Resettlement Expert (L1)

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)D

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeInternational Deployee

Target Start Date2025-05-01

Deadline for ApplicationsMay 7, 2025

Terms of ReferenceBACKGROUND

• Present the overall operational and protection context for the deployment and identify the target population(s) involved
• Describe the specific profile of the target population (e.g. nationality, ethnic group, urban-rural)
• Set out what standards/ procedures (e.g. SOPs) may be in place with respect to the sector of activity.
• Describe the need/ rationale for the Deployment. How does the work of the Deployee fit into the overall protection strategy?
• How does the work of the Deployee fit into the overall staffing capacity and plans? Provide a brief overview/ number of other UNHCR staff and Deployees in the operation.

Since August 2017, under the leadership of the Government of Bangladesh, rapid and effective humanitarian action has saved thousands of lives, met critical needs, and protected over 1,005,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, including more than 35,000 refugees on Bhasan Char Island, while also addressing the challenges and needs arising from the presence of Rohingya refugees in host communities in Cox’s Bazar District. The Government and people of Bangladesh continue to demonstrate generosity in hosting the Rohingya refugee population, and UNHCR plays a co-lead role in supporting the Government’s response, currently comprised two other co-leads i.e. IOM and the UN Resident Coordinator. 117 humanitarian organisations – UN agencies, and international and national NGOs further contribute to the response.

Bangladesh is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not have a domestic legal framework for refugees. Rohingya refugees have no legal status in Bangladesh. The Government asserts that Rohingya refugees will stay in Bangladesh only temporarily and it does not accord refugees any socio-economic rights, particularly those that could potentially facilitate local integration, such as education, the right to work, freedom of movement and access to public services.

Durable solutions for Rohingya refugees remain elusive. The prevailing security and human rights situation for the Rohingya people in Myanmar’s Rakhine State indicate that safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation is not feasible anytime soon. The Government of Bangladesh maintains a position that it will not allow Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to locally integrate. Without decisive interventions to enable and encourage solutions, vulnerabilities of Rohingya refugees to various protection risks will increase as is often the case in protracted refugee situations.

A robust and proactive approach to solutions is thus necessary to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees and alleviate some pressure on the Government and host communities of Bangladesh. The solutions strategy for the refugees in Bangladesh is to use resettlement mainly as a protection tool for refugees at heightened risk, while keeping a primary focus on the safe, voluntary, and dignified returns. The Office will continue to monitor events in Myanmar closely to assess the potential of large-scale voluntary repatriation over the next few years.

Resettlement countries, particularly USA, have shown interest to resettle Rohingya refugees out of Bangladesh. As a priority, UNHCR identified and submitted about 50 refugees for resettlement to the USA as test cases in 2021. Based on the success of this test cases, UNHCR increased submissions in 2022 to over 1,000 and from 2023 large scale resettlement took place with 11,654 submissions in 2023 and projected submissions of around 12,250 individuals for 2024. A robust system has been put in place for large scale resettlement processing, including but not limited to, fair and transparent identification mechanisms, anti-fraud measures, and communicating with the refugees.

In 2025, over 3,200 individuals among the most vulnerable and urgent protection cases will be submitted for resettlement consideration. The Durable Solutions Unit in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, currently comprises of one Senior Durable Solutions Officer (P4), one Durable Solutions Officer (P3), two Associate Durable Solutions Officer (P2), one International UNV, and 3 deployees. Expertise at the deployee’s level (casework/case processing/reviewing) will be necessary to provide adequate support to team to ensure that the individual resettlement targets for 2025 are met.

DESCRIPTION OF TASKS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES WITHIN THE OVERALL PROTECTION STRATEGY
Include specific terms of the assignment. A menu of possible examples is provided below (select only as relevant, be realistic and revise appropriately)
1. List the specific responsibilities of the Deployee (RRFs, BIAs/ BIDs, registration, RSD, etc. as indicated above in the opening section), including intended outcomes such as specific numerical targets in the case of any individual case processing activities.
2. Describe any additional responsibilities of the Deployee (e.g. training, supervision of casework, administration)
3. Describe the specific expectations for any capacity development activities (e.g. training, mentoring, drafting Standard Operating Procedures, building systems, file review and feedback)
If it is for RESETTLEMENT, please provide also the following information
The Deployee will perform the following tasks by adhering to the supervision structure as outlined above:

