Associate Durable Solutions Officer

Details

Mission and objectives

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (the UN Refugee Agency, also known as UNHCR) is an intergovernmental organization with a mandate to protect refugees and stateless persons worldwide. Since 1950, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of more than 15,000 people in 130 countries continues to help and protect millions of refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people. UNHCR provides lifesaving assistance, protection, shelter, food, clean water, education and medical care to some of the world’s most vulnerable. UNHCR also provides assistance to refugees who want to return home when it is safe to do so and helps integrate refugees within their local host country or resettle to a third country when returning home is no longer an option. Non-governmental organization (NGO) partners work with UNHCR around the globe to assist and protect refugees and internally displaced people.

Context

The UNHCR project “Promotion of economic inclusion and sustainable integration of the refugee population through collaboration with the private sector and the “Servicio Nacional de Empleo” in Mexico City has a country-wide reach. The International UN Volunteer will support the implementation of the project in El Bajío (Aguascalientes, Querétaro, León, Silao, Irapuato, San Luis Potosí), as well as Guadalajara, Monterrey and Saltillo
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation as well as the sound development of Japanese and global economy by supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions. JICA, with its partners, will take the lead in forging bonds of trust across the world, aspiring for a free, peaceful and prosperous world where people can hope for a better future and explore their diverse potentials.
JICA dispatches experts and overseas volunteers to developing countries, and in return welcomes government officials and specialists as training participants and overseas students. People-to-people connections established through human resource development are the foundations of trust between developing countries and Japan.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Durable Solutions Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Strengthen the Country Office’s capacity to mobilize private sector actors, supporting socioeconomic inclusion programming in Mexico.
• Support the Country Office in mobilizing Japanese organizations such as JICA, which face human resource shortages in the Central part of Mexico, in particular within El Bajío.
• Support the Country Office in monitoring the needs of private sector companies, that partner with the local integration programme, maintain a fluent communication and capitalize on shared interests for advocacy purposes.
• Travel to the destinations of the Local Integration Program with all the security measures applicable to all United Nations personnel in Mexico.
Results/Expected Outputs
• Consolidate UNHCR’s Local Integration Program in Mexico.
• A permanent dialogue with chambers of commerce, private sector companies and local authorities guaranteed an efficient match between profiles of relocated refugees and the needs of the labour market.
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.