Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)B
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeUNOPS LICA6
Target Start Date2025-01-02
Deadline for ApplicationsOctober 30, 2024
Terms of ReferenceIMPORTANT INFORMATION:
• This position is advertised to internal and external applicants. This position is advertised to internal and external applicants. Candidates must be legally present in Honduras at the time of application, recruitment and hire. Only Honduran citizens or candidates legally present in Honduras will be considered eligible.
• Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
• UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
• Remuneration: A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered depending on relevant experience as per the requirements of the job advertisement.
• The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.
• UNHCR is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
• 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.
• UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behavior and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal.
1. General Background
Forced displacement in Honduras due to generalized violence is caused by (i) social and territorial control by gangs and organized crime groups, (ii) extortion, (iii) force recruitment, use and association; (iv) the dispossession, usurpation and destruction of housing, land, and property; (v) gender-based violence; (vi) political violence; (vii) human rights violations. In addition to these drivers of forced displacement, the effects of climate change and related disasters are increasingly affecting Honduras.
In the current protection context in Honduras, the ongoing challenges faced by internally displaced persons, those at risk of displacement, returnees in need of protection, refugees, and asylum seekers is exacerbated by high levels of violence and a weak rule of law scenario. Human rights and land defenders also face significant risks, with 15 deaths already recorded in 2023. The risks posed by the multiple challenges faced by the Honduran population are reflected in the significant number of Hondurans seeking asylum in Mexico in 2023. With over 40,000 requests, Honduras ranks second in the number of requests, reflecting the life-threatening situations that drive people to flee Honduras.
The Government approved the Law on the Prevention, Protection and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP Protection Law) in December 2022, which entered into force in April 2023. However, the law has yet to be regulated, a critical step to facilitate its implementation. The distrust on public institutions impacts the capacity of the government to address the needs of vulnerable groups, including IDPs, and to effectively promote social policies design to address gender inequality and promote human rights. Therefore, strengthening state capacity, reconnecting and rebuilding trust between communities and state institutions is key to not only addressing internal displacement, but to strengthening the capacity of the government of Honduras to achieve its sustainable development goals.
In this context, UNHCR supports Government efforts to draft the regulation and fully implement the IDP Protection Law, which establishes that local municipal governments have the role to address the initial emergency needs of IDPs before the Human Rights Ministry can take over the response to displacement cases. In addition, due to limited government capacity, the complementary response of UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies is essential to protect displaced populations and persons at-risk of displacement.
Furthermore, it is also critical to promote solutions to internal displacement. Important in this endeavor are UNHCR efforts in working with the Justice System and the Judicial Power in order to ensure access to justice and effective remedies by displaced persons and those at-risk of displacement.
In light of the above, the desirable candidate profile for this position has knowledge, skills and understanding of:
- Protection of internally displaced persons.
- Legal and public policy analysis and design, implementation and monitoring.
- Understanding of social protection systems.
- Advocacy for the inclusion of IDPs in social policies.
- Protection case management.
- Engagement with key stakeholders including civil society organizations, humanitarian agencies and institutions at national and local levels.
- Development of tools and methodologies to facilitate the training process on the protection of IDPs.
- Context and protection analysis.
2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
All UNHCR affiliates are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their terms of reference. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions on Managing Affiliate Workforce as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, affiliates are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional and cross-functional competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
The Protection Associate normally reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff.
The Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC) and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.
The Protection Associate also ensures that PoC are involved in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners.
Duties and responsibilities:
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 advice on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC.
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.
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.
Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems.
Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
Assist the supervisor in prioritizing PoC for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
Submit individual payments request for PoC for approval.
Perform other related duties as required.
3. Monitoring and Progress Controls
(Clear description of measurable outputs, milestones, key performance indicators and/or reporting requirements which will enable performance monitoring)
The UNOPS Contractor will be required to:
1. Coordinate the implementation of partnership agreements: Develop work plans, monitor and contribute to the implementation of partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) aimed at promoting the protection of persons with whom UNHCR works.
2. Strengthening national protection systems: Provide technical advice to institutions, civil society organizations and cooperation agencies on the development and adaptation of legal frameworks and public policies to guarantee the rights and freedoms of persons with whom UNHCR works, oriented to strengthening the national response to internal displacement by coordinating the content and logistics of meetings, presentations, workshops, reports and documents.
3. Develop comprehensive measures to improve durable solutions: Developing comprehensive policies proposals to improve the prevention of forced displacement and the provision of assistance, protection and durable solutions to forcibly displaced persons by strengthening national and local authorities, NGOs and civil society organizations.
4. Strengthen strategies with partners and coordination with other humanitarian and human rights agencies working in the field: Develop and implement tools, guidelines, reports and other instruments aimed at strengthening the technical and operational capacities of national authorities in the development of public policies and responses to internal displacement, through the implementation of cooperation projects to this end.
5. Support the implementation of legal frameworks and policies aimed at enforcing the rights of persons in need of protection: Developing tools, concepts and methodologies for the implementation of legal frameworks related to the protection of IDPs, persons at risk and returnees in need of protection.
4. Qualifications and Experience
(List the required education, work experience, expertise, and competencies of the individual contractor. The listed education and experience should correspond with the level at which the contract is offered.)
a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
International Law, Political Science or other related field.
b. Work Experience
(List number of years and area of required work experience. Clearly distinguish between required experience and experience which could be an asset.)
3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education:
Not applicable
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience:
Essential:
Not specified.
Desirable:
Protection Learning Programme
Experience in (i) Protection of forced displaced populations, persons at risk and returnees (ii) Development of public policies, laws and regulations, (iii) coordination with government, humanitarian agencies and civil society, and (iv) engagement of stakeholders in the forced displacement response is highly desirable.
Language Requirements:
Native level in Spanish is essential. Working knowledge in English is desirable.
Functional Skills:
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
c. Key Competencies
(Technical knowledge, skills, managerial competencies or other personal competencies relevant to the performance of the assignment. Clearly distinguish between required and desired competencies)
Core Competencies:
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation
Cross-Functional Competencies:
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Political Awareness
Stakeholder Management
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Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance
Home-BasedNo