Associate Protection Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

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).

Context

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 resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

Task description

In Angola, the Associate Protection Officer, IUNV will be a member of the protection unit at the CO in Luanda, working under the direct supervision of the Senior Protection Officer. • S(he) will be expected to provide legal and policy support as well as coordinate and act to implement the urban protection response in Angola operation, particularly on matters related to the implementation of the asylum law and the 1951 convention; case management; protection monitoring; protection assessments; identification of durable solutions; planning, delivery and monitoring assistance as well as development and implementation of the statelessness strategy. • The incumbent will be required to focus on the preparation of case management documentation, preparing analytical and monitoring reports, drafting advice on particular cases, support in the drafting of position papers and guidelines of pertinent protection and operational issues; actively contribute to the multi-functional team performance monitoring of partners, support review, and interpretation of domestic and international legal instruments and pertinent laws regarding the persons we serve and advise the office accordingly; contribute to advocacy for the proper interpretation of law and doctrine as well as the development of standards of protection; legal counselling to the persons we serve as necessary; liaison with local authorities on protection issues about the persons we serve; interpretation during meetings with authorities and translation of key documents, development of project proposals and monitor project implementation and conduct protection mainstreaming. • Ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the persons we serve are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes, and operations plan addressing the specific protection needs of minority groups such as persons with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sexual characteristics, as well as persons with medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS. • Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of programmes ensuring that identified protection needs, including age, gender, and diversity (AGD), are adequately addressed. • Monitor, and assist with interventions in instances of refoulment, expulsion, detention and other protection incidents; • Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriations, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to the largest possible number of the persons we serve; • Ensure participatory, Community-Based protection and AGD approaches are included in strategies and plans in the Country's operation; • Contribute to the effective and timely development, implementation and monitoring of a clear and coherent multi-year and multi-sectoral GBV strategy. • Support the development and implementation of programming for specialized GBV prevention, mitigation and response based on needs, risks, and capacity assessments. • Provide technical guidance and support field colleagues to operationalize and comply with UNHCR’s GBV policy, priorities, and commitments (aligned with policies on AGD, AAP, child protection, disability, youth empowerment and gender equality). • Strengthen UNHCR’s collaboration with host governments to develop national services to expand safe access for the persons we serve to services that prevent, mitigate, and respond to GBV. • Work with the PSEA Network to implement a work plan for PSEA mainstream and programming. • Support the Country Office to establish and/or strengthen complaint handling protocols, including clear case-handling responsibilities. • Regularly train/support training for UN and related staff on PSEA, Code of Conduct and mechanisms for reporting SEA. • Awareness raising for community members with an emphasis on their rights, what SEA and staff reporting obligations are, and options for reporting sensitive complaints and victim assistance services. Results/Expected outputs: • Protection strategies are developed covering the different persons we serve; • Specific protection needs are identified and addressed; • International refugee law standards and principles are enacted and respected; • Legal advice and guidance on protection issues is provided; • Durable solutions are provided to the largest number of refugees and IDPs • Regular contact is maintained with countries in the region; • The participation of the persons we serve 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 when appropriate. • Coordination with partners and other humanitarian actors is effectively maintained. • The development of capacity through coaching, monitoring 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 is produced.