UNV 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.

Both the High Commissioner and the Office have a unique role to: • Promote and protect all human rights: We speak out objectively in the face of human rights violations and help elaborate the standards that are used to evaluate human rights progress worldwide. • Help empower people: Our research, education, and advocacy activities, contributes to the increased awareness and engagement by the international community and the public on human rights issues. This means thousands of people in all regions of the world are empowered to claim their rights. • Assist Governments: Through our field presences, we help prevent abuses and contribute to defusing situations that could lead to conflict. Our monitoring and analysis feeds sensitive decision-making and development programming. We also provide capacity-building and legal advice to thousands, supporting the development and judicious enactment of laws and policies the world around. • Inject a human rights perspective into all UN programmes: We mainstream human rights into all UN programmes to ensure that peace and security, development, and human rights - the three pillars of the UN - are interlinked and mutually reinforced. This joint position between UNHCR/OHCHR was created to provide support to the OHCHR support on internal displacement inter-agency coordination. In addition, this joint position includes technical assistance, capacity building, human rights monitoring and legislative advocacy on internal displacement. The objectives include the following:

• Provide federal & state authorities with adequate information and technical assistance to improve the respect, protection and promotion of human rights of internal displaced people and address human rights violations;
• Identify states with deficiencies in their local legal framework with regard to human rights protection concerning displacement and work with local authorities to assist in overcoming said gaps;
• Establish and strengthen dialogue on human rights issues with Mexican authorities;
• Strengthen effectiveness of UN Special Procedures by: (i) maintaining the mechanisms informed on trends and cases; (ii) building local actors’ capacities to utilize them; (iii) facilitate the planning of Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons and ensure the follow up of the recommendations made in its country visit
• Ensure that a gender perspective is included in activities carried out by the Office.
• Provide up-to-date and accurate information and analysis to OHCHR/UNHCR on trends, concerns and individual cases.

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

• Assist with the coordination with other UN agencies and MNGPOs on internally displacement related issues
• Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
• Promote International and National Law and applicable UN and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
• Foster their consistent and coherent interpretation and application through mainstreaming in all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations.
• Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to internally displaced persons.
• Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internally displaced persons; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
• Contribute to a child protection plan as part of the protection strategy to ensure programmes use a child protection systems approach.
• Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities which integrate AGD sensitive procedures.
• Participate in initiatives to capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
• Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
• Decide priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
• Enforce compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
• Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
• Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
• Perform other related duties as required.

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

• Design of the Annual Work Plan of the Interagency Group on internal displacement. • Follow-up the recommendations of the final report of the visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. With the support of UNHCR and OHCHR, launch of the second edition of the inter-agency course on internal displacement.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to the UN system; 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, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN 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; • 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; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality; • 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. • 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 and other counterparts coming from very diverse backgrounds; • Organizational Awareness: Understands and builds formal and informal systems within a global organisation to produce desired results. Identifies and understands relationships, constraints and pressures affecting others, and especially persons of concern • Judgement and Decision Making: Shows ability for taking sound and balanced decisions: demonstrates the systematic gathering of information as well as thorough and objective judgment. Brings clarity, direction and good judgment to ambiguous, complex or difficult situations • Analytical Thinking: Displays analytical thinking by identifying, defining and analyzing information, situations and problems. Arrives at viable solutions through a variety of approaches: critical thought, methodical review of implications, intuition and rational conclusions. • Negotiation and Conflict Resolution: Demonstrates the ability to enable the parties involved in a conflict to come to mutually acceptable compromises and a practical solution to the dispute • Political Awareness: Identifies and understands relationships, constraints and pressures affecting others as well as their motivations and objectives; in light of UNHCR's mandate to serve refugees and other persons of concern. • 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 the UN Core Values.

the area of refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights or international humanitarian law. Good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.

• Field experience, including in working directly with communities. Good IT skills including database management skills is desirable.

Functional Skills:

• *PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators • *LE-International Refugee Law • *PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) • PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination • MG-Projects management • PR-PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards • PR-International Humanitarian Law • PR-Protection and mixed-movements • PR-Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Operations & IDPs Status/Rights/Obligation • PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement • PR-Community-based Protection • MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation

Note: Functional skills marked with an asterisk* are essential.

Mexico City (also known as CDMX) is the capital of the United States of Mexico. It is category A, family duty station and has a high-level infrastructure:

• Health: Mexico City has a highly ranked medical infrastructure with many internationally acclaimed hospitals.
• Education: There is plenty of Govt and private schools. Most of the private schools are bilingual (English-Spanish), and there are US, British, German, Japanese and French schools.
• Housing: Apartments can be rented both furnished and unfurnished, and services of real estate agents are widely available. All international staff members must present their residential places for UN security inspection BEFORE signing lease contract. There is a large seismic area in Mexico City which is restricted for selection of residences by UN staff.
• Weather and earthquakes: Mexico City has a pleasant climate, yet there are frequent weather changes. Heavy rains sometimes cause flooding in some colonies. Mexico City is situated in one of the most active seismic regions in the world, interlocked inside the area known as the Circum-Pacific Seismic Belt, the area with the highest seismic activity in the planet. Earthquakes are frequent and sometimes cause major damage to the urban infrastructure
• Currency and exchange: Mexican Peso. Dollars, Euros and traveler's checks can be exchanged at a currency Exchange office.
• Communications: Internet is available everywhere, but in houses and offices, a contract has to be made in order to access to this service.
• Transportation: There are public buses, subway, and if taxis are to be taken, it is recommended to take "taxis de sitio". Uber is also available.

Mexico City belongs to Security Risk Management area 01, Capital with the current General Threat Level 02, LOW. There are no known direct threats to UNHCR, yet UNHCR personnel may be affected by crime. Mexico City has high rates of crime, among them: robbery to passers-by with or without violence, vehicle theft; burglary and business robbery, telephone extortions, frauds, kidnapping and homicides. Also, gender violence is high. The UNHCR personnel must remain security aware at all times, apply personal security measures and avoid movement after darkness. There is no curfew in Mexico City, yet the incidence at night hours is high. Night movement is not restricted if in authorized taxi, yet, not recommended and must be exercised with maximum caution. UNHCR personnel should avoid areas of civil unrest.

Conditions of Service

Note on novel coronavirus – COVID-19. The rapidly changing nature of novel coronavirus COVID-19 has placed significant and increasing restrictions on the freedom of movement of people across the globe, within countries and across borders. Such restrictions make it very difficult for international UN Volunteers to begin their assignments at their assigned duty station and UNV cannot guarantee assignments will proceed as normal.

Candidates for international UN Volunteer assignments during this period may be exceptionally granted alternative working arrangements to work from their place of recruitment until restrictions are lifted. This is at the discretion of the host entity. Candidates proceeding to interview are recommended to discuss the likelihood of travel and possible alternative arrangements with the host entity. If selected, candidates should carefully consider the circumstances before accepting UNV’s offer.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.