Executive Assistant

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 Central African Republic has experienced an acute crisis since 2013 that has caused over 1.5 million people into forced displacement including over 700,000 refugees who fled to neighboring countries and close to 750,000 internally displaced persons. Just during the most recent crisis in the context of the presidential and legislative elections, 133,000 newly displaced persons are still in forced displacement in very precarious situations with limited humanitarian access. While humanitarian needs across the country remain huge, the situation in CAR has, for years, been one of the most consistently overlooked and underfunded emergencies in the world, forcing UNHCR and its humanitarian partners to reduce critical activities. In this IDP context, UNHCR is the Lead of the Protection Cluster as well as co-leads the CCCM The national cluster is based in Bangui while regional clusters are established in prefectures where UNHCR has a presence. UNHCR’s protection activities in CAR also include the protection monitoring of IDPs and refugees returning to their areas of origin, as well as their host communities. The protection activities also include protection response to identified protection risks and a strong community-based approach in support among others of social cohesion. The UNHCR CAR operation seeks synergies between its protection interventions and interventions under the Camp Management/Camp Coordination (CCCM) as well as non-food item and shelter interventions. Regarding return and durable solutions, UNHCR CAR facilitates the return of refugees as well as their reintegration. UNHCR co-leads with UNDP the Working Group on Durable Solutions. Since April 2023, CAR has hosted some 20000 refugees from Sudan following the crisis in the country. They are mainly found in the Vakaga prefecture one of the poorest of the country. Some 37000 Chadians refugees also arrived in CAR as of June 2023 as a result of intercommunal clashes.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Representative, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Assist in managing and prioritizing the information flow to the supervisor, as well as advice on actions to be taken. • Analyse supporting documentation and summarize most relevant points for the supervisor. • Contribute to ensuring that appropriate action is taken by responsible Section Heads on matters brought to the attention of the supervisor. • Assist in following-up on policies and instructions presented by the supervisor. Keep the Supervisor abreast of developments in UNHCR’s major operations in the West and Central Africa regions, and of policies issues related directly to UNHCR or to humanitarian issues under the broader UN system. • Assist the supervisor in the preparation of statements that represent UNHCR’s overall policies, and which highlight specific areas of concern. • Propose and draft substantive correspondence for the supervisor. (SMC notes, talking points, meeting notes). • Confer with Section Heads to secure timely and authoritative information relevant to matters requiring action, decisions, or the signature of the supervisor. • Elaborate talking points for the supervisor for meeting and missions by reaching out to relevant contact within and outside UNHCR and researching pertinent information. • Support the supervisor in efforts to raise the profile of UNHCR and the agency’s concerns within the context of the broader United Nations system. • Contribute to coordinating drafts of position papers and other documents relevant to the activities of the Office. • Ensure that high-level visits are appropriately addressed, that they receive background information as necessary, and that protocol is respected. • Perform other related duties as required. Results/Expected Outputs: • The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs). • Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities throughout the assignment. • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in, and capacities developed