Associate Programme Officer

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations 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. UNHCR 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. UNHCR also has a mandate to help stateless people.

As of 31 December 2021, UNHCR had recruited 18,879 people, of whom around nearly 91 per cent are based in the field.

UNHCR works in 137 countries and territories, with personnel based in a mixture of regional and branch offices and sub and field offices. Our teams work hard to help the displaced, specializing in a wide range of disciplines, including legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs and health.

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). UNHCR established its presence in Zambia in 1967 initially to assist in the protection of Angolan asylum seekers. As of 2024, UNHCR has three offices in Zambia: its Representation based in Lusaka and two field offices in Solwezi- Northwestern and Kawambwa- Luapula Provinces, respectively. The main responsibility of UNHCR, in line with the statutory responsibilities is to monitor the implementation of the 1951 Convention and promote durable solutions for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. UNHCR discharges this role primarily by providing technical support and guidance to Government on policy formulation and refugee matters.

On 19th January 2024, the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) launched the National Refugee Policy and its Implementation Plan. The policy outlines a progressive approach to asylum and refugee management that reflects the central ambition of the Global Compact on Refugees to include refugees in national systems and plans and provide greater support to refugee-hosting communities. The policy aims to alleviate the existing barriers faced by forcibly displaced persons in Zambia that have been limiting access to opportunities that enable self-reliance. As of June 2024, Zambia hosts 101,837 refugees, asylum seekers former refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (64,719), Angola (13,570), Burundi (12,787), Rwanda (5,035), Somalia (4,539) and other countries (1,187). The vast majority of Persons of Concern (PoCs) live in the three refugee settlements, namely Mayukwayukwa, Meheba and in Mantapala, as well as urban areas including Lusaka. Majority of PoCs in Zambia are from Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Somalia.

The Associate Programme Officer will be part of the Lusaka Representational Office and will be supervised and guided by the Programme Officer. He/She will receive support from other sections and units relevant to programme management. The incumbent will assist to provide programmatic guidance and support regarding the implementation of protection and durable solutions strategies within available resources. S/he will coordinate with the other sections/units to ensure harmonized programmatic approaches at all levels and throughout the UNHCR Operations Management Cycle.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Assist in ensuring that UNHCR’s strategic directions as well as information on projected resource availability guide the planning process;
• Contribute to achieving compliance with annual programming/planning instructions;
• As part of a team, contribute to development of strategies, methodologies, and contingency plans that respond to existing and emerging operational challenges for the country;
• Assist in organizing a consultative process to ensure a consistent application of the organization’s criteria and policies for the selection of implementing and operational partners;
• Assist in managing the development of a broad network of partners, good coordination practices and the development of partner capacities;
• As part of a team, assist in training UNHCR as well as implementing partners (IP) staff in UNHCR standard procedures related to the new Results Framework; Contribute to establishing and handling of Implementing Partners Reports;
• Participate and contribute to collection, monitoring and use of baselines, standards and indicators needed to measure and analyse UNHCR’s performance, trends and target interventions;
• Participate in field visits to evaluate and improve the planning, programming, implementation, and monitoring of assistance projects;
• Assist in implementing the establishment of sound monitoring processes, in reviewing final reports and on progress to advise on any corrective actions required or the need for additional resources to reach planned target levels;
• As part of a team, apply UNHCR’s corporate tools for planning, COMPASS and donor reporting, to record data and assess the technical soundness of the operation and generate data for evidence-based decisions at the country level;
• Contribute to the development of funding submissions, appeals and reports;
• Assist in monitoring compliance to the organization’s resource allocation framework, providing support and assisting in corrective action where required.