General

Description of assignment title: UNV Programme Policy Officer (Protection & Accountability to Affected

Assignment country: Burundi

Expected start date: 05/01/2023

Sustainable Development Goal: 2. Zero hunger

Volunteer category: International UN Volunteer Specialist

DoA reserved for persons with disabilities: No

Host entity: WFP

Type: Onsite

Duration: 12 months

Number of assignments: 1

Duty stations: Bujumbura

Details

Mission and objectives

The World Food Program is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Born in 1961, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. On average, WFP reaches more than 90 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year. About 13,500 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor. WFP pursues five Strategic Objectives: 1. End hunger by protecting access to food 2. Improve nutrition; 3. Achieve food security; 4. Support SDG implementation 5. Partner for SDG results WFP is committed to ensuring that its activities do not contribute to further harm. The organization is also committed to ensuring that its assistance reaches the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities. At the same time, the organization is striving to be more accountable to affected populations by providing them with timely information and involving them in decision making, as well as ensuring that they access to functioning complaints and feedback mechanisms. To this end, WFP has adopted a corporate policy on Humanitarian Protection and endorsed the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Commitments on Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP). The organization is also building its internal capacities related not only to humanitarian protection and AAP but also conflict-sensitivity, personal data protection and privacy, and disability inclusion. The services of a protection and APP officer are required in WPF Burundi Country Office to ensure that all current operations and future plans integrate considerations related to protection, AAP, and gender, and to monitor the risk environment as it changes in response to Government regulations, decrease onsite presence of humanitarians, movement restrictions, and other factors. The protection and APP officer is also required to support partner organizations to consider key protection risks within their planning and implementation of food assistance activities.

Context

The WFP Interim Strategic Plan (ICSP) is aligned with Burundi’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper II and focuses on Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17 while also contributing to goals for quality education, gender equality and climate action. The ICSP targets 2,5 million people over its duration across 5 different strategic outcomes and 8 activities, which include food assistance to crisis affected populations (refugees, returnees, and vulnerable local populations), school feeding for primary school children in support of the Ministry of Education, food assistance for assets in food insecure areas for increased resilience, nutritional support for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition, support to smallholder farmers, capacity strengthening of the Government and other entities in early warning systems, food security analysis, management of food assistance, and service provision to the government and other humanitarian actors.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Country Representative and Director, and with the support of the Regional Protection Adviser, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

•  Provide technical advice, training and guidance on protection and APP to colleagues who are working at the national and sub-office level.
•  Enhance WFP’s contribution to relevant external forums at country level (e.g. protection cluster meetings) and inter-agency processes (e.g. joint assessments).
•  Establish and maintain operational partnerships and collaborative approaches related to protection and AAP with other humanitarian-development actors.
•  Ensure compliance with WFP policies and procedures, handbooks and guidelines and/or propose new initiatives to address gaps or impediments in a complex political context.
•  Develop systems and SOPs that address Protection needs and follow up on their implementation with activity managers, Head of Programme and Head of Field Offices.
•  Support programme teams in carrying out brief analysis, onsite monitoring, linking with protection actors and other similar exercises to identify address and mitigate protection risks.
•  Ensure participatory, community-based protection and accountability to affected population approaches are included at all stages of the programme cycle.
•  Through regular interaction with beneficiaries, authorities and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic, and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide information and support to management.
•  Whenever possible, maintain protection presence through field missions and reports, making direct contact with beneficiaries, host communities, local authorities, and partners.
•  Work with the programme team (particularly M&E and VAM) to strengthen protection analysis and protection data collection and reporting (including age, gender, and diversity data), including through remote methods as necessary.
•  Work with the programme team to strengthen complaints and feedback mechanisms (CFMs) for affected populations, particularly for refugees.
•  Support the Burundi Country Office in the implementation of SCOPE and mVAM to ensure that protection, gender, and AAP considerations – particularly in the field of data protection – are adequately integrated.
•  Link in with the WFP Regional Bureau Nairobi and Headquarters for support and updates as necessary.
•  Perform other related duties as required. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged 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 IVD).
•  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.
•  Network and build relationships with local organizations, groups or individuals and support and/or participate in local volunteering initiatives. Results/Expected Output
•  WFP Burundi staff are trained and aware of protection and APP principles and best practices, including in their day-to-day field work.
•  WFP adequately represents the protection and AAP interests of its beneficiaries in external fora and field assessments.
•  Standard Operating Procedures for protection and APP are regularly updated and enhanced to reflect best practices in country and in the region and beneficiaries’ feedback.
•  Timely analysis of protection and AAP issues is formulated with clear recommendations for action/decision by management.
•  Effective contribution to high quality and timely reports for donors, the Government, and other entities, including protection and APP aspects.
•  WFP food security and nutrition analysis effectively includes protection and APP aspects.
•  CFM mechanisms are enhanced and widened to cover all of WFP activities.
•  Effective linkages established with the WFP Nairobi regional bureau, headquarters, and specialized institutions to exchange best practices and innovations in the fields of protection and AAP.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 27 – 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

5 years of experience in — protection, preferably in humanitarian and resilience settings.

•  In-depth knowledge of protection in humanitarian and resilience settings, including gender-based violence, humanitarian policy issues, and their linkage with food security and nutrition.
•  Solid analytical, writing skills, and communication skills.
•  Sound knowledge and skills in training and facilitation.
•  Knowledge of UN system policies and functions of gender-mandated agencies.
•  Flexibility to travel on short notice and to challenging and difficult environments.
•  Team spirit and excellent interpersonal relations.
•  Experience using MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint

Area(s) of expertise

Community development, Crisis and emergency response, Social work

Driving license

–

Languages

French, Level: Fluent, Desirable English, Level: Fluent, Desirable

Required education level

Master degree or equivalent in – social sciences – international development, development economics or another related field like international relations, – human rights, political science, or humanitarian studies.

Competencies and values

•  Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in the area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative, and ability to take ownership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented.
•  Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations.
•  Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in the area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in the work environment.
•  Planning and organizing effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities.
•  Teamwork and respect for diversity: the ability to operate effectively across boundaries; the ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender.
•  Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;
•  Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, remote, and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within the area of operations; willingness to transfer to other duty stations within area of operations as may be necessary.
•  Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity, and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

Burundi has emerged from a long socio-politic conflict and the social indicators show that 70% of the population lives under the poverty line. Bujumbura is classified in Level II (moderate) in terms of security. It is a non-family duty station. It is generally advised to international staff not to use public transport. Secure and affordable accommodation is available in the city. It is advised to respect security instructions across the whole country.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy