Access Officer OCHA Goma P3 Proactive Protection

NORCAP’s mission is to improve aid to protect and empower people affected by crises and climate change. With expertise in the humanitarian, development and peace building sectors, we collaborate with local, national and international partners on finding solutions that meet the needs of people at risk.

We do this by:

• Supporting humanitarian, development and peace building initiatives that protect and empower people
• Improving impact at the global and local level through joint projects with partners and stakeholders
• Providing expertise and developing capacity that enable partners to meet the needs of people in fragile situations and crises
• Strengthening the global system that we are part of through support for leadership, coordination and policy development
• Building bridges between the humanitarian, development and peace building sectors

We are seeking to assign an Access Officer to OCHA DRC in Goma to work as the primary focal point on protection of civilians (PoC) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). This officer will support OCHA and humanitarian partners on their engagement with armed actors, including advising on OCHAs engagement related to PoC and IHL with MONUSCO, FARDC and other national security forces, SAMIDRC, PMSCs, NSAGs and other foreign military. 

Are you experienced in access negotiations, mediation, engagement with armed actors, protection of civilians, IHL and speak French? If yes, the proactive protection team wants you!  The assignments is for an initial 12 months, with start date February 2025.

BACKGROUND 

The DRC is the second largest internal displacement crisis in Africa after Sudan, with 6.3 million people displaced as of August 2024. Expansion of non-state armed groups into new areas in 2024, illegal exploitation of natural resources, weak state authority as well as regional dimension continues to cause suffering and exacerbate socio-economic tensions. Similarly, many other conflicts are emerging and taking root in other parts of the country due to the lack of adequate funding and response and the concentration of efforts in the east of the country. Political commitment to resolving the conflict remains limited. The repercussions on the affected populations are reflected in the numerous internal displacements and other violations and abuses of their rights, as well as in the severity of the protection risks, they face. As of August 2024, more than 300 incidents involving humanitarian workers including nine deaths have been recorded.

A vast variety of armed actors operate in eastern and western DRC, and systematic engagement by OCHA remains challenging due to limited human resources capacity. As of the end of 2024 OCHA maintains contact and advocates for humanitarian access, PoC and respect of IHL with Congolese security forces (military, PNC, ANR), MONUSCO, the SADC mission in DRC (SAMIDRC), at least one Private Military Security Company contracted by the Congolese military, contingents of the Ugandan and Burundian military deployed on a bilateral basis, and around 130 non-state armed groups. OCHA DRC is requesting the deployment of an Access/CMCoord officer with a strong protection and IHL background to strengthen and improve existing access coordination mechanisms, integrate PoC and IHL in all advocacy efforts and humanitarian negotiations, support the elaboration of codes of conduct and operational guidance by the HCT, and overall contribute to a better respect of IHL by all armed actors. OCHA DRC would like to take this opportunity and reinforce its team and IHL, PoC and engagement with nonstate armed groups capacity.