Associate Durable Solutions Officer

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is mandated to protect and assist people forced to flee due to conflict, persecution, or violence. Since its establishment in 1950, it has worked to ensure access to asylum, prevent forced return (non-refoulement), and promote durable solutions such as voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement. UNHCR responds to emergencies, provides legal protection, and collaborates with governments, civil society, and other UN agencies. It also addresses statelessness and supports host communities, guided by the 1951 Refugee Convention and humanitarian principles.
In the Southern Cone of Latin America, UNHCR’s Multi-Country Office supports Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay in strengthening access to international protection and promoting stabilization. It also works to reduce protection risks for people in transit through Bolivia. The region continues to receive forcibly displaced and stateless populations, primarily Venezuelans, who made up 95% of the 830,000 displaced people in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year.
Aligned with the Global Compact on Refugees and pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum, UNHCR fosters partnerships with states, local governments, UN agencies, civil society, academia, and the private sector. Through its co-leadership of the R4V Platform and engagement in UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, UNHCR promotes inclusion and shared responsibility.

The UN Volunteer will support the implementation of Durable Solutions interventions in the Southern Cone with an emphasis on socio-economic inclusion and resilience, especially in the areas access to the labour market and social protection in accordance with the protection and solutions framework of the operation.
Forcibly displaced persons face significant barriers to socioeconomic inclusion. Many struggle to access formal employment, financial services, and recognition of educational credentials. Misunderstandings about refugees’ legal status among employers, combined with economic instability and rising unemployment, contribute to exclusion and social tension. In Argentina and Bolivia, fragile governance and high poverty levels exacerbate these challenges. In Argentina, 60% of informal workers’ households live below the poverty line, and nearly half of surveyed migrants report informal employment and difficulty accessing jobs.
To en hance socioeconomic and cultural inclusion in the Southern Cone, the Cities of Solidarity initiative has become a cornerstone for durable solutions, engaging 16 municipalities in Argentina, 7 in Chile, and 3 in Uruguay to support displaced populations in urban settings.
Moreover, UNHCR promotes private sector engagement through initiatives like Talento Sin Fronteras, which aims to expand job opportunities and support self-reliance, key to long-term stabilization and integration.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Protection Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Promote initiatives for the development of public policies for economic development and socio-economic inclusion at the local and national levels in the framework of the Cities of Solidarity initiative.
• Deliver technical support to design, execute, and evaluate a strategic collaboration with the private sector and key partners aimed at fostering inclusive and sustainable market systems with the Talento sin Fronteras program.
• Produce concept notes and work plans for specific socioeconomic inclusion projects
• Provide technical support to operational partners in the monitoring and evaluation of Durable Solutions projects with the Livelihoods Information Survey (LIS).
• Support productive dialogues with key actors on solutions for forcibly displaced persons, promoting an approach that includes the whole of society, including academia, the private sector, and development entities.
• Provide support to identify barriers to access to effective solutions (income, education, housing, health and social protection, among others) for refugees and forcibly displaced persons.
• Analyse statistics, trends and technical reports, and draft relevant reports within the framework of durable solutions.
• Liaise with relevant UNHCR units to ensure the a ‘solutions from the outset’ approach within the multifunctional teams.
• Attend meetings, working groups and coordination forums (forums, technical roundtables), both at the institutional and inter-agency levels, that are relevant and focused on strengthening durable solutions for refugees and forcibly displaced persons.
• Provide general support for the development of the work, including assistance in organising meetings, workshops and working sessions and in administrative tasks.
• Perform other related tasks as required.