RUNV Assistant to UN Common Pledge 2.0

Contract

This is a UNV Refugee contract. More about UNV Refugee contracts.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to lead international action to protect, assist and find solutions for people, who are forced to flee their homes because of conflict, violence, persecution or human rights violations.

For more than 70 years, UNHCR has helped millions of people to a better future, including refugees, internally displaced people, stateless persons, asylum-seekers and returnees.

UNHCR provides life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water in emergencies around the world. It works to ensure fundamental human rights, including the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country. UNHCR also works to find durable solutions, making sure that people have a safe place to call home and are given the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Following the adoption of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), UNHCR seeks to engage with a wide range of partners to work towards the goals of the GCR, including promoting refugees’ inclusion in national systems.

UNHCR is working in more than 130 countries, and the large majority of the staff are based in the field.

Project Description: At the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2019, pledges were made by the UN Secretary-General and the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, which committed United Nations entities to systematically include refugees into their analyses and plans, and to work with refugee-hosting governments and communities to facilitate the inclusion of refugees into national systems. These pledges, commonly referred to as the UN Common Pledge, saw 15 UN entities step up their support for refugee inclusion.

In the lead-up to the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, over 20 UN entities have come together to co-create a successor pledge, the UN common pledge 2.0. This will see the UN family renew and strengthen its commitment to promoting refugees’ inclusion in national plans, budgets, datasets and service delivery systems, recognizing that inclusion of refugees will be key ensuring that no one is left behind as we accelerate efforts under the Sustainable Development Goals.

This UNV assignment is part of UNHCR’s commitment to co-create a Common Pledge 2.0, including integrating learning from the experience of implementing and reporting on the 2019 UN common pledge. The project involves: 1. Engaging a range of stakeholders including UN entities at the global level and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) 2. Support co-creation of the pledge by eliciting and compiling measurable commitments from these different stakeholders. 3. Costing and resourcing the ambition set out in the pledge, by working with donors and others to secure resources up front and work on identifying innovative approaches to financing and partnerships 4. Preparing communications products and events to showcase the UN common pledge 2.0 in the lead-up to the 2023 GRF.

Further supporting UNHCR’s commitments to refugee inclusion and to meaningful participation, the project also includes providing support to UNHCR’s engagement with youth, participation in the work of the Global Compact on Young People in Humanitarian Action, and the role of refugee youth in high level and international policy processes.

This assignment is for candidates with recognized refugee status in the country of assignment.

This UNV assignment is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with WHO approved vaccine, unless the UNHCR Medical Service approves an exemption from this requirement on medical grounds.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Senior Adviser or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Refugee engagement and participation will: • Work with two UNHCR headquarters teams on refugee engagement and participation • Support the co-creation process for a pledge for the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, focused on refugee inclusion; • Facilitate refugee participation in the co-creation process, including through a group of 5 refugee experts convened for this purpose; • Support and participate in regular meetings of the co-leads; • Prepare material to support internal and external communications on the pledge; • Support the preparation for, smooth running of and follow up to meetings with the UN entities and UNCTs engaging in the pledge; • Support a final stocktaking of progress and learning from the implementation of the 2019 UN common pledge; • Provide technical assistance to participating UN entities on meaningful refugee engagement during the process of developing their commitments; • Help maintain orderly project files and communication; • Support coordination of Youth Compact members and external stakeholders, such as the IASC, to ensure buy-in to the Common Pledge; • Support coordination with and outreach to refugee-led and youth-led networks to optimise inputs into pledge development under the auspices of the Common Pledge; • Work in close collaboration with Tertiary Education team to promote and prepare student participation at Global Refugee Forum in 2023; • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor(s).

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 and utilize the UNV Online Volunteering service providing themselves and their organizations with flexible, free of charge, Online Volunteer capacity to support their efforts. Information and promotional material can be found in the onsite kit.

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: • By end of Q2 2023 a high-quality draft of the UN common pledge 2.0 has been developed, including through the meaningful participation of refugees. • High-quality communications materials, informed by a refugee perspective, have been developed to support the promotion of the pledge in the lead-up to the 2023 GRF. • Youth are prepared for participation in the various fora mentioned here. • Promotion and visibility of the role of youth-led initiatives in humanitarian response and global policy and decision making processes, such as Global Refugee Forum are delivered through social media, events, talking points, other.
• A communication and messaging plan to ensure broad knowledge of the Common Pledge and its link to the meaningful participation of refugee youth is available. • Activities implemented by youth in preparation for the GRF are systematically recorded and disseminated in relevant channels. • 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 peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

• Professionalism • Integrity • Teamwork and respect for diversity • Commitment to continuous learning • 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; • Flexibility • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance.

the national and/or international level in project management, working with youth, civil society, or displaced persons, coordination, or other relevant areas; experience with the UN or other international development organizations is an asset; • Experience working with and knowledge of responses to refugee situations by the UN and its partners; • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • First-hand / lived experience of forced displacement; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Completed Secondary Education is a must. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant area, e.g. political studies, law, forced migration, gender studies, social sciences, is an asset.

The legal framework of the modality is governed by UNV’s Conditions of Service for Refugee UN Volunteers, which provides the refugee volunteers with the same entitlement package as that of National UNVs. Like any other UN Volunteer, as a recognition for their volunteering contribution, the RUNVs are entitled to receive the Volunteer Living Allowance, set by UNV.

This Refugee UNV assignment is under teleworking arrangement and a full-time role with working hours starting from 09.00 am to 17:00 CET (Geneva time) from Monday to Friday (40 hours per week).

As this is a Refugee UN Volunteer assignment under the teleworking arrangement of UNHCR, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging their housing and other living essentials. This assignment is for candidates with recognized refugee status in the country of current residency and the duty station will be revised according to the current residency of the selected candidate.

The RUNV will be selected from any location in the world, except from Headquarter (H) duty stations and locations where there are no United Nations developmental or humanitarian activities or locations which are in countries which are members of the European Union. (H duty stations include the follow-ing countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America)

In an effort to ensure consistency and fair treatment of UN Volunteers in the country in terms of benefits, selected candidate will be required to self-declare the humanitarian assistance she/he is in receipt of, which, upon recruitment will then be assessed, and adjusted as needed.

Assignment Place Remark: Important, please read before applying.

• This assignment is open only for the application of refugees; who are recognized as Refugees by the competent authorities responsible for granting of Refugee status in the Country of residence/refuge, or person has been recognized as a Refugee in accordance with UNHCR mandate and has right to reside legally in the country of refuge.

• Official document as a proof of refugee status is mandatory to submit. The applicant with abovementioned refugee status should submit the official document as a proof of refugee status before and/or during the interview. The applications without the respective document will not be considered for this assignment.

• Duty Station and Entitlements: The selected candidate’s contracting duty station & entitlements will be where the candidate is recognized with a refugee status in the country of current residency. There will be no re-location to Geneva or to Copenhagen.