Mission and objectivesUNICEF was created in 1946 by the UN General Assembly under the name: United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. It was in 1953 that it became a permanent agency. UNICEF assists governments in long-term programs aimed at improving the quality of life of children: health, vaccination and nutrition, health prevention, primary education, particularly difficult situations. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, put children first, and to strengthen their capacity to formulate appropriate policies and implement services for children. children and families. UNICEF works, with the help of all its partners, to achieve the sustainable human development goals set by the world community and the ideal of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
ContextThe Central African Republic (CAR) has been affected by conflicts with the continued presence of armed groups. Violence against civilians and the effects of climate change (flooding) continue to cause displacement of population. Lack of access to basic socio-economic infrastructures and socio-economic opportunities forces displaced people and host communities to adopt negative coping mechanisms to meet their needs, making them more vulnerable to exploitation and gender-based violence that particularly affects women and girls. Instability in neighboring countries, particularly on CAR's borders with Chad, Sudan and South Sudan, which are the main supply roads for basic commodities for some hard-to-reach areas, is having a strong impact on the local economy and on the education for children. Although the humanitarian situation is gradually stabilizing in the Central African Republic, some areas, particularly those in the south-east and north-west of the country (Ouham Pende, Lim-Pende and Haut Mbomouโฆ.) are still affected by population movements due to the presence of armed groups with an impact on vulnerable communities. UNICEF CAR has five offices, in addition to Bangui, the Field Offices of Bambari, Bossangoa, Buar and Kaga Bandoro, which support programme planning, implementation, and monitoring. The Field Operations and Emergency Section is responsible for overseeing this field presence, manage and coordination the officeโs emergency preparedness and response programme, through the Humanitarian Action for Children Appeal, including the Rapid Response Mechanism, which is a shock monitoring and response programme covering the whole country.
Task DescriptionEmergency Preparedness 1. Participates in the formulation and development of plans of action in preparation and response to emergencies, monitors compliance of all sectors with emergency plans of action, including financial resources. Ensures coordination of the management of emergency preparedness and response. 2. Provides technical advice related to emergency preparedness and response, including on programme management related issues. Provides advice in the implementation of emergency preparedness measures in the field to strengthen preparedness and response mechanisms in the country faced with impending emergencies. 3. Develops and maintains databases on country/regional information and ensure the flow of information and communication crucial for the planning and implementation of emergency preparedness and response programme. 4. Supports the Identification of resources to respond in emergency prone areas and support the establishment of logistics plans to be implemented during an emergency operation, to ensure a timely and effective emergency response. 5. Supporting the planning, organization and implementation of training for the officeโs staff capacity building in emergencies preparedness and response. Participates in other emergency training workshops in the region and builds up the emergency preparedness and response capability of UNICEF staff as well as implementing partners. Emergency Response 6. Support the management of the Rapid Response Mechanisms in the weekly coordination and monitoring of alerts, as well as with drafting of concept notes and presentation. In the event of an emergency, supports the deployment of tools and resources of the Emergency Response Team. 7. Participates and assists with assessment of local emergency and security situation affecting children and their families, in conjunction with field staff. Visits the location to conduct assessments of needs and impact on the community. Support to maintain office preparedness plans up to date. Contribute to the priority settings and appropriate interventions by UNICEF and partners. Coordinates with other partners to make a rapid assessment covering priority areas as defined by the Core Commitment for Children in Emergencies. 8. Applies the emergency preparedness and response plan as necessary. Contribute to executes the timely delivery of assistance, monitors the appropriate and effective use of UNICEF resources/inputs. Identifies problems and constraints in order to ensure effective project delivery. Emergency Project 9. Participates in the implementation of plans for emergency projects, in particular the Rapid Response Mechanism. Implements and manages project activities. Undertakes field visits to emergency project areas, to assess local conditions and monitor project progress. Prepares inputs for appeals and updates related to emergencies. Support the Chief to mobilize resources. Support the preparation of communication product to report on the situation on children in affected areas. 10. Maintains continuous and effective coordination, communication, consultation, with key stakeholders, including international and external counterpart. 11. Participates in relevant humanitarian and other fora, and keeps management informed on discussions and outcomes. 12. Contribute to the mainstreaming of disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response strategies in the country office's workplans. Prepares sectoral input for the country programme documents, plan of action, annual work plans, and all related documents of the officeโs Emergency Preparedness and Response. Contributes towards the preparation of the Situation Analysis, the Humanitarian Action for Children. Appeal and of the quarterly Situation Reports.
Competencies and valuesโข Care โข Respect โข Integrity โข Trust โข Accountability โข Sustainability
Living conditions and remarksCAR is a post-conflict country. In 2013, a bloody conflict between the Seleka and the Anti-Balaka armed groups over almost the entire territory of the country. Fearing the risk of genocide, the United Nations decided to send peacekeepers to the country to protect civilians and restore peace. The clashes have ended, and entire areas of the country are always occupied by armed groups that continue to commit abuses against populations. Following the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation signed on February 6, 2018, between the 14 Armed Groups and the Government of CAR, the State started to deploy its services, in particular the Armed Forces, the police, the gendarmerie, justice in several regions of the country. The CAR has only one international airport (Bangui Mโpoko), which provides all air links to the outside and regions of the country. There are aerodromes in the 16 capitals of each Prefecture and some of the sub-prefectures. The road network is very poor since only one main road connects CAR to Cameroon, which is paved. Two seasons alternate the climate in CAR. A dry season and a rainy season spread over 6 months each. The most feared disease is malaria, which kills many people every year. The hotel network is experiencing increasing growth but is still very expensive. Regarding food, there is a wide variety of local and imported products in Bangui and some of the country's cities. However, access to these products is different in different parts of the country. All these difficulties make the cost of living more expensive. It is the same for services like banks, hospitals, electricity, etc., with limited access and concentrated only in Bangui, the capital.