Associate Protection Officer

Procedures and Eligibility

This vacancy is opened in the context of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme sponsored by the Government of the USA and is addressed exclusively to candidates WITH THE US NATIONALITY.

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ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

UNHCR works in the Dominican Republic to provide protection and durable solutions to asylum seekers, refugees and persons pending a nationality solution.

Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, UNHCR reopened its office in the Dominican Republic to coordinate the humanitarian response to the thousands of Haitians, who arrived seeking international protection.Since the onset of the Venezuela crisis in 2017, the number of Venezuelans in the DR has been increasing. According to the R4V platform, the DR hosted around 114,050 Venezuelan refugees and migrants by end-2020. Currently, the office works to ensure a coordinated response to the needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the country, to strengthen the asylum space and provide protection to refugees and asylum-seekers of all nationalities, and to facilitate access to nationality solutions for Dominicans of Haitian descent through law 169-14.

The vast majority of Venezuelans arrived to the DR by air and entered with a tourist card, which is by now expired, thus putting them in an irregular situation, exposing them to labor and sexual exploitation, violence, trafficking and discrimination. The response to the Venezuela situation is coordinated through the National Inter-Agency Platform for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, which is co-led by UNHCR and IOM and includes the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders from the UN system and civil society. UNHCR also works closely with community leaders and Venezuelan community-based associations to support their work. In addition to Venezuelan nationals, there is also a number of Haitian refugees and asylum-seekers in the DR who have undergone mandate RSD and are in a protracted situation of displacement, as well as a small number of refugees and asylum-seekers of other nationalities (including Cubans, Afghans, Syrians etc.).The DR is a signatory to the 1951 Convention for Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, UNHCR is working with authorities to improve the quality of the asylum system, including through on-the-job coaching, advisory opinions, capacity development activities and technical guidance.

A significant component of UNHCR¿s work in the DR is focused on persons pending a nationality solution. On January 26, 2010, a new Constitution was adopted in the Dominican Republic introducing a restriction to the automatic acquisition of nationality for those born in the territory of the country to foreign parents who, at the time of birth, resided illegally on Dominican territory.

Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)

• Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.

• Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.

• Foster their consistent and coherent interpretation and application through mainstreaming in all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations.

• Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to persons of concern.

• Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.

• Conduct eligibility and status determination for persons of concern in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.

• Promote and contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.

• Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy to ensure programmes use a child protection systems approach.

• Contribute to a country-level education plan.

• Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities which integrate AGD sensitive procedures.

• Oversee and manage individual protection cases, including those on SGBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners.

• Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of persons of concern through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.

• Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other persons of concern.

• Participate in the organisation and implementation of participatory assessments and methodologies throughout the operations management cycle and promote AGD sensitive programming with implementing and operational partners.

• Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process with sectorial and/or cluster partners.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

EDUCATION/QUALIFICATION:

University degree in Law, International Law, Political Sciences or other relevant field. The degree must have been obtained in an accredited institution listed under whed.net.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree.

Professional experience in the area of refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights or international humanitarian law is required.

Good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.

SKILLS:

*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

*LE-International Refugee Law

LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE

• Essential: English, Spanish

• Desirable: French

SUPERVISION: The JPO will be under the direct supervision of the manager indicated under Supervisor title and position number¿. The supervisor will be responsible for the performance evaluation of the JPO. The manager will also ensure that the JPO is provided a thorough induction and orientation briefing, followed by on-the-job training as well as continuous guidance for training/learning opportunities throughout the assignment. In support to the manager, the JPO Unit provides the Supervisory Guidelines upon recruitment/reassignment of the JPO.

TRAINING COMPONENTS:

• Mandatory training courses:

• Basic Security in the Field (NB: needs to be retaken every 3 years)

• Advanced Security in the Field (NB: needs to be retaken every 3 years)

• Protection Induction Programme (PIP)

• UN Course on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority

• Orientation to IPSAS

LEARNING ELEMENTS

The incumbent will have direct and first-hand experience of working in refugee operation. The JPO position offers an opportunity to practically learn the intricacies of the international refugee protection. Through on the job learning, the JPO will learn:

The JPO will learn elements of UNHCR’s work under the Multi-Country Office Washington, its structure and processes. The learning elements result from the tasks the JPO has to carry out during the assignment, such as knowledge of UNHCR policies, the UN system and its policies particularly in relation to SGBV, AGD and human rights issues.

Additionally, the JPO will strengthen her/his drafting skills as a result from daily reporting of meetings/events/developments; presentation and negotiation skills as the JPO will assist in advocating for the inclusion of UNHCR’s persons of concern into social policies having a direct impact on refugees, IDPs, and stateless persons. The JPO assignment in Santo Domingo provides an opportunity to raise political awareness and professional networking at an international level.

LIVING CONDITIONS AT THE DUTY STATION

Housing/Accomodation: Available – Incumbent must find her/his own housing.

Health care: Available – private/public health care is available in Santo Domingo and other parts of the country.

Educational Facilities: Available

Security: The DR’s security level is ranked at 2 (low).

Other: Banking institution and public transportation are available.