Hardship LevelE (most hardship)
Family TypeNon Family
Family TypeNon FamilyDanger Pay
Residential location (if applicable)
GradeNOA
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Remote work acceptedNo
Target Start Date2023-10-01
Job Posting End DateAugust 23, 2023
Standard Job DescriptionAssistant Protection Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. Depending on the size and structure of the Office, the incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community-based protection, registration, resettlement and education. S/he provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff on all protection/legal matters and accountabilities. These include: statelessness (in line with the campaign to End Statelessness by 2024), Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) commitments, age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP) through community-based protection, Child protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, gender equality, disability inclusion, youth empowerment, psycho-social support and PSEA, registration, asylum/refugee status determination, resettlement, local integration, voluntary repatriation, human rights standards integration, national legislation, judicial engagement, predictable and decisive engagement in situations of internal displacement and engagement in wider mixed movement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses. S/he supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards. The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC), ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. The incumbent contributes to the design of a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the Organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that PoC are meaningfully engaged in the decisions that affect them and support programme design and adaptations that are influenced by the concerns, priorities and capacities of them. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties - Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment. - Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. - Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to PoC. - Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation. - Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles. - Promote and contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness. - Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy. - Contribute to a country-level education plan as part of the protection strategy. - Provide inputs for the development of protection policies and standards within the AoR. - Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. - Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. - Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement. - Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other PoC. - Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. - Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with sectorial and/or cluster partners. - Contribute to and facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems. - Assist capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights. - Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures. - Intervene with authorities on protection issues. - Assist the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals. - Assist the supervisor in enforcing 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. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Years of Experience / Degree Level For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Law, International Law, Political Sciences or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified; (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) Relevant Job Experience Essential Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles Desirable Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- Resettlement Learning Programme. Functional Skills *PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators *PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) MG-Project Management PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards PR-International Humanitarian Law PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement CO-Drafting and Documentation PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.
Desired Candidate Profile UNHCR Sub-Office Mazar is looking for a dynamic and well-rounded Assistant Protection Officer, with solid refugee and IDP protection knowledge, experience in the field, leadership qualities, and initiative. Technical knowledge must be combined with interpersonal skills, tact, and emotional intelligence. Results orientated, operationally focused and practical, with high motivation to work for UNHCR are key qualities for the role. A legal background will be favourable. Furthermore, they must be a natural team player, able to manage various priorities and time pressure, and familiar with multicultural environments. Fluency in both English and local language(s) are also required.
The incumbent will report to the Protection Officer, and manage their own unit of 3-5 protection staff, supervise Field and Protection staff of the Sub-Office and 1 Field Unit. S/he provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff on all protection/legal matters and accountabilities. The incumbent should have understood and demonstrated competencies in forced displacement and protection, including in the areas of human rights and experience in the Afghanistan context and legal framework. The incumbent should also have experience liaising with authorities as s/he will be playing an essential role in advocacy, lobbying, negotiation, and capacity development to stakeholders.
Coordination will be necessary with other protection colleagues in the Country offices, while also leading the protection projects with implementing partners. Alongside the Head of Field Office, and other protection colleagues, the Assistant Protection Officer will lead the protection response in the area of responsibility of the Sub-office.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
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Desired languages
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Operational context
Operational Context
Forced displacement and migration have been an enduring characteristic of Afghanistan for many decades, as populations rely on mobility to manage chronic crisis due to conflict and insecurity, resulting in socio-economic disruptions. For instance, approximately 866,672 people were newly displaced in 2021. While, widespread conflict ended, Afghanistan is in a devastating economic crisis. In consequence, an urgent imperative to address immediate lifesaving needs but also exploring solutions to address forced displacement, the vulnerabilities of the population and enhancing community resilience is needed.
The severe economic contraction, an alarming unemployment rate of 40 per cent, combined with at least 400,000 new labour market entrants annually, disproportionately large population of youth (60 per cent of total population), a population growth rate of 3 per cent (among the highest in the world), a multi-ethnic and multilingual society have placed massive pressure on severely overstretched resources. The result is a complex and multi-faceted crisis that generates and amplifies existing community tensions and animosities, resulting in significantly degraded protection environment for all persons of concern, particularly women and girls and persons belonging to minority groups.
Situation of women and girls continues to remain a challenge in Afghanistan since womenโ s access to employment, education, freedom of movement and the enjoyment of other basic rights, are restricted. Furthermore, the demographic profile of Afghanistan, characterized by a disproportionately large population of youth, compounds existing challenges, and underscores the urgency of addressing the aspirations of Afghanistanโs young people. Also, rural-urban migration due to lack of services in rural areas prompting continued population movement further compounds pressure on urban centres. As per the 2022 HNO/HRP, we entered 2022 with unprecedented levels of need amongst ordinary women, men and children of Afghanistan and 24.4 million people in humanitarian need โ more than half the population.
Above mentioned challenges magnify protection risks and limit reintegration prospects for returnees, which often results in harmful coping mechanisms (e.g., child labour, early and forced marriage, labour exploitation, debt, onward migration, etc.) and secondary displacement.
While conflict and insecurity remained the primary drivers of displacement in 2021, with the end of large-scale conflict after August 2021, natural disasters, climate change and other environmental risks will become more recurrent disruptors, frequently contributing to displacement and heightened vulnerability.
Between 2002 and 2021, nearly 5.3 million refugees voluntarily repatriated to Afghanistan with UNHCRโs assistance while the return trends remain low in the past few years including 1,576 refugee returnees in 2022 so far. Full and impactful inclusion of returning refugees into national development planning and programming is essential to enable their sustainable reintegration which will in turn solidify and fortify the broader stabilization efforts. In addition, there are currently 67,200 refugees and asylum seekers in Afghanistan. Refugees constitute one of the most vulnerable populations in the country. They face significant legal challenges due to the fact that that the National Law on Asylum still has not been enacted. On the other hand, increasing number of IDPs (nearly 1 million in 2021 and 2022 (up to July) started to return to their places of origin mainly after August 2021.
UNHCR provides protection and finds solutions to the refugee and IDP situation in Afghanistan building upon the ongoing consultations within the context of the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) and the Global Compact on Refugees. In addition, UNHCR is the lead agency for Protection and ES/NFI (Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Item) clusters and CCCM WG, providing technical guidance and coordinating humanitarian response.
UNHCR Sub-Office Mazar is covering the largest geographical area in North and Northeast regions of the country comprised of nine provinces: Badakhshan, Balkh, Baghlan, Faryab, Jawzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul and Takhar. The UNHCR Sub-Office Mazar oversees the implementation of five provinces of the North region (Balkh, Faryab, Jawzjan, Samangan, and Sar-e-Pul). The UNHCR Sub-Office Mazar also oversees Field Unit in Kunduz province. The Field Unit Kunduz implements protection and assistance programme in the Northeast region of the country (Badakshan, Baghlan, Kunduz, and Takhar).
Additional Qualifications
SkillsCO-Drafting and Documentation, MG-Project Management, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation, PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination, PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards, PR-International Humanitarian Law, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
EducationBachelor of Arts (BA): International Law (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science (Required)
Certifications
Work Experience
CompetenciesAccountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
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Compendium
Additional InformationDue to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be invited for an eliminatory written test. Only those who obtains 50% will be invited to an interview.
Functional clearanceThis position doesn't require a functional clearance