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 recent deterioration of the situation in Iraq, there have been an increasing number of Iraqi nationals seeking protection in Lebanon. In this context, UNHCR is expanding its operation to ensure the protection of Iraqis while paying also due regard to the other nationals seeking asylum such as Sudanese and Somalis.
A large proportion of UNHCR’s persons of concern enter Lebanon illegally. Those who enter legally usually overstay in Lebanon due to the prevailing situation in their countries of origin and end up similarly in an illegal situation. As a result, they are often arrested and faced with charges of clandestine entry / illegal stay in Lebanon, referred to courts and sentenced to imprisonment. In many instances, they are detained beyond the initial imprisonment sentence until a time they are either released following an intervention by UNHCR or they choose to repatriate to Iraq, which amounts to arbitrary detention. Their illegal status has also an impact on the daily life. They are often faced with a multitude of legal problems as a direct result. UNHCR has initiated in 2006 to this effect, in cooperation with local NGOs and independent lawyers, a legal aid project aiming to provide legal counselling and legal representation before the courts to the refugee population. A UNHCR staff member has been acting as a coordinator and is handling the daily follow up of the project. However, the project output has increased significantly in 2007 with the increasing number of persons of concern entering the country. The administrative work load was subsequently amplified.
The incumbent will make a substantial contribution to the above organizational goal in Lebanon as a member of the protection team by assisting the UNHCR’s coordinator - The Assistant Protection Officer - to manage the legal aid project.
The incumbent is required to work with individual asylum-seekers and refugees often under time pressure. He/she would have to liaise with partners, lawyers, persons of concern and local authorities in the daily follow up of individual cases. He/she would have also to undertake all of the clerical/ administrative work in relation to the project.
The incumbent would also have to assist the Assistant Protection Officer in leading UNHCR’s efforts and activities in Lebanon on statelessness. This would include contributions to research papers on the matter in addition to advocacy, establishment of networks in addition to the preparation of workshops targeting partners and other stakeholders including Lebanese officials.
Accountability
UNHCR’s protection policies, standards and doctrine are consistently and coherently applied.
Persons of concern to UNHCR are adequately received in the office, treated with dignity, kept informed, counselled and referred properly and encouraged to participate actively in matters relating to their protection.
The specific legal needs and protection issues facing persons of concern are identified in an accurate and timely manner
- Interview persons of concern with legal problems with a view to collect factual details in relation to the problems they are facing / Clear, comprehensive and well-structured reports in relation with the legal problems the persons of concern are faced with, with recommendations to assign lawyers / Field protection monitoring.
- Refer cases to partners, follow up on the cases / Clear and concise referral emails to different partners which include factual details pertaining to each case, Clear and concise follow up emails to obtain regular updating. Update the data base of the referred cases, create and update physical files pertaining to individual legal cases / Updated database and physical files, updated information regarding the processing of the cases by the courts/lawyers / generating monthly situation reports for legal aid unit.
- Contribute to the activities of the office on statelessness.
- Assists in preparing relevant data for various reports and analysis (fact sheet, sitrep, planning exercise)
Updating and producing ProGress monthly and yearly reports on legal aid including court cases, legal counseling and assistance for purposes of regularization
- Assists in promoting and disseminating refugee law, statelessness law, and IDP-related legal standards and principles with academic institutions, law enforcement officials and local authorities to strengthen the capacity of those entities in protecting refugees and others of concern.
Requirements
- Bachelor Degree in Law or Political Science
- 2+ years of experience
- Knowledge of Refugee Law
- General organizational and computer skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Appreciation of a multi-cultural environment
- Empathy and social engagement
- Cultural and gender sensitivity and awareness
- Strong Interpersonal skills
- Liaising with external contacts
- Excellent Drafting skills
Send CV & Cover Letter stating in the subject "Senior Protection Clerk" to lebbeprg@unhcr.org
