Associate Protection 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.

December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency must lead and coordinate 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 resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

Currently, due to UNHCR's operational context in Colombia, programmers are directed to respond to the needs of vulnerable persons of concern, including internally displaced persons, refugees, returnees and asylum seekers. UNHCR also works closely with other United Nations agencies and other humanitarian actors through interagency coordination platforms, such as the ELC Local Coordination Team, as part of the country's humanitarian architecture to respond to humanitarian emergencies in the framework of the armed conflict and through the GIFMM. in response to vulnerable groups and people with specific protection needs. The Interagency Group for Mixed Migration Flows (GIFMM) was created at the end of 2016. Its main objective is to coordinate the response to the needs of refugees, migrants, returnees and host populations, in a complementary manner with the Government. It works as a coordination space for the response to the situation of refugees and migrants in Colombia. It is co-led by IOM and UNHCR

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Sub Office in Cali, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

•Through relationships with persons of concern, authorities 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 persons of concern are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes and operations plan to address the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, minority groups such as sexual minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS; •Utilize the IDPs footprint during the planning process; •Coordinate the promotion of international refugee law principles and standards and also IDP legislation or policies ensuring that all sectors and clusters fulfill their responsibilities mainstreaming protection; •Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of programmes ensuring that identified protection needs, including an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach, are adequately addressed; •Provide policy guidance and operational support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues; •Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors; ensure legal assistance is accessible to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documents to persons of concern (civil documentation, in particular, birth certificates); •Monitor, and assist with the intervention in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners; •Assist in the coordinated implementation and oversight of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities; •Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to the largest possible number of persons of concern; •Ensure through direct action and advocacy with more senior protection staff that the necessary resources are allocated to enable protection activities to identify and address protection and assistance gaps; •Support a consultative process with government counterparts at local levels, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and SGBV, and solutions approaches; •Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities and host communities; •Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities, local authorities and partners. In operations applying the humanitarian cluster system, contribute to ensuring that the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in an AGD-compliant strategy which covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations;
•Contribute to the Protection team's information management component which: provide disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems; researches, collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery and provide technical advice if necessary; •Ensure participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches are included in, strategies and plans in the country operation; •Support persons of concern to develop structures that enhance their participation and protection.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: •Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); •Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; •Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; •Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; •Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; •Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible

Results/Expected Outputs:

•Protection strategies are developed covering all different persons of concern; •Specific protection needs are identified and addressed; •International refugee law standards and principles are enacted and respected; •Legal advice and guidance on protection issues are provided; •Durable solutions are provided to the largest number of refugees and IDPs •Countries in the region maintain regular contact; •The participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community-based approaches, which inform protection and assistance programming; •National protection capacities are improved through direct engagement, research and advocacy with all relevant external interlocutors; •Protection incidents and needs are immediately identified and addressed through direct intervention, advocacy and public exposure; •Coordination with partners and other humanitarian actors is effectively maintained; •The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); •Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment; •A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

•Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in the 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 the area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in the 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: the ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multicultural, multiethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender; •Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including the 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.

refugees and/or other people of concern in a protection capacity required. Field experience; Commitment to help persons of concern and willingness to cooperate with counterparts. Knowledge of UN policies and procedures; Good analytical skills; Strong interpersonal and communication skills in a multicultural setting; The ability to live and work in the difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential. Office Package (excellent knowledge of Word, good knowledge of Excel and Power Point) and Internet browsing.

Mocoa is the capital city of the department of Putumayo in southern Colombia, border with Ecuador and Perú. The nearest airport is 45 minutes away, in Villagarzón (neighbour municipality). The climate is tropical in Putumayo but as Mocoa is located at the foothills of Los Andes it is 600 meters high un thus its tropical climate is relatively cool (19-25 degrees Celsius). Mocoa is next to the highway that connects Pasto, the capital of the department of Nariño, located 72 km to the west-northwest, and Puerto Asís, located 80 km to the south on the Putumayo river. Likewise, it is located 132 km from the intermediate city of Pitalito in the department of Huila.

The duration of your assignment is twelve months of the contract.

A volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is composed of the Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family Allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three).

The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$ 1,571. The VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website (http://icsc.un.org). For example, if the PAM for the current month is 54.6%, then the VLA for that month will be (US$ 1,571 x 54,6 /100) + 1,571= US$ 2,429. Moreover, a Family Allowance (FA) is added in accordance with the number of recognized dependents: US$ 250 if the UN Volunteer has 1 recognized de-pendent, and US$ 450 if the UN Volunteer has 2 or more recognized dependents. Accordingly, the VLA will be US$ for a volunteer without a dependent; US$ for a volunteer with one recognized dependent and UD$ for a volunteer with two or more recognized dependents.