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.

Uganda currently hosts more than 1.4 million refugees making it Africa’s largest refugee hosting country and one of the five largest refugee hosting countries in the world. The refugee protection environment in Uganda is progressive and provides refugees with freedom of movement, the right to work and establish businesses, the right to documentation, access to social services, and allocation of plots of land for shelter and agricultural production.

The duty station of the IUNV, Associate Protection Officer, will be Rwamwanja settlement in Kamwenge District, Field Unit Rwamwanja, under the management of Sub Office Mbarara in Southwest Uganda. Rwamwanja settlement was first established in 1964. As of February 2023, refugee population of Rwamwanja settlement is about 91,095 and growing. It is dominated by refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (90,504), with few refugees from Rwanda (395), South Sudan (109), Burundians (60), Somalia (11), Kenyan (7).

Rwamwanja settlement is currently benefitted from some operation partners. With protection partners engaged in the protection response, it is imperative to note that the primary actor for registration in Uganda is carried out by government counterpart, the Commission of Refugees under the Office of Prime Minister (OPM). OPM uses proGres v.4 as the registration tool and BIMS for biometric enrolment. In September 2020, we rolled out Global Distribution Tool (GDT) for Core-relief items distribution.

UNHCR always takes lead in Refugee influx with an objective of emergency preparedness to ensure that the strategic direction for an eventual emergency response is in place, of which the Bundibugyo situation was not an exception. Despite the complex situation, UNHCR, joined the government in extending protection and Humanitarian Assistance to the affected population. With the current registered population of 1,450 Asylum Seekers and expectations of having more influx of people running away from the rebel fighting in Congo, there is a need for UNHCR to plan at least 10,000 Asylum Seekers at Bubukwanga Transit Centre through the Rwamwanja Field Office.

In collaboration with the OPM, the Rwamwanja Field Unit is responsible for border monitoring of the districts of Ntoroko and Bundibugyo to provide timely analysis on the border situation to prepare contingency plan for the Field Unit in consultation and agreement with Sub Office Mbarara and partners.The Rwamwanja settlement now receives new arrivals from the border (prima facie refugee status), and also those who go through refugee status determination (RSD) procedure conducted by Refugee Eligibility Committee of Uganda.

Currently FU Rwamwanja has about 20 staff including administration (including drivers), field, protection and supply. The operation is mainly care and maintenance under the Global Refugee Compact (GRC)/Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). Based on the past five years experience of Uganda operation, the incumbent will need to prepare for any emergency supports for the country operation if needs arise.

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 concerns 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, 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.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNHCR; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNHCR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • 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; • 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; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNHCR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

working with 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.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills: • Knowledge of UN policies and procedures; • Good analytical skills; • Strong interpersonal and communication skills in a multi-cultural setting; • Ability to live and work in the difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential.

Computer skills: Office Package (excellent knowledge of Word, good knowledge of Excel and Power Point) and Internet browsing.

Rwamwanja field office is about 104 km from Mbarara and 226 km from Kampala. FO Rwamwanja is non-family duty station; staff is expected to reside at the staff accommodation provided by the office as declared by local UNDSS cleared accommodation. There is a vibrant local market at the Base Camp zone of the settlement, though local supermarkets are found in the nearest city of Fort Portal, Mbarara and Kampala. There are no education facilities similar to international schools in Rwamwanja and Mbarara. International schools are available in Kampala and Entebbe areas. In term of medical services, only basic medical services are available in health centres in the settlements provided by UNHCR health partner MTI, and if necessary, further medical referral to Fort Portal, with further medical referral to Mbarara or Kampala. The nearest banking facilities including ATM are either in Ibanda or Fort Portal. At the furnished staff accommodation compound provided by UNHCR, internet, electricity and water are available.

International staff normally place their families either in Mbarara or Kampala/Entebbe for those with school age dependents.

Most of travels between Rwamwanja and Mbarara are undertaken by road (104 Kms).

Generally calm and peaceful security situation in the country, however threats of crime continue to prevail in areas, especially Kampala and Mbarara.