Associate Development Officer

Le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR) a pour mandat de diriger et de coordonner l’action internationale visant à protéger les réfugiés. Il a pour but premier de sauvegarder les droits et le bien être des réfugiés. Il met en œuvre ses programmes de protection dans le monde entier et sensibilise le grand public à la situation des personnes réfugiées dans le monde.

Le HCR Mauritanie fournit protection et assistance à quelque 65 000 réfugiés maliens dans la région aride du sud-est où se trouve le camp de réfugiés de Mbera, et à quelque 9 000 réfugiés urbains et demandeurs d'asile dans les villes de Nouakchott et Nouadhibou. La situation sécuritaire au Mali est toujours instable et des retours à grande échelle ne sont pas attendus. Les Maliens continuent d'arriver en Mauritanie dans le cadre de flux de population mixtes.

Mauritania is a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, as well as the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. A draft law on asylum is still pending. Despite this, the Mauritanian authorities are determined to maintain an open-border policy towards refugees. Mauritania currently hosts more than 260,000 refugees, including around 20,000 in urban areas and over 111,000 in the Mbera camp and surrounding villages in the Hodh Chargui region. In support of the Mauritanian government and in the absence of a national asylum system, UNHCR continues to register asylum seekers and determine refugee status. The UNHCR operation in Mauritania has a staff of around 180, divided between a country office in Nouakchott, two sub-offices in Bassikounou and Nouadhibou, and a field unit in Néma. The objectives and initiatives of the UNHCR operation in Mauritania are aligned with UNHCR's global strategic priorities for 2017-2021 and the Global Compact for Refugees. The Mauritania operation thus focuses on the core priorities of protection and response, but also on those aimed at ensuring sustainable livelihood solutions for people of concern. Under Objective 2, "Include, Empower and Solve", the UNHCR operation in Mauritania carries out advocacy and initiatives aimed at including refugees in national protection systems. These include social protection, health, water and sanitation, urbanization, education and access to employment. The operation also implements initiatives to ensure peaceful coexistence between host communities and refugees, with a particular focus on young people. The results and impact of these initiatives will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17, as well as the objectives of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and the government’s pledges at the Global Refugee Forums of 2019 and 2023, in particular to alleviate pressure on the host country and empower refugees

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Senior Development Officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Associate Development Officer will:

Support strategic and knowledge management:
• Participate in the coordination of initiatives aimed at the inclusion of refugees in national protection systems, as well as their socio-economic inclusion, notably through World Bank projects linked to the Refugee Funding Sub-Window, European Union projects or other UN agencies;
• Support sectoral policies and strategic initiatives at local, national and international levels that have the potential to leverage UNHCR's protection and inclusion objectives;
• Draft factsheets, policy briefs and other documents to reinforce knowledge management and dissemination
• Oversee the change management approach to ensure that the HDP nexus approach is fully integrated within the operation;

Project coordination:
• Support the planning, monitoring and evaluation of the results and activities of the 'nexus' projects under UNHCR's responsibility, as indicated in the project documents ;
• Identify and record best practices and lessons learned from initiatives and projects relating to the humanitarian-peace-development nexus for displaced persons under the responsibility of UNHCR;
• Focal point for the Peacebuilding fund and leading the implementation of the 2025 PBF Project.
• Support donor relations with development actors, notably the European Union, and support the drafting of project proposals relating to development.
Social protection lead
• Support advocacy efforts with the government for the inclusion of refugees in national social protection schemes (ex: through a roadmap) and identify new opportunities and avenues for inclusion of refugees in social protection schemes, ranging from social assistance to social insurance, as well as contributing to broader inclusion efforts (e.g. financial inclusion).
• Support the inclusion of refugees in the targeting exercises conducted by the social registry, including the integral and continuous updates of the social registry, in collaboration with the World Bank, Government (Social Registry), and other actors.
• Contribute to policy development, providing key messages to UNHCR senior management and other technical staff engaged in external processes and partnerships linked to refugees’ access to social protection and economic inclusion opportunities.
• Represent UNHCR at social protection technical working groups (and it’s sub-groups, such as the economic inclusion working group), government events, workshops, and other relevant forums.


Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment 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 take 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.

Results/expected outputs

• As an active UNHCR team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
o Support initiatives aimed at the inclusion of refugees in national protection systems, particularly social protection, as well as their socio-economic inclusion.
o Participate in supporting policies and strategies relevant to UNHCR's work;
o Contribute to ensuring that projects relating to the humanitarian-peace-development nexus for displaced people under UNHCR's responsibility meet strategic, qualitative and budgetary expectations, while respecting the implementation schedule;
o Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
o A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.