UN Youth Volunteer in Field Support

Update

In the last week of April 2024, the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil faced unprecedented heavy rainfall and extreme weather conditions lasting several weeks. Around 96 per cent of the cities in the state were impacted by the events, with many experiencing unprecedented floods. Entire neighbourhoods were flooded out and roads, communications networks and water systems were damaged. Overall, nearly 2.4 million people have been affected by the floods, and 183 people were reported killed. At the peak of the emergency, nearly 600,000 people were displaced with more than 80,000 sheltering in official facilities across the state. Some 43,000 refugees and people in need of international protection were estimated to be living in Rio Grande do Sul when the rains hit, mainly Venezuelans (67 per cent), Haitians (28 per cent) and Cubans (3 per cent).
Although the acute phase of the emergency has passed, significant challenges persist in bringing services and quality of living back to pre-events standards. In addition, in the last years, Rio Grande do Sul has established itself as a key destination for refugees and other persons in need of international protection. It is estimated that more than 43,000 refugees and other persons in need of international protection were living in Rio Grande do Sul at the outbreak of the emergency.
UNHCR works to promote livelihoods and economic inclusion for refugees. We advocate for their right to work and support them in becoming more resilient and achieve self-reliance. In Rio Grande do Sul, UNHCR has historically worked through implementing partners to ensure protection of refugees and solutions to their situation. UNHCR supports authorities in further expanding the progressive refugee public policies in place to ensure refugees’ effective access to rights and services. We work to promote their self-reliance and socio-economic inclusion and integration through their insertion into national programs. In the current scenario, UNHCR continues to support national and local government recovery efforts, as well as for the implementation of policies and initiatives to promote self-reliance and integration of refugees and other forcibly displaced populations. In this regard, UNHCR has been working with sister UN Agencies, the Government and other organizations in responding the challenges and needs of refugees and forcibly displaced in the post-emergency context. Brazil has always played a pioneering and leading role in the international protection of refugees. Refugees enjoy the protection of the Brazilian Government and can, therefore, obtain documents, work, study and exercise the same rights as any foreign citizen with regular status in the country.

Within the framework of delegated authority and under the supervision of the Head of Office Field Office and/or their designated representative, the UN Volunteer will carry out the following tasks:

• Provide support on protection issues to refugees and other persons in need of international protection; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
• Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
• Assistance in the gathering of preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions, and social needs assessment.
• Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
• Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy.
• Contribute to a country-level education plan for refugees and other persons in need of international protection as part of the protection strategy.
• Contribute to a country-level plan for indigenous refugees and other persons in need of international protection.
• Together with partners, Refugee-Led Organizations, refugees and other persons in need of international protection, identify needs concerning informative material for the provision of timely and accurate information to displaced persons and support its development and distribution.
• Foster the development and empowerment of refugee-led organizations and implement jointly activities for the benefit of refugees and other persons in need of international protection.
• Support the development and implementation of community-based protection strategies to strengthen the protection of refugees and other persons in need of international protection.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of strategies regarding Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, including through capacity-building sessions and the development of informative material.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
• Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
• Assist in identifying durable solutions for refugees and other persons in need of international protection in voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
• Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
• Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
• Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities.
• Support on the selection of refugees and other persons in need of international protection for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share.
• Support the organization and participate in workshops, training programmes, monitoring visits and working groups with regards to protection of refugees and other persons in need of international protection.
• Provide support to ensure partnership agreements are implemented in a timely manner, are regularly monitored and reported on in accordance with established guidelines and procedures including in the framework for implementation with partners.
• In coordination with implementing partners, support and promote the implementation of initiatives aiming to ensure the protection of forcibly displaced persons.
• Draft routine documents, contribute to assessments, and participate in inter-agency meetings.
-• Participate in the enforcement of integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
• Perform other related duties as required.

In addition to the above, UN Volunteers are encouraged to join the mandate of UNV within the framework of its assignment and promote voluntary action through integration into communities in the development of your work. As such, UN Volunteers must dedicate part of your work time to one of the following activities recommended:
• Strengthen your knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteering by reading relevant publications from both the UNV program and external, as well as playing an active role in the UNV activities (e.g. at UNV events, commemoration of International Volunteer Day);
• Know and develop traditional and/or local forms of volunteering in the host country;
• Provide annual and assignment self-assessment reports on UNV actions, results and opportunities;
• Contribute articles/reviews of your experiences in the field and submit them to headquarters for inclusion on the website, publications, pamphlets/newsletters, press releases, etc. of UNV;
• 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.