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Job Title:    Senior Interagency Coordination Officer

Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About US:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR’s mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary:  The Senior Inter-Agency Coordination Officer is located in Country Operations, Multi-Country Offices, Regional Bureaux, Regional Refugee Coordinator¿s Office or in the Partnership and Coordination Service (PCS) in Headquarters. S/he plays a crucial role in ensuring UNHCR¿s approach to partnership and inter-agency processes are consistent, strategic and coherent. The main aim is to ensure that UNHCR can fulfil its role to support the Government to lead the refugee response, coordinate other actors in the initial stages of a refugee emergency and adhere to UNHCR inter agency commitments in IDP situations. This should be done in line with UNHCRs Mandate, the Global Compact for Refugees, the IDP policy, and agreed inter- agency commitments. More specifically, s/he advises the senior management on inter-agency processes and related positioning, coordination, advocacy, information, resource allocation, fundraising, reporting, and communication with government entities, other UN agencies, NGOs, civil society actors, private sector media, other relevant actors through strong engagement in humanitarian inter- agency processes, but also with a focus on development processes as they impact on UNHCR. The overall goal of the position is to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of UNHCR¿s leadership roles and responses to situations affecting people of concern to UNHCR (refugees, IDPs, stateless persons, returnees, host communities) through an open and transparent partnership approach.

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.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Proactively lead and/or participate in inter-agency fora to ensure that UNHCR¿s Mandate and programmes are given due attention and reflected in linkage at the country level, bureaux and at the policy levels of humanitarian and development coordination systems.
• Formulate UNHCR inter-agency positions and ensure senior management endorsement for internal and external consumption and provide briefing notes, talking points and issue papers for relevant discussions in-house with partners, including UN agencies and NGOs, donors, and in inter-agency fora.
• Promote UNHCR’s policies and linkages within multilateral processes, including humanitarian and development processes as elaborated by the humanitarian working groups, the Inter -Agency Standing Committee, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), as well as in regional intergovernmental fora (IGAD, ASEAN, ECOWAS, etc) .
• Contribute or lead the effective establishment and maintenance of coordination mechanisms and tools, in line with the refugee coordination model and globally-agreed arrangements applicable in various situations (refugee-only; mixed refugee-IDPs; refugee and migrant movements), ensuring timely and effective needs assessment, appropriate planning, prioritization, implementation, reporting and evaluation, including through the development of joint appeals, regional refugee response plans, regional refugee and migrant response plans, refugee and resilience plans, comprehensive responses.
• Ensure UNHCR participates in line with current policy in inter- agency appeals for IDPs to allow access to pooled funds.
• Lead cross-functional preparation of issues and follow-up within UNHCR in the relevant substantive units and services.
• Maintain frequent formal and informal contacts with his/her counterparts in other organisations.
• Responsible for furthering understanding within UNHCR on inter- agency issues and priorities and advising staff on policy developments and reform initiatives within the humanitarian sphere, as well as the broader UN and development processes. This includes updating key staff on the developments within the Inter-Agency frameworks, UN reforms, Global Compact, as well as promoting and stimulating UNHCR’s implementation of key reforms within the humanitarian and development architecture.
• Ensure internal institutional coherence and coordination of actions pursued for a strong refugee coordination system under government leadership where possible, with accompanying planning instruments in the delivery of refugee responses.
• Where there is lack of clarity as to UNHCR¿s positions and priorities, identify where there are gaps or a lack of clarity and stimulate a process whereby policy will be clearly mapped out and agreed at the highest levels in the organisation.
• Maintain close contact with DER/PCS on emerging issues.
• Perform other related duties as required.

For positions in country operations only:

• Establish and coordinate country-specific coordination mechanisms for situations led by UNHCR. Where applicable, coordinate the development of country-specific refugee response plans (or refugee and migration response plan and refugee and resilience plan) and comprehensive responses.
• Advise senior management on engagement in country inter-agency processes, including inter-alia, Humanitarian Response Plans, UNDAF and humanitarian-development nexus initiatives; represent and facilitate UNHCR¿s contribution to these processes.
• Ensure that the High Commissioner¿s accountability towards refugees is reaffirmed in inter agency processes, including under the refugee coordination model and try to harness inter agency support for the coordination mechanisms established.
• Facilitate UNHCR¿s catalytic role in the context of the Global Compact on Refugees
• Liaise with other UN agencies and other inter government agencies and fora to find areas of cooperation, joint initiatives and where applicable negotiate joint agreements or work programmes to further  protection and assistance for persons of concern
• Participate, chair and/or coordinate the work of Multi–sector group (MSG), including determining collective priorities, managing the MSG work plans and supervising secretariat functions.
• Ensure that UNHCR provides constructive and coherent inputs on the humanitarian policy and coordination issues addressed by the IASC and other fora in regions and country operations. This should be in collaboration with main partner agencies (OCHA, WFP, UNICEF, the ICRC and NGOs).
• Participate in field support and advise missions as appropriate.
• Provide support to colleagues on humanitarian coordination issues
• Alert the regional Bureau, multi-country office and/or RRC office on issues related to coordination arrangements interface with development and humanitarian systems.

For positions in the Regional Bureaux, Multi-Country offices or RRC offices only:

• Promote within relevant country operations coordinated approaches to decision making frameworks, especially in regards to humanitarian inter agency processes, but also with a focus on development processes as they impact on UNHCR in the field.
• Operationalize UNHCR¿s inter-agency policies and maintain an inclusive inter-agency regional approach.
• Advise UNHCR¿s senior management on engagement in regional inter-agency processes, including regional Economic Commissions and regional UNSDG as well as regional fora (IGAD,ECOWAS, ASEAN, etc).
• Establish regional coordination mechanisms and/or consultation fora for situations led by UNHCR. This should include, inter alia: support to RRC (if appointed); information-management; reporting.
• Ensure timely preparedness across the region / multi-countries.
• Liaise with other UN agencies and other inter government agencies and fora at the regional level to find areas of cooperation, joint initiatives and where applicable negotiate joint agreements or work programmes to further  protection and assistance for persons of concern.
• Where applicable, coordinate the compilation of a regional refugee response plan (in some situations, this could be a regional refugee and migrant response plan or a refugee and resilience plan), as well as its monitoring and the tracking of financial contributions.
• Ensure efficient and timely circulation of information to stakeholders, including through the production of regular and up-to-date information, key messages and regional situational analysis.
• Ensure effective coordination mechanisms are in place in country operations in line with globally-agreed arrangements and the refugee coordination model and provide support as required, including through field missions, to safeguard harmonized position and communication between national and regional coordination mechanisms UNHCR leads or is actively engaged in.
• Advise field operations on how to facilitate UNHCR¿s catalytic and convener¿s role in the context of the Global Compact on Refugees.
• Advise field operations on how to engage in UNDAF processes.
• Organize regional-level capacity building, as required.
• Support the organization of annual regional NGO consultations and facilitate events as required.
• Alert the HQ (DER and DESS) on issues related to coordination arrangements interface with development and humanitarian systems.

For positions in the Partnership and Coordination Service only:

• Liaise with other UN agencies and other inter government agencies and fora to find areas of cooperation, joint initiatives and where applicable negotiate joint agreements, letters and MOUs to further refugee protection and assistance as well as agreements for other persons of concern.
• Promote within UNHCR’s Bureaux and Functional Divisions coordinated approaches to decision making frameworks, especially in regards to humanitarian inter agency processes, but also with a focus on development processes as they impact on UNHCR in the field.
• Advise Regional Bureaux, multi-country offices, RRC offices and country operations on inter-agency and coordination matters, including issues related to the humanitarian-development nexus.
• Carry out field support missions, as required.
• Represent UNHCR with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee: ensure UNHCR¿s engagement in IASC structures is strategic and coherent and that UNHCR is represented adequately in the relevant subsidiary bodies, support the Head of Service in representing UNHCR in the Operational Policy and Advocacy Group.
• Compile inputs and draft reports or comments for key inter-agency processes, amongst others the Secretary General¿s report for ECOSOC on humanitarian coordination and UNHCR¿s self-report on commitments made at the World Humanitarian Summit.
• Assist with UNHCR¿s participation in the ECOSOC Humanitarian Segment, in cooperation with UNHCR New York.
• Draft input and coordinate the input of others into annual reports in the area of partnership and coordination, such as the Global Appeal and Report and into Standing Committee documents.
• Support the organization of Annual NGO Consultations.

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Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Senior Interagency Coordination Officer job should have nine years of relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree in Law, Political Science, Economics, International Relations, Business Administration, Social Science or other relevant field.
• Certificates and/or Licenses: In future: completion of the Inter-Agency Coordination Learning Programme
• Experience of working in an inter-agency environment at field or Headquarters level. Experience of liaising with governments and/or the donor community.
• Thorough understanding of UNHCR’s protection mandate and core mission.
• Thorough understanding of humanitarian coordination processes and recent inter-agency developments related to the IASC and the broader UN.
• Language Requirements: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

Desirable

• Inter-agency coordination role. Drafting joint appeal/ refugee response plan/HRP. Experience with another UN agency or partner.

Functional Skills

• MG-Coordination

NB: Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential.

How to Apply:

All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions after reviewing the job details.

Click Here

Deadline: 15^th June 2023

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