Organizational Context

Starting in 2015, East Harage and West Harage zones experienced conflict induced humanitarian crisis in various parts of the zones mostly along the lowland woredas, bordering the Somali region. These conflict-induced displacements hit their climax in September 2017 when a huge number of ethnic Oromos were displaced from urban cities of Somali region and Somaliland which left over 400,000 IDPs in both zones until end of February 2019.  Following the changes in the federal and regional governments since 2018, relative peace has been observed across some areas at the borders of Oromia and Somali regions due to the peace building process, and this has contributed to return of most of the border IDPs to their areas of origin, since March 2019. Over 253,000 IDPs returned to areas along the Somali-Oromia border by the end of July 2019.  Under the leadership of the Head of Office, UNHCR will conduct protection monitoring in the areas affected by displacement including IDP and IDP returnee locations in Dire Dawa, Harar, East Harage and West Harage.

The protection monitoring will be linked with protection services to be provided on the ground. Protection monitoring in the context of internal displacement involves collecting, verifying and analyzing information in order to identify violations of rights and protection threats and risks encountered by IDPs and returnees for the purpose of informing effective responses. Protection monitoring seeks to identify and measure events, trends and changes in the protection situation over a period of time.  Protection monitoring includes considerations of gender and age and any other individual or collective characteristic vis-à-vis risks of and violations of rights and protection threats and risks encountered. Protection monitoring teams will receive information from a range of community members of different ages and genders, in line with the principle of Do No Harm, and will potentially contribute to ensuring access to basic services, the prevention, mitigation and response to gender-based-violence.

The Protection Associate normally reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer.  He/she 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 and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors.  He/she 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 persons of concern are involved with the office 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.

Accountability

• The protection of populations of concern is met through the application of International and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles.
• Protection activities are guided by the UNHCR country protection strategy.
• The participation of persons of concern is facilitated through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community-based approaches.
• Protection incidents are immediately identified and reported.

Responsibility

• 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;
• The Protection Associate will visit one or two sites or collective centres a day, depending on size of site/centres, distance between locations, and the security situation from Tuesday to Thursday and complete assessments using the protection monitoring tools developed by the UNHCR;
• Protection mainstreaming and working with other Clusters that provide feedback to the Protection Cluster on challenges and opportunities in order to implement targeted monitoring and advocacy.
• Implementing protection monitoring using mobile devices (Kobo) provided by UNHCR. Training on the use of Kobo will be provided by UNHCR;
• Conducting data entry: preparing and transferring paper-based data into pre-defined Kobo web forms. Verifying entered data, resolving discrepancies and re-entering information, if necessary; 
• Drafting inputs for internal and external reports;
• Establishing and maintaining coordination with a governmental focal point (liaison) in each woreda with returnee and IDP populations;
• Supporting the establishment and training for community members on referral pathways, including GBV;
• Referr identified cases in need of protection response, as per referral pathways, where case management systems already exist, and helping the establishment of systems, where they do not yet exist;
• Identify survivors of human rights violations, documenting the alleged violations and referring cases to the law enforcement agencies or other relevant agencies at the request and with the consent of the survivor. Identifying child protection and GBV concerns;
• Support the establishment of a complaints and feedback mechanism in coordination with the PSEA network (Chaired by UN Women) and the Protection Cluster in Dire Dawa and sometimes Jijiga. Supporting the usage of community-based complaints mechanisms where complaints are channelled through elders and kebele leaders;
• Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
• Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
• Contribute to effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
• Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
• Carrying out other duties as assigned by the supervisor and management. 

Authority

• Prioritize persons of concern for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
• Enforce compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
• Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
• Submit individual payments request for persons of concern for approval.  

Duration of Contract: 9 (Nine) Months

Essential Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Completion of secondary school. Additional certificate/training in International Law, Political Science or related field is required.
• Job experience: Relevant to the function: 6 years.
• Fluency in English and working knowledge of another relevant UN language or local language

Managerial and Cross Functional Competencies

• Judgement and Decision Making
• Analytical Thinking
• Political Awareness
• Stakeholder Management

Desirable Qualifications & Competencies

• Good computer skills.
• Completed Protection Learning Programme.

No of Vacant Positions: 2 (Two)