Mission and objectives

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations 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. UNHCR 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. UNHCR also has a mandate to help stateless people. As of 31 December 2021, UNHCR had recruited 18,879 people, of whom around nearly 91 per cent are based in the field. UNHCR works in 137 countries and territories, with personnel based in a mixture of regional and branch offices and sub and field offices. Our teams work hard to help the displaced, specializing in a wide range of disciplines, including legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs and health.

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 to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org). UNHCR established its presence in Zambia in 1967 initially to assist in the protection of Angolan asylum seekers. As of 2016, UNHCR has its Representation based in Lusaka and two field offices in Solwezi (Northwestern Province) and Kawambwa (Luapula Province). The main responsibility for UNHCR, in line with the statutory responsibilities is to monitor the implementation of the 1951 Convention and promote mixed durable solutions for refugees and other persons that we care about. UNHCR discharges this role primarily by providing technical support and guidance to the Government on policy formulation and refugee matters. There are 81,639 refugees and asylum seekers in three refugee settlements (Mayukwayukwa, Meheba and Mantapala). Majority of persons that we serve in Zambia are from Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Somalia. Congolese make 57% of the total of persons that we serve in Zambia. Meheba Refugee Settlement was established in 1971 and is in Kalumbila District (North-Western Province. It is located 10 kms from the Kalumbila District Administration Centre, and 75 kms South-West of Solwezi, the provincial capital of the North-Western Province (NWP). The settlement hosts a protracted Congolese (the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Somali population, new arrivals from Burundi and the DRC as well as “former” refugees from Angola and Rwanda. They remain under the management of the Department of Resettlement (in the Office of Vice President). Health, education, protection, community, and security services are provided by Government staff who reside in the settlement. Livelihood initiatives are provided by different operational and implementing partners, while warehousing and fuel management lies with Action Africa Help Zambia (AAHZ). Humanitarian assistance by UNHCR is prioritized for new arrivals and persons with specific needs. Zambia has adopted a comprehensive refugee response approach as envisioned by the New York Declaration of 2016, which guided the country’s operations. The framework envisages an all-of-society approach with solid investment and support from the international community in various key life-saving sectors to guarantee a dignified reception and productive stay in the country of asylum. The Government of Zambia (GRZ) coordinates the response to refugee arrivals through the Office of Commissioner for Refugees (COR), with the direct support of UNHCR. An Inter-Ministerial Committee was established in 2017 to coordinate the response to the Congolese refugee situation. An Inter-Agency Task Force for the Congolese Situation, co-chaired by UNHCR and COR in Lusaka, coordinates the ongoing reception and response, while in Meheba a similar Inter-Agency Task Force with sectoral working groups on protection, WASH, health, shelter, and education coordinates the response in bi-weekly coordination meetings.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Associate Protection Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Be fully informed about community structures and the protection and security situation of the population that we serve and develop strong links with a cross-section of members of refugee/Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)/stateless communities, using an Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) approach;
• Through relationships with persons that we serve, and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic, and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to peers and stakeholders. Ensure, through direct advice by other colleagues, that necessary resources are allocated to enable community work to identify and address protection and assistance gaps. Support persons that we serve to develop structures that enhance their participation and coordination in community-based protection;
• Assist in supporting consultative process with government counterparts at local levels, partners, and persons that we serve to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education, GBV, and solutions approaches. Work with community structures, partners and other UNHCR Units to enhance sustainable data collection and analysis;
• Contribute towards the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on all community-based protection interventions, providing technical and operational guidance and support to UNHCR and partners, ensuring their implementation and constant monitoring;
• Support the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of protection centred and solutions-oriented programming with implementing and operational partners guaranteeing that community-owned activities are integrated;
• Assist in programme planning stages, generating operational feedback to enhance budget preparations. Ensure that within the programme management cycle of all UNHCR initiatives, there is a planned community-based mainstreamed support;
• Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among all populations with whom UNHCR interacts, authorities, and host communities;
• Maintain protection presence and a two-way-reporting through regular field visits and constant monitoring. Ensure direct contact with persons that we serve, host communities, local authorities and partners;
• Work in close coordination with all functional Units in UNHCR (Protection, Programme, Field, Administration, and Supply);
• Participate in other field activities, including distributions and assessments.