Associate External Relations and Reporting Officer

Job Title: Associate External Relations and Reporting Officer

Organization: United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

Host entity: UNHCR

Assignment country: Chad

Expected start date: 16/10/2023

Sustainable Development Goal: 17. Partnerships for the goals

Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist

Type: Onsite

Duration: 12 months

Number of assignments: 1

Duty stations: Baga Sola

Details

Mission and objectives

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)

Context

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate 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). Please provide basic background information on the project Since 2013, the insurgency of Non-State Armed Groups (NSAG) in the Lake Chad Basin has seriously affected the entire Lac Province. Attacks against military positions and on civilian populations in Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad produced movements of asylum-seekers and internally displaced populations (IDPs). In 2019, these attacks multiplied despite the military operations undertaken by the Chadian army and the coalition forces to destroy the NSAGs. In March 2020, GANE's largest attack on military bases which resulted in the death of civilians and soldiers sparked the military operation known as "« colère de Bohoma ". This operation caused the displacement of approximately 20,000 people to the Diamerom site The Lake Chad province has seen various attacks by non-state armed groups, including Boko Haram, which forced the inhabitants of the islands of the lake and surrounding areas to abandon their homes to move to other communities. Currently 489,094 displaced persons, including 425,864 Internally Displaced Persons, 44,575 Chadian returnees from Niger and around 19,655 refugees under UNHCR mandate receive multi-purpose assistance in refugee camps and IDP sites with the support of the United Nations system and NGOs. In Chad, UNHCR has an office in N'Djamena and 4 Sub-Offices (Iriba, Farchana in the East, Goré in the South and Bagasola in the Lake Province), constituting 10 offices (Iriba, Amdjaras, Guereda, Farchana, Hadjer Hadid, Gozbeida, Koukou, Goré, Haraze, Maro). UNHCR, as leader of the Protection, CCCM and Shelter clusters at the global level, a responsibility entrusted to it by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), has the same structure at the national level in Chad whose respective coordination of these Clusters is housed in its office in N'Djamena. These Clusters responsible for coordinating the interventions of partner organizations working for the assistance and protection of displaced persons and returnees and ensuring the reporting of achievements are currently understaffed. At the national level, Clusters collaborate closely with sub-clusters and working groups established mainly in the Lake Province and with other working groups or organizations responding to emergency activities, such as flood response and of migrations, in the other provinces of Chad. These operations oriented to provide response to the needs of Persons of Concern require the preparation of well-formulated reports to donors who have financed them, as well as updates for humanitarian coordination purposes, the lead agency and the global clusters, of which only 2 existing coordinators cannot perform effectively without support.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of Protection, CCCM and Shelter/AME Coordinators (joint supervision) the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Keep abreast all developments in operations to prepare appropriate briefings and reports. • Prepare periodic reports, i.e. donor updates, internal sitreps, briefing notes for senior man-agers, and activity-specific reports as required. • Prepare funding submissions for donors, and draft any required after-action reports. • Develop and maintain working relationships with the government, NGOs, and UN agencies to ensure cooperation in inter-related activities. • Support the UNHCR-led Cluster activities by preparing and distributing minutes, assisting in the organization of meetings; occasionally chairing meetings, and serving as the general secretariat for the relevant Cluster. • Support the supervisor in preparation for meetings and missions drafting of talking points. • Organize and accompany missions for VIP visitors, delegates to visit refugee sites or the activities of UNHCR implementing partners. • If there is no Public Information (PI) focal point in country, serve as PI focal point, contributing to and coordinating press events, interviews, PI missions and other activities related to information dissemination to the general public to promote UNHCR activities. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. • A report on results related to volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as the number of volunteers mobilized, participation in activities and contribution to capacity development.

Eligibility criteria

Age

27 - 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

3 years of experience in a field related to external relations, communications, media relations or reporting.

Area(s) of expertise

Communication

Driving license

-

Languages

French, Level: Fluent, Required English, Level: Basic, Desirable

Required education level

Bachelor degree or equivalent in International Relations, Political Science, Journalism, Communications, Business of Public Administration

Competencies and values

-

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

Chad is a continental country covering 1,284,000 km2. Its climate is Sahelian, and temperatures can reach around 45°C in the dry season. This poses many health and supply problems for the population, including in the capital, N’djamena. Due to widespread poverty and poor infrastructure and community facilities in the country, recreation is somewhat reduced. Chad is a complex operation in terms of security, environment and logistical context. The environment is characterized by unforeseen trends related to these factors. The risk of common crime - fueled by poverty, social unrest and high rates of unemployment - continues to be one of the main threats to the physical integrity of UNHCR staff. UNHCR staff are always reminded of the need to strictly adhere to all security standards. The type of accommodation is residential. Rest and Recuperation cycle is of 6 weeks in Bagasola, where the UNV will be assigned. International and national UN staff live in a UNHCR guest house. Other international staff from UN agencies and NGOs live in Bagasola town. The main regional town near Bagasola is Bol which is 70 kms away. There is a regional airstrip in the town of Bol used by UNHAS planes twice a week (weekly rotations on Monday and Thurs-day) and three times a week in the airstrip in Bagasola (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

This UNV assignment is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with WHO approved vaccine, unless the UNHCR Medical Service approves an exemption from this requirement on medical grounds

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