Protection Monitoring Consultants
UNOPSBackground
Close to a million persons were displaced in West Guji zone (Oromia) and Gedeo zone (SNNPR) between April and August 2018. The humanitarian community, in cooperation with the zonal and woreda governments, has been responding to this displacement by providing a range of services in the locations of displacement.
In early September, internally displaced persons (IDPs) started returning to their woredas of origin, including to the West Guji zone. Under the leadership of the Protection Cluster (lead by UNHCR), several UN agencies (notably UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA and OHCHR) will conduct protection monitoring in the areas of return in West Guji. 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 is the process of a team of representatives from UN agencies conducting site visits to speak with IDPs and returnees to assess current situation and identify any needs, including referral of protection issues and allegations of human rights violations. Protection monitoring seeks to identify and measure events, trends and changes in the protection situation over a period of time, while a protection assessment is intended to produce a general picture of the protection situation at a particular date. 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.
Justification
Some IDPs experienced a range of protection issues during the displacement and in places of displacement that were identified during protection assessments. The objective of protection monitoring is to assist and guide evidence-based action by relevant national, regional and international actors in order to ensure the full respect and protection of the rights of IDPs and returnees. These actions will include specific interventions on behalf of individuals and or groups, the planning and implementation of humanitarian assistance operations or protection interventions and advocacy or other activities by relevant stakeholders such as international actors and civil society.
The current response in West Guji is being supported by individual agencies but additional staffing is required to provide dedicated support to protection monitoring. UNHCR, UNICEF, and UNFPA each require 6 national level consultants for 6 months to participate as members of the protection monitoring teams.
Composition and approach
The protection monitoring teams will be composed of consultants from UN agencies and their work will be guided and overseen by protection specialists from UN agencies. Team Leaders will be assigned on a rotating basis to ensure that there is a focal point of contact for the Protection Cluster, including for submission of the Weekly Report.
The coordination of the protection monitoring schedule and activities of the protection monitoring team(s) will be conducted by the Protection Cluster led by UNHCR. The activities will be planned and adjusted to respond to the ongoing return developments in the field.
The protection monitoring teams will report to the Protection Cluster Coordinator on field based operational and logistics arrangements, as well as the submission of Weekly Report. Individual team members from the respective agencies will report to an assigned supervisor from their agency.
Responsibility
- Protection monitoring will focus on priority kebeles, the list of which will be regularly updated by the protection monitoring teams on the basis of information gathered through the local coordination platforms that include local government structures;
- The protection monitoring teams 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 Monday to Thursday and complete assessments using the protection monitoring tools developed by the Protection Cluster;
- On Fridays, the protection monitoring teams will conduct analysis on the basis of the information gathered, and in collaboration with the UN protection monitoring specialists, draft a report with key actions identified for each partner (as relevant) for follow up. This report will be shared with the Protection Cluster and each UN agency. Summarised reports will be shared with the HCT + by the Protection Cluster to inform advocacy, strategy, and decision making;
- 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.
Other activities will include
- Implementing protection monitoring using both paper-based forms and mobile devices (Kobo) provided by UNHCR. Training on the use of Kobo will be provided by Protection Cluster Information Management Officer;
- 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;
- Establishing and maintaining coordination with a governmental focal point (liaison) in each woreda with returnee population;
- Supporting the establishment and training for community members on referral pathways, including GBV;
- Referring 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;
- Identifying 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;
- Supporting the establishment of a complaints and feedback mechanism in coordination with the PSEA network (Chaired by UN Women) and the Protection Cluster in Bule Hora. Supporting the usage of community-based complaints mechanisms where complaints are channeled through elders and kebele leaders;
- Carrying out other duties as assigned by UN protection specialists.
Essential Minimum Qualifications and Experience
- Minimum a Bachelor’s degree in Law, Social or Political Sciences, Human Rights, Humanitarian and/or Development studies;
- Minimum 2 years of relevant working experience in the human rights, humanitarian or development domain, or equivalent government functions;
- Knowledge of English, Amharic, and Oromiffa.
Required Competencies
- Experience with project management, protection and/or human rights monitoring in the field, including child protection;
- Good report writing skills for qualitative and quantitative information. Statistical analysis skills will be considered an advantage;
- Practical field experience in remote and isolated regions of Ethiopia an added value;
- Flexibility and adaptability to a rapidly changing operational environment;
- Excellent inter-personal and networking skills required.
Submission of Applications
This vacancy is open for qualified Ethiopians only.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
UNHCR is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
IMPORTANT
Applicants who wish to be considered for this position should send a motivation letter the P11 Form and or the most recent fact sheet through the online application system.
Candidates will be required to sit for a test.
Due to the volume of applications only short listed candidates will be invited for interview.