming, and monitoring of human and financial resources for child protection activities. - Provide functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities. - In collaboration with UNHCR colleagues, contribute to ensuring that UNHCR procedures, including registration, refugee status determination, solutions and accountability mechanisms are child-friendly and are in line with AGD approach.

Partnership and coordination - Assist in establishing and/or strengthening strategic and innovative partnerships for Child Protection with community-based, local, national, and international organizations, with a focus on ensuring continuity and sustainability. - Support UNHCR staff responsible for leading or participating in the coordination of child protection. - Contribute to mainstreaming and integrating child protection considerations into other sectors. - Contribute to interagency monitoring and reporting on child protection issues and programmes.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building - Assist in identifying training needs of UNHCR, Government and partner staff in the area of child protection, and development of learning plans. - Participate in initiatives to build capacity of authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures. - Assist in providing functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities. - Identify and document lessons learnt and good practices. - Perform other related duties as required. 

• 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.

with refugees and/or other people of concern in a protection capacity, individual case work (managing interviews, conducting assessments, counselling, case advocacy and management, identifying solutions, etc.). International experience required.

This UNV assignment is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with WHO approved vaccine in accordance with UNHCR’s Administrative Instruction on Covid-19 Vaccination and related Safety Measures.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills:

• Knowledge of UN policies and procedures; • Knowledge / awareness of UNHCR’s Framework for the Protection of Children and Education and GBV strategies; • Knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches; • Knowledge / awareness of cross cultural issues, especially in the context of child protection; • Knowledge / awareness of gender issues and how to apply rights and community-based approach to identify and respond to specific needs; • Previous experience in child protection is a great advantage; • Previous experience in working with communities; • Skills in conducting trainings and exercises with large groups of people (e.g. trainings, participatory evaluations); • Excellent drafting and analytical skills; • Excellent interviewing and counselling skills; • Ability to manage information, in a confidential manner, and to use database management systems; • Ability to conduct individual and group assessments and to identify protection risks, to liaise with partners and pro-actively find solutions.

Guatemala City is the capital of Guatemala. It is categorized as a United Nations family duty station, hardship category B. To learn more about hardship category ratings, visit https://icsc.un.org/Home/DataMobility. This location is classified as Cwb (Dry-winter subtropical highland climate) by Köppen and Geiger. Temperatures average 19.4 °C | 66.9 °F. Official language is Spanish and is spoken in Guatemala City. The two other official languages are Xinka and Garifuna. Over 40 percent of Guatemalans are indigenous. Much of Guatemala City is safe during the day. The city is subdivided into Zones, which resemble neighborhoods or administrative districts in other countries. Zone 10, where the UNHCR office is located and most businesses, hospitality industry are found, is also among the safe areas. It is not recommended to walk alone after dark as some areas or zones can get dangerous. Uber is widely used for transportation and the usual safety precautions apply. Most crime consists of theft of cell phone and laptops. It is advisable not to flaunt them in public. Guatemala City offers banking, transportation, health and communications services, which are easy to obtain. Credit cards are widely used and accepted. There are numerous shopping malls, restaurants, gyms and cinemas. A large variety of accommodation options can be found. Road network is good both in terms of spread and quality. Traffic, however, can be overwhelming. It is advised to live near the UNHCR Office in Zone 10. The UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. Note that in the current time of limited mobility on account of COVID-19, the UNV might be expected to start with home/teleworking. This may change, however, by the expected start date of 01/07/2021. Teleworking situation will be reassessed and revised in line with the national laws and policies as well as the United Nations staff rules and regulations complete with the required information as per country Living Conditions.

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Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org