Organization: UNV – United Nations Volunteers
Location: Sudan
Grade: Volunteer – National Specialist – Locally recruited Volunteer
Occupational Groups:
Humanitarian Aid and Coordination
Closing Date: 2024-10-22
Details
Mission and objectives
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the UN Secretariat department responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. OCHA also ensures that there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.
OCHA Sudan addresses and facilitates issues relating to coordination, communications, and humanitarian financing, and serves the entire humanitarian community. In doing this, OCHA works with the Sudanese Government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and other government counterparts. OCHA provides support to the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Sudan. Working with the entire humanitarian community, OCHA looks to foster a conducive operating environment that facilitates the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance (both material assistance and protection assistance). Crucially, OCHA promotes compