Resettlement Assistant

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National 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).

Under supervision of the Resettlement Officer, the Resettlement Assistant’s primary role is to assist the supervisor in effective resettlement delivery of the UNHCR Office, in accordance with the UNHCR Resettlement Handbook, available Standard Operating Procedures for Resettlement, and relevant policies and Administrative Instructions. The Assistant Resettlement Officer provides important administrative support to the resettlement programme, including by assessing cases for resettlement eligibility, conducting profiling interviews, following up on individual cases, and submitting weekly and monthly case tracking reports. The incumbent will maintain regular contact with his/her supervisor and relevant colleagues within the same Office to exchange information and discuss issues on resettlement cases, abiding by confidentiality guidelines.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Resettlement Officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Resettlement Assistant will:

• Conduct identification and profiling interviews of refugees under consideration for resettlement, assessing their resettlement needs; • Research country of origin information to support and strengthen resettlement cases; • Support and assist in the preparation of and facilitation of resettlement country missions; • Assist the Resettlement Officer with the organizing of training workshops and seminars on resettlement related issues for UNHCR staff; • Manage in a fair manner refugees’ resettlement expectations through information sharing, outreach and counselling; • Regularly liaise with Protection, Community Based Protection and other relevant Units, in Yaounde and in the field, on individual case processing within the Office; • Diligently update the ProGres database with resettlement events and maintain own statistical data for reporting purposes; • Participate at the Resettlement Unit, Protection Section and Office meetings when requested; • Undertake support resettlement missions to the field when required; • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• 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; • Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• 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:

As an active UNHCR team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:

• Cases are regularly identified, profiled and referred for resettlement consideration in accordance with the Resettlement Handbook and existing SOPs; • Resettlement events in ProGres database are diligently updated and cases are systematically tracked; • Resettlement country missions and refugee departures from Cameroon are facilitated; • Resettlement counseling is provided to refugees; • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.

• Accountability • Adaptability and Flexibility • Commitment to Continuous Learning • Communication • Integrity • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Working in Teams

Minimum 2 years of work experience with refugees and/or other persons of concern in a protection capacity, especially in conducting Refugee Status Determination or resettlement interviews

The position is based in the capital city of Yaounde, which is a family duty station, and has access to regular health and education services.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan.

Conditions of Service for national UN Volunteers

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. Travel to duty station (if applicable) and a Settling-In-Grant will be provided in the event the duty station is not within commuting distance from the place of recruitment. The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as final repatriation (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service. Furthermore, in non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, a Well-Being Differential (WBD) will be provided monthly.