Child Protection Officer, P4

Position description

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located within the Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Service of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The position is located in Tripoli, Libya. Tripoli is classified as a Hardship "E" duty station and a non-family duty station. The incumbent will be under the overall supervision of the Principal Human Rights Officer.

Responsibilities

UNSMIL HRS aims to increase its capacity in implementing its mandate on the importance of the protection of children, as set out in relevant Security Council resolutions, and taking appropriate measures in this regard, expressing concern about reported violations and abuses against children in Libya in particular those involving the killing and maiming of children, the abductions of children, sexual violence committed against children, the recruitment or use of children, the denial of humanitarian access for children and attacks against schools and hospitals in violation of international law, and urging all parties to immediately end such practices and that through monitoring and reporting abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence in conflict, notably through the effective deployment of women and child protection advisers;

Under the general supervision of the Principal Human Rights Officer and/or designated senior human rights officer the Child Protection Officer will:

• Identifies the protection needs of children in the mission area and contributes to the mission leadership in devising the mission strategy for the implementation of the child protection mandate of the mission in line with the Department of Peace Operations (DPO)’ Child Protection policy.
• Ensures that the mission leadership is apprised of the full array of child rights and protection issues and how they are being addressed.
• Assists mission leadership to ensure that the child rights, protection, and well-being of children are addressed in all aspects of the UN mission's actions, including with regard to peace consolidation, reconstruction, and to ensure that the rights of children are on the agendas of all relevant conflict resolution and peacebuilding entities, UN coordination mechanisms, international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the international donor community.
• Functions as the head of the Child Protection Unit and provides leadership, guidance, and overall supervision to the staff of the Child Protection team as assigned.
• Manages, guides, develops and coaches new and junior staff.
• Participates in the recruitment of new Child Protection Officers and manages staff performance.
• Formulates the work plan, budget and medium-term plan of the unit and participates in the overall formulation and approval of the work plan, and administrative matters concerning the unit or mission.
• Works with other UN peace operation components, including UN police and military, Human Rights and SWPA, Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), Security Sector Reform (SSR), Rule of Law to integrate a child-conscious approach in their work; Ensures follow-up on roles and mandates in relevant Security Council resolutions (SCRs) on children and armed conflict, and, where relevant, the conclusions of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.
• Oversees the collection of and/or collects reliable, accurate and timely data on and, where necessary, conducts investigations into the six grave violations identified by the UN Security Council and other violations committed against children.
• Assists the Head Of Mission to advocate for the allocation of funds or technical support in particular in support of separation and reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed forces and groups, as well as for child-sensitive humanitarian and development programmes.
• Mainstreams child protection concerns into the work of the mission, provides training on child rights and child protection to all peacekeeping personnel.
• Engages in dialogue with parties to end grave violations against children by armed forces and groups, and where relevant, implements the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) under S/RES/1612 (2005) through the country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting, and co-chair the country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting at the technical level and ensure mission-wide reporting on the six grave violations in conjunction with UN partners, NGOs and other actors as appropriate.
• In coordination with the mission's senior leadership and the UN Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting, engages in dialogue with perpetrators of grave violations against children and develops strategies/mechanisms to end violations against children through the signing and implementation of national action plans to address grave violations against children as mandated in SCRs 1539, 1612, 1882 and 1998.
• Engages with national actors to promote inclusion of rights and protection of children in national policies and advocate with national actors for the allocation of national resources to this end.
• Contributes to the design and implementation of policy and programme changes to address country and/or regional child protection concerns.
• Establishes and maintains partnerships with other experts and stakeholders (including host governments, the UN system and other international organizations, NGOs, the private sector, research institutes, etc) to discuss emerging topics related to child protection; Advocate with appropriate national government authorities in order to ensure adequate responses to violations committed against children.
• Acts as the primary interface between the UN mission and child protection actors in field locations and work to leverage, as appropriate, political and other resources of the mission to prevent and address violations of children's rights.
• As assigned, represents the mission in relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms, including but not limited to the UNCT, humanitarian clusters, especially to ensure adequate response to violations committed against children in armed conflict.
• Ensures regular and timely reporting on child protection issues to DPO in line with the DPO policy and reporting guidelines and submit timely reports to the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, including, but not limited to, Global Horizontal Notes, country-specific SG reports on children and armed conflict, and the annual SG report on children and armed conflict.
• Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Ability to remain calm and assist the colleagues in emergency situations, willingness to work extra hours, alertness, emotional stability, a high sense of confidentiality. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions, as necessary. Uses time efficiently.
• Judgement/decision making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before deciding. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, law, human rights, social sciences or a related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international levels, at least three of which at the international level, in human rights, political affairs, international relations, or law, including in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child in accordance with international standards, is required.
• Experience working in or in support of a field operation of the United Nations Common System or a comparable international organization is desirable.
• Experience in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable.
• Experience working in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region; is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on Globaljobs.org