1. Liaise with other functional units within UNHCR to identify individuals in need of prioritized resettlement and to ensure that necessary action is taken to finalise documentation on case submissions to resettlement countries.
2. Conduct casework by interviewing refugees identified for resettlement. Assess their resettlement needs, complete RRFs (Resettlement Registration Forms) and refer cases for review. The deployee is expected to complete 6-8 RRFs per week, depending on complexity of the cases.
3. Follow-up on deferrals and review resettlement cases for possible resubmission;
4. Research country of origin information to understand, support and strengthen resettlement cases;
5. Assist the Unit with the organization of training workshops and seminars on resettlement related issues, and the capacity building of national DS staff;
6. Regularly update the proGres database and the e-file with resettlement events ensuring the confidentiality of individual case information and maintain own statistical data for reporting purposes.
7. Follow-up on individual cases, interview refugees and liaise with the registration unit on matters concerning registration and change in family composition, making timely referrals to the registration or other relevant units using the referral entity on the proGres database.
8. Oversee the submission of cases to RST countries such (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, unallocated), in accordance with the requirements of the resettlement country.
9. Maintain communication with UNHCR in Dhaka, the Regional Bureau in Bangkok and RCPS/HQ if required related to feedback on prepared cases and make necessary changes and amendments to RRFs, as deemed necessary;
10. Assist the office in managing refugees’ expectations through information sharing, outreach and counselling of refugees in the resettlement pipeline;
11. Participate in Durable Solutions Unit, Protection Section and Office meetings;
12. Perform any other resettlement related activities as required.
13. Undertake additional assigned duties to support UNHCR Cox’s Bazar, including administrative tasks not limited to data entry, data analysis and research.

Additional Resettlement-specific information
4. List resettlement submission targets for number or refugees/ cases to be processed for resettlement.
3,200 individual P1 submissions to Canada, NZ, Australia

5. Please state how many refugees/cases have already been identified for resettlement processing so that the Deployee can commence drafting RRFs upon arrival.
Several refugees have been identified for resettlement through internal referrals from other units in the office. The cases are ready for interview and further resettlement processing. Case identification is done on a continuous basis. Additionally, there are cases that had been submitted to the US prior to Jan 20, 2025. The resettlement processing of these cases in the post-submission pipeline (including those that were ready to depart, accepted pending departure, submitted, and pending adjudication by RST states). A decision was made by UNHCR Cox’s Bazar that cases that were accepted by several Resettlement countries, that were cleared for departure but did not depart due to the change of the government’s position that time be revisited or re-evaluated for possible consideration in 2025.
Please describe the mechanisms in place in your operation for identifying the cases the Deployee will be expected to complete.
Case Identification is continuously done through individual referrals by the Protection, GBV, Child Protection, Community Based Protection and Medical Units and from Specific Needs Codes on proGres.
Please indicate whether the Resettlement Deployee will participate in the identification of cases for resettlement.
Yes, the deployee will liaise closely with other units to work on case identification.

6. Please indicate whether the Resettlement Deployee will need to conduct Best Interest Determination/Best Interest Assessment interviews. What is the name of your child protection focal point or partner responsible for BIDS/BIAs activities in your operation?
The Deployee will not be involved in the preparation of Best Interest Determinations as these will be done by the Child Protection Unit. The ICMC Deployee will conduct Best Interest Assessments as per UNHCR’s guidelines when conducting the RRF interview when necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS REQUIRED
Qualifications, skills, expertise in a particular field (education / knowledge / experience, demonstrated skills)
 University degree in relevant area – International/ refugee law, political science, internal affairs, social sciences; post-graduate degree desirable.
 Knowledge of international human rights, humanitarian/ refugee law and UNHCR mandate.
 Knowledge of resettlement programmes, eligibility criteria and processing requirements of major resettlement countries (the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand); similar knowledge of other resettlement countries (the UK, Japan, Korea and Nordic countries) and unallocated quotas (Canada HRD/UPP) desirable
 Advanced literacy in computer applications such as MS Word, MS Excel; literacy in UNHCR’s proGres V.4.
 Experience in refugee resettlement and complementary pathways/ or refugee status determination; prior working experience with UNHCR in resettlement preferred
 Minimum 3-5 years working experience relevant to the function
 International/ field exposure, particularly with NGOs or other UN agencies highly desirable
 Demonstrated interview skills
 Excellent analytical skills
 Able to work independently
 Attention to detail and able to prepare concise reports
 Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in teams
 Ability to work under time constraints and pressure
 Ability to work in stressful situations and in hardship locations
 Experience and skills as a team leader, coaching and supervision of staff
Languages required, spoken and/or written, and level of fluency
 Fluency in English, with excellent drafting and analytical skills.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The Deployee will be required to prepare reports following standard forms and deadlines:

• An Initial Report within the first 6 weeks of assignment;
• Quarterly statistical and narrative reports for resettlement;
• A Final Report (at the end of the assignment or end of the year)*;
• A Performance Appraisal Report (PAR)
• The quarterly reports and the Performance Appraisal Report (PAR) must be signed by the direct UNHCR supervisor, the technical supervisor and by the regional entity, where applicable and sent to the NGO employer.
* A final report covering the entire period of his/her assignment is compulsory. The report shall contain a description of activities and the data collected regarding: # of cases referred, # of persons, to which country submitted, accepted/rejected/pending (see reporting form). The report should be submitted to a Senior Regional Resettlement Officer for the region.

Standard Job Description

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Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance

RemoteNo