Resettlement Associate ( 6 month Contract) - HRT045 - UNHCR TA - G6 - Beirut, Lebanon

There are currently more than one million Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in Lebanon, which makes Lebanon the highest refugee-hosting country per capita in the world. There are no approved camps in the country, and refugees are living in more than 1,700 locations across the country. The refugee response is led by the Government and local actors, supported by the international community.

As the designated lead agency in the refugee response, UNHCR has established a sector-based structure in Beirut and in the field. The structure brings together over 100 UN agencies, national and international NGO partners in identifying and agreeing on the strategic priorities to address the needs of Syrian refugees and other affected populations. The Lebanon national response falls under the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), whereby UNHCR guides the refugee response and UNDP facilitates the resilience and stabilization component.

The UNHCR operational response in Lebanon is the largest for the organization. Media attention and the frequency of influential high-profile visitors is high. The Office are located in Beirut, Zahle, Tripoli, Tyre, and Qobayat.

The Resettlement Associate position is located at the Branch Office, Beirut, Lebanon. The Resettlement Associate takes part in assessing cases for resettlement and other complementary pathways such as family reunification conducting interviews as well as monitoring procedural compliance and quality of case submissions. 

The role of the Resettlement Associate may involve managerial responsibilities in supervising, coaching and training junior staff, and assisting in implementing organisational objectives and priorities.

Under supervision, the incumbent’s primary role is to provide close coordination with concerned sections within UNHCR as well as external parties such as Embassies, IOM and NGO's, a continuous support to resettlement operations and other complimentary forms of admission by ensuring that resettlement polices are correctly implemented and operations are supported in establishing comprehensive protection and solutions strategies. The incumbent will engage at the same level in the Family Reunification project. Family Reunification plays an important role in allowing refugees to regain the support of family following trauma and flight and is key to aiding successful integration, contributing to improved social connections, language acquisition and job retention. Family reunification can also help to ensure that vulnerable refugees- disabled, elderly, children and others- are able to reunite with family members who can care for them. Efficient and accessible family reunification procedures can minimize the need to resort to unsafe or irregular means to joins family members elsewhere.

Accountability (key results that will be achieved)

• UNHCR’s durable solutions policies and standards are correctly and coherently applied.
• Persons of concern are made aware of UNHCR’s durable solutions procedures and have fair and transparent access to and participation in the solutions process.
• Fraud in the durable solutions process is promptly identified and addressed.

Responsibility

• Carry out preliminary interviews and initial assessments, to process refugees for resettlement following established procedures. Identification of family members eligible for resettlement and family reunification including vulnerable family members with protection needs, including children at risk due to separation.
• Prepare written documentation for resettlement submission and for financial assistance requests under the Regional Fund for Family Reunification; ensure that records / files of individual cases are updated in a systematic and timely manner. Interview, assess protection needs, capture family composition and details about family members in third countries in the context of the Family Reunification project and where applicable support family reunification applications through e.g. verification of identity, prior relationships, IRIS scanning, DNA testing
• Assess and review individual resettlement cases and prepare individual submission for scrutiny by the supervisor.
• Draft / type routine correspondence to Field Offices / Regional Offices / Headquarters.
• Provide persons of concern with up-to-date and accurate information on UNHCR’s resettlement policies and procedures. Counselling refugees on resettlement and where applicable on the provision of family reunification visa facilitation procedures, including collection of documents, form filling and assistance with translation
• Response and follow up to inquiries from advocates and other stakeholders, liaison with other UNHCR country offices to assist refugees seeking family reunification
• Provide input in developing global strategies on complimentary pathways and UNHCR's role in family reunification
• Interviewing families and relatives, home visits and checking any other available sources as needed to ensure data accuracy, maintain family unity and support prospects for future family reunification
• Facilitate contacts between refugees in third and host countries as needed
• Coordinate between States, partners and refugees on complex cases or urgent cases.
• Assistance and support with obtaining travel documents for persons traveling on resettlement and family reunification and not in possession of travel documents
• Follow up on cases from time of submission to final decision and departure; ensure effective in-country communication on the status and follow-up on persons of concern being considered for resettlement and/or under the family reunification process
• Assist in monitoring the quality of submissions, providing the concerned staff with basic guidance and advice.
• Coordinate travel and departure arrangements for refugees accepted under resettlement and family reunification process.
• Maintain accurate resettlement statistics as well as up-to-date records on individual cases; assist in the preparation of reports.

Authority

• Recommend cases that are eligible for assistance in the Family Reunification application.
• Provide counselling to persons of concern.