UNHCR is mandated to provide protection and seek durable solutions for refugees. In the Lebanese context, its mandate function is directly discharged by the organization as the Government of Lebanon is not a party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol. Due to the situation in Iraq, there is a large number of Iraqi nationals seeking protection in Lebanon. In this context, UNHCR is consolidating its operation to ensure the protection of Iraqis while paying also due regard to the other nationals seeking asylum such as Sudanese and Somalis.
The incumbent will make a substantial contribution to the above organizational goal in Lebanon as a member of the protection team by registering the basic data on Iraqi and non- Iraqi asylum-seekers and refugees, identifying their specific protection needs, determining refugee status as well as liaise with officials and UNHCR partner staff. In particular, the incumbent will undertake aforementioned tasks in respect to asylum-seekers and refugees who are kept in detention facilities in Lebanon.
The incumbent will undertake additional tasks aimed at improving the protection situation in general and of detained asylum-seekers and refugees in particular.
The incumbent is required to work with individual asylum-seekers and refugees often under time pressure and in difficult detention conditions. He/she needs to have a capacity to timely
produce quality and well-argued assessments of cases while ensuring a sufficient number of cases are processed.
1. Register, timely determine the status of refugees and draft resettlement submissions in detention according to the international standards / Well argued, logical assessments of cases and the number of cases interviewed and ssessed per day.
2. Interview asylum-seekers and refugees in detention to identify their protection needs / Accurate assessments of the protection needs of the refugees and the number of cases interviewed and assessed per day.
3. Counsel asylum-seekers and refugees in detention on UNHCR’s procedures, assessments and decisions / Asylum seekers and refugees understand the procedures that they will go through and the reasons behind the decisions.
4. Liaise closely with prison, immigration and law-enforcement officials / Ensure fair treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees in detention.
5. Any other function requested by the supervisor / As a member of the protection team and UNHCR RO Beirut, contributing to enhance the protection space for persons of concern to UNHCR in Lebanon.
- Bachelor Degree in International Relations, Law, Political Sciencem Social Science or other related fields
- Basic knowledge of human rights issues Interest in humanitarian work and refugee issues Excellent analytical skill Excellent writing skills in Arabic and English Strong interpersonal skill Cultural and gender sensitivity and awareness Ability to work effectively under stress and in difficult situations
lebbeprg@unhcr.org
