Mission and objectives

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

Context

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022, over 1.1 million people have entered the Republic of Moldova from Ukraine, mostly women, children, and older persons. While most have moved onwards to the EU, over 130,000 refugees have chosen to remain in Moldova, nearly half of whom are children. Currently and based on the multi-year strategy covering 2024-2026, main operational priorities of the office include interventions for protecting people fleeing the Ukraine conflict, as well as for asylum seekers of other nationalities and stateless individuals, protection monitoring and strengthening of protection services particularly for CP/GBV and groups with specific needs, supporting authorities in providing accommodation and monitoring conditions and protection needs of refugees, support for inclusion and access to education and health, as well as consistent support (technical and expertise) to the Government of Moldova to manage the response. The strategy is focused on an ongoing transition from emergency response to stabilization, integration of the refugee response to national governmental programs, and bolstering inclusion of displaced persons in national social protection and other key systems. Within the Protection team, key priorities include support supporting the government with establishing a post-Temporary Protection legal regime, supporting the government’s EU accession efforts, particularly in the areas of asylum and alignment of relevant legislation with EU and international standards, Community Based Protection activities, protection monitoring, support to children at risk and survivors of GBV, and the educational inclusion of refugee children in Moldova’s school system.

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of the Protection Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: · Through relationships with forcibly displaced and stateless people, authorities and a network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic, and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to protection team members; · Support efforts to ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs, and resources of forcibly displaced and stateless people are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes, and operations plan addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth, and older persons, persons with disabilities, minority groups such as sexual minorities, and persons living with HIV/AIDS; · Support the promotion of international refugee law principles and standards, and support the mainstreaming of protection; · Support the implementation and monitoring of programmes, ensuring that identified protection needs, including an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach, are adequately addressed; · Assist in the coordinated implementation and oversight of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities; · Support with consultative processes with government counterparts at local levels, partners, and forcibly displaced and stateless people to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education, and GBV, and solutions approaches; · Support efforts to promote confidence-building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities, and host communities; · Support the maintenance of protection presence through regular field missions, monitoring missions, and reports, making direct contact with forcibly displaced and stateless persons, host communities, local authorities, and partners; · Contribute to the Protection team's information management component which: provides disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems; researches, collects, and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery and provide technical advice if necessary; · Support efforts to ensure participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches are included in strategies and plans in the country operation; · Support efforts to develop structures that enhance the participation and protection of forcibly displaced and stateless people; · Support case management activities as needed, including potentially in the fields of child protection, GBV, and general protection; · Support the monitoring of protection partners; · Support the coordination of protection activities; · Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignments and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results, and opportunities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • 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.

Competencies and values

Adaptability and Flexibility Client Orientation Commitment and Motivation Commitment to Continuous Learning Communication Ethics and Values Integrity Knowledge Sharing Planning and Organizing Professionalism Respect for Diversity Technological Awareness Working in Teams

Living conditions and remarks

Chisinau, Moldova, is classified as an “A” Family Duty station by the International Civil Service Commission. It is a city with good infrastructure (health, housing, banking, transportation, telecommunications, and recreational facilities) and a suitable level of goods and services. Moldova is relatively stable; the risk to UN personnel working for UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes is medium. Nevertheless, there are security and safety challenges, ranging from civil unrest, crime, to traffic accidents, robberies, and sporadic serious incidents. Therefore, a proper personal security awareness and best judgment are warranted, especially regarding petty theft and pickpocketing, and car break-ins. Some political protests took place throughout 2023 and 2024. There were some street blockings, but with no impact on UN activities, personnel, and assets. The conflict in Ukraine had a collateral impact on the security context of Moldova. There have been three registered incidents of surface-to-air missiles and strike drones falling on Moldovan soil since the beginning of the conflict, with no impact on population or infrastructure. The last such case was registered on 11 February 2024. Roads outside major urban areas are not maintained properly and are poorly lit. Many accidents in the country are caused by alcohol consumption. UN Personnel are supposed to follow national traffic regulations and use safety belts, drive cautiously, and take care when involved in traffic in any capacity. The Transnistrian region - self-proclaimed Moldovan Republic of Transnistria (PMR) - is not recognised internationally. It consists of a strip of land (180 km by 32 km) nestled between the east bank of the Nistru River and the border with Ukraine, and the city of Bender with its surrounding areas located on the west bank. The region can be described as a potentially vulnerable area associated with security and personnel safety risks for the United Nations-supported programmes and projects, mainly because of the de facto status of the region and the non-availability of legal and official support from Moldovan authorities. The situation is tenser now, because of the events in Ukraine bordering with the region and the destabilisation of the situation in the Odessa region. UN missions travelling to Transnistria are not considered as a direct target of violence; however, the possibility of becoming a victim of a street robbery, car theft, or petty crime still exists. The petty crime, especially theft and pickpocketing, increased in Tiraspol, Bender, and Rybnitsa. These crimes are occurring mainly in public transport, marketplaces, and shopping centers. Roads in Transnistria are not properly maintained, marked, and lighted, especially outside major urban areas. Cross-country travel at night and during the winter can be relatively dangerous, especially in rural areas and at night time. UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances: The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. For more information on entitlements, please read the Unified Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers: https://explore.unv.org/cos and use the entitlement calculator available at https://app.unv.org/calculator