ThaiNGO

UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)

INTERNAL / EXTERNAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Vacancy Notice No. 28/2020

1. Operational Context

This position has responsibility for activities regarding statelessness in Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.

Thailand

There are nearly 480,000 registered stateless persons in Thailand – one of the five largest such populations in the world. In recent years the Royal Thai Government (RTG) has made some progress in addressing statelessness. The RTG has signalled political will to resolve this issue; it is one of the core supporters of the #IBelong campaign and made substantive pledges to address statelessness during the 2019 High-level Segment. Nonetheless, significant challenges remain in facilitating access to nationality, not least administrative bottlenecks and resource constraints. There have also been gaps identified with respect to social protection for stateless individuals, highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cambodia

The official statistics of stateless persons is not currently available in Cambodia. Reportedly, legal documentation (e.g. ID card, birth certificate) of around 70,000 ethnic Vietnamese have been stripped, potentially without due process and judicial review but this has to be confirmed. Cambodia has recently undertaken work to reform its civil registration and vital statistics law, which may provide avenues through which to strengthen the legal framework and for UNHCR to engage with the Cambodian authorities on statelessness. 

Lao PDR

UNHCR has minimal activities and no presence in Laos.  Official statelessness statistics are currently unavailable. However, UNHCR has been informed through its ongoing project in Vietnam that there are a number of stateless persons or persons of undetermined nationality residing in the border areas between Laos and Vietnam and that the two countries are implementing a Bilateral Agreement to naturalize and solve civil registration-related issues for persons residing in the border areas.

Vietnam

UNHCR has minimal activities in Vietnam, although occasionally, the office is asked to intervene when persons seeking protection approach the UN offices. A number of developments are taking place with respect to statelessness, including: possible plans to amend the nationality law and policies; the review and reform law and practice relating to civil registration and vital statistics; the formulation of a Strategic Plan and Analysis geared towards resolving statelessness in Vietnam; and possible accession to the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions.

The Protection Associate is a member of the Multi-country Office (MCO) Protection team and is relied upon to provide quality, timely and effective support on statelessness issues. Under the overall guidance of the Senior Protection Officer, the Protection Associate will contribute to the ongoing formulation and implementation of the statelessness strategy as regards Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Responsibilities will include, inter alia: undertaking analysis and preparing advice on statelessness; supporting the management of UNHCR’s statelessness projects in Thailand and Vietnam; capacity building activities, which will include facilitating training on statelessness; engaging in advocacy and awareness raising activities, including with government counterparts.

The Protection Associate should have strong knowledge of UNHCR’s policies related to statelessness and the international statelessness standards. Knowledge of domestic law and policy in the countries covered by the MCO is an asset. The incumbent should have excellent research and analytical skills, as well as excellent drafting and communication skills. Demonstrated experience working on statelessness is an asset. The Protection Associate should have excellent interpersonal and advocacy skills to facilitate strong and constructive engagement with a wide range of actors, including stateless persons, Government officials and NGOs. A training certificate in Stateless learning programme is desirable.  Some travel is expected.

2. Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

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.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

3. Duties

• 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 SGBV 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.

4. Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Certificates and/or Licenses (Desirable)

International Law, Political Science or other related field

Relevant Job Experience

Desirable

Protection Learning Programme

Functional Skills (Desirable)

IT-Computer Literacy

CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness

PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Language Requirements

For General Service jobs: Fluency in English and Thai

5. Competency Requirements

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Judgement and Decision Making

Cross-Functional Competencies

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Political Awareness

Stakeholder Management

Remuneration:

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the International Civil Service Commission at: http://icsc.un.org

Submission of Applications:

If you wish to be considered for this vacancy, please submit your letter of motivation, updated factsheet (for internals), signed Personal History Form (for externals) by e-mail clearly stating the position title, vacancy notice number and your Last Name in the subject line to THABAHR@unhcr.org by the closing date.

The Personal History Form and its supplementary sheet can be downloaded from: https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11_UNHCR.docm and

https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11SUP_UNHCR.docm

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).

UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants for this position. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

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