General
Description of assignment title : Assistant RSD Officer

Assignment country : Cameroon

Expected start date : 01/04/2022

Sustainable Development Goal
10. Reduced inequalities

Volunteer category : International UN Volunteer Specialist

DoA reserved for persons with disabilities : No

Host entity : UNHCR

Type : Onsite

Duration : 8 months

Number of assignments : 5

Duty stations : Yaounde (2), Douala (3)

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 Assistant RSD Officer is a member of the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) team. Under the direct supervision of the RSD Officer (RSD Supervisor), s/he is responsible for conducting RSD interviews to determine eligibility for refugee status, undertaking country of origin (COI) and other research related to the claim, as required, and drafting RSD assessments. The Assistant RSD Officer provides counselling to asylum seekers and refugees on UNHCR´s RSD procedures and on their status, rights and obligations in the country of asylum. The Assistant RSD Officer may review RSD assessments of less experienced members of the RSD team, seeking the advice of a more senior RSD/Protection Officer on complex cases. The Assistant RSD Officer assists in compiling and analysing information related to the RSD activities of the operation.

The RSD in urban areas, particularly in Yaounde, is theoretically conducted jointly by UNHCR and the government, but in practice, UNHCR carries out most of the implementation of the registration, first instance interview, review and recognition or rejection procedure. In Douala, on the other hand, UNHCR is in charge of the entire procedure without any interference from the government. The processing operation will be conducted first in Yaounde and then in Douala for a maximum period of 8 months. A dedicated staff will be recruited to process mainly the said files during the indicated period.

Task description
Under the direct supervision of the protection officer , the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Strategic Direction and Coordination:
• Stay abreast of legal, political, security and other developments which impact on the protection environment, and in particular, on protection delivery through RSD.
• Assist in the development of the RSD strategy of the operation and in the annual planning exercise.

Response and Advice:
• Conduct RSD interviews and draft RSD Assessments in accordance with applicable standards and guidelines.
• Review RSD decisions and provide appropriate feedback and guidance to RSD staff.
• Maintain accurate and up-to date records and data related to all work on individual cases.
• Provide counselling to asylum seekers and refugees.
• Systematically apply an age, gender and diversity (AGD) perspective in the performance of assigned functions.
• Assist in monitoring RSD trends and in compiling and analysing RSD statistics related to RSD case processing to identify and respond to developments or issues impacting on the efficiency or quality of RSD decision-making, and to propose remedial measures.

Advocacy, Information Management and Research:
• Conduct research on country of origin information (COI) and legal issues related to RSD and assist in maintaining a local repository of relevant information, guidelines and standards accessible to RSD staff in the operation.
• Ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities and legal partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice.
• Assist in developing and maintaining processes to ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities and partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policies and practice.
• Assist in initiatives to advocate with and support Government authorities and legal partners to establish and strengthen fair and efficient RSD procedures and RSD decision-making.
• Assist in evaluating and projecting RSD staffing needs using the RSD Staffing Benchmarks
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.

Results/Expected Outputs:

• The incumbent processes 4 first instance RSD cases or 6 second instance RSD cases per week (RSD Interview and RSD Assessment completed) ;
• UNHCR’s RSD procedures are implemented in accordance with relevant UNHCR standards and policies, including policies related to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming (AGDM);
• Persons of concern have fair and transparent access to the RSD procedures;
• Persons of concern are treated with dignity, respect and professionalism;

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 in the area of refugee protection, human rights or international humanitarian law
• Knowledge of International Refugee Law and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills.
• The ability to work effectively under stress and in crisis situations.
• Working experience with procedures and principles related to RSD is highly desirable.
• Experience as a decision-maker in UNHCR or Government RSD procedures.
• Experience in counselling asylum seekers or refugees.
• Experience in working with vulnerable or traumatized individuals.
• Completion of UNHCR´s RSD Learning Programme, COI Learning Programme, or Protection
Learning Programme.
• Computer literate; proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, etc) Internet.

Area(s) of expertise
Legal affairs

Driving license
-

Languages
French, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level
Master degree or equivalent in Law, political science, international relations or another related field

Competencies and values
• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Accountability
• Commitment to continuous learning
• Planning and organizing
• Teamwork and respect for diversity
• Communication:

Other information
Living conditions and remarks
Volunteers will be based in Douala and Yaoundé. Conditions are in place for them to live with their families.

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
Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

All applications must be submitted ONLINE at : https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1686895208260864

Source:https://www.offre-emploi.cm/offres-emploi/jobs-opportunities-05-assistants-rsd-officers-unhcr-39738/