Associate Protection Officer

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. UNHCR also has a mandate to help stateless people. As of 31 December 2021, UNHCR had recruited 18,879 people, of whom around nearly 91 per cent are based in the field. UNHCR works in 137 countries and territories, with personnel based in a mixture of regional and branch offices and sub and field offices. Our teams work hard to help the displaced, specializing in a wide range of disciplines, including legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs and health.

The UN Volunteer will support the implementation of a JICA-funded project, “Enhancing Protection and Solutions for Forcibly Displaced Persons in Zambia,” which aims to strengthen Zambia’s asylum system and advance inclusive, government-led responses to forced displacement. Zambia hosts more than 114,000 asylum-seekers, refugees, and former refugees, while continuing to receive new arrivals, particularly from within the region. This has placed increasing pressure on the national systems responsible for reception, registration, documentation, and refugee status determination. Capacity constraints across government institutions have contributed to delays in processing, gaps in documentation, and increased protection risks, particularly for women, children, and other vulnerable groups. At the same time, evolving approaches to migration management and border control have created additional challenges in ensuring timely and ensured access to asylum procedures and legal protection. In parallel, the Government of Zambia is advancing an ambitious policy and development agenda focused on refugee inclusion, aligned with the Global Compact on Refugees and Zambia’s National Refugee Policy. This includes efforts to integrate forcibly displaced persons into national systems such as education, health, and social protection, and to promote sustainable, locally led solutions through a whole-of-government approach. Delivering on these commitments requires strengthened coordination across national and sub-national authorities, improved operational systems, and enhanced capacity of frontline actors. Within this context, the project supports the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees (COR) and other relevant line ministries to strengthen asylum procedures, improve access to legal protection and services, and enhance coordination across stakeholders. Key areas of support include improving the efficiency and quality of registration and case processing, strengthening capacity at district level, supporting access to justice and legal assistance, and facilitating dialogue and engagement across government, civil society, and development partners. The UN Volunteer will contribute to these efforts by supporting a range of operational, coordination, and capacity development activities. This includes working closely with government counterparts and partners at both national and field levels, supporting implementation of project activities, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and contributing to analysis and reporting. The assignment combines field-based support with analytical and coordination functions, offering an opportunity to contribute to both immediate improvements in service delivery and longer-term systems strengthening.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Protection Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: - Support government counterparts and partners in strengthening procedures related to refugee reception, registration, documentation, and refugee status determination with a focus on improving efficiency, consistency, and protection outcomes. - Where budget allows, contribute to field-based activities, including missions to districts and refugee-hosting areas, to support implementation, identify operational challenges, and follow up on agreed actions. - Assist in the organization and delivery of trainings, workshops, and on-the-job support for government officials and partners on relevant procedures and standards. - Support coordination with government institutions, civil society, and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, referral pathways, and access to services. - Monitor implementation of activities and help identify gaps, risks, and opportunities for improvement, proposing practical solutions where needed. - Support data collection, analysis, and reporting on project activities, including preparation of briefings, updates, and inputs to donor reporting. - Assist in facilitating dialogue and engagement with stakeholders to support implementation of policy and programmatic priorities. - Contribute to community engagement activities to ensure that interventions are informed by the perspectives and needs of affected populations. - Perform other related tasks as required to support project implementation. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: - Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading rel-evant 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.