Legal Aid in Humanitarian Setting Specialist At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a consultancy position within the Field Protection
Service (IDP Section) in the Division of International Protection in our Geneva Headquarters
in Switzerland.
UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a
better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year,
millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and
persecution. We are in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.
Title : Legal Aid in Humanitarian Setting Specialist
Duty Station : Home-Based
Duration : 4 months
Contract Type : Individual Consultancy
Closing date : 13 September 2021
Start date : ASAP
Organisational context
The need for legal aid in internal displacement and humanitarian contexts is quite wide. Legal
aid interventions are crucial in ensuring the Centrality of Protection throughout the
humanitarian response, to support affected populations not only in accessing justice but also
protection, humanitarian assistance and public services. Protection clusters, including the
AoRs, have an important role to play in ensuring that people in humanitarian/internal
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displacement settings can overcome existing legal obstacles to access justice, enjoy their rights – including access to services and humanitarian assistance – as well as access remedies for legal disputes.
Unfortunately, legal aid does not always receive the attention it deserves as a fundamental field of humanitarian work. The current strategy (2021-2024) of the Global Protection Cluster’s (GPC) Task Team on Law and Policy (TTLP), chaired by UNHCR, focuses on promoting and supporting the implementation of relevant legal and policy frameworks to improve affected people’s access to justice and enjoyment of their rights. Gathering a comprehensive evidence base and providing technical support to field protection clusters complete and complement TTLP’s strategic approach.
During strategy development, it was agreed that the TTLP would provide a platform for the cross-cutting topic of legal aid in humanitarian settings – to address the data and knowledge gaps, develop common tools, exchange good practices and raise visibility on the issue. Ensuing discussions among partners led to the development of a project proposal identifying objectives to be addressed in two phases. The objectives of the first phase will be achieved by the end of the year through the additional support of a consultant, as described below.
The position
The primary goal of the GPC TTLP project on Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings is to improve the capacities of the protection clusters, including the AORs, to understand and assess the legal aid needs in their countries of operation, address existing gaps and promote legal aid interventions so people affected by internal displacement and humanitarian crises have access to justice and can enjoy their rights. The second goal is to enhance the GPC TTLP’s ability to demonstrate the need to integrate legal aid in humanitarian response from the outset and develop knowledge products and tools for the protection clusters at field level to address legal aid needs collectively.
The Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings Specialist will work closely with TTLP members and partners to support the achievement of the objectives of the first phase of the project (see deliverables below). A Steering Committee composed of selected TTLP members specialized in legal aid programming, including representatives from the AORs, will support the development and implementation of the project; The consultant shall therefore work closely
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with them. The Task Team and more broadly the GPC and its related bodies will be regularly updated by the consultant and opportunities for input/feedback will be sought as relevant.
This consultancy represents a contribution by UNHCR to the work of the GPC TTLP, which shall be acknowledged. For this reason, in addition to working with other key external partners, the Legal Aid in Humanitarian Settings Specialist will also work with other sections and divisions within UNHCR to ensure that good practice around legal aid for UNHCR’s populations of concern is mainstreamed across and linked up with efforts in the organisation.
Duties and responsibilities
This consultancy is task-based. Under the direct supervision of the Legal Officer in UNHCR DIP/FPS/IDP section (chair of the GPC Task Team on Law & Policy) and in collaboration with the project Steering Committee, the consultant will support the work of the TTLP by producing the following deliverables according to the agreed upon timeline:
● A conceptual framework for legal aid in humanitarian settings: standard definitions and typologies of legal aid, thematic areas, justice mechanisms, etc. 2
● A mapping of the current context, particularly re. the following aspects:
a. Coordination: Providing an overview of where legal aid sits in the existing coordination structures in humanitarian settings (protection clusters, AoRs, and beyond)
b. Capacity-building: Mapping the existing capacity building curriculum and tools being used or endorsed by Protection Clusters/AoRs to train legal aid providers in humanitarian settings
c. Funding: Mapping funding sources for legal aid work in humanitarian settings
● A legal aid assessment tool and methodology based on existing models to identify legal aid needs of people affected by humanitarian/internal displacement crises and to understand the “legal aid landscape” in a given country, to be tested in selected countries to gather evidence in coordination with protection clusters and AoRs
● A report on legal aid and humanitarian settings, presenting the conceptual framework, the results of the mapping as well as the findings from the application of the tool/methodology in selected countries
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• Prepare presentation of findings for Protection Clusters, AoRS and taskteams, other stakeholders as relevant
● Undertake other duties as required
Monitoring and Progress Controls
● Successful delivery of project outputs within expected timeframe
● Performance will be monitored through weekly updates and scheduled performance reviews.
Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required Education
University degree in law, international relations, humanities/other related degree, with possible specialization in international human rights law or international humanitarian law Experience
Minimum 6 years of previous experience working in a humanitarian / recovery context and previous experience working from within technical expertise area (legal aid)
Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities COMPETENCIES
In depth knowledge of legal aid work in humanitarian settings and understanding of humanitarian coordination structures
Excellent analytical skills, including the capacity to collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data from various sources to produce meaningful analysis for strategic planning, programming, advocacy and other needs.
Demonstrated organizational skills: the ability to work independently and productively in a fast-paced environment.
Flexible work attitude: the ability to work productively, independently, and to handle requests or issues as they arise.
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Excellent interpersonal and communication (including drafting) skills: the ability to successfully and effectively communicate with people in a multicultural environment.
Excellent computer skills
Languages
Excellent knowledge of English is required.
Good working knowledge of French, Spanish or another UN language is desirable.
Location
The successful candidate will be home-based. All proposed travel will be regulated by Institutional Guidance on Travel Restriction in the context of Covid-19.
Conditions
This is a full-time contract (40 hours per week) and will receive payment upon completion of tasks as agreed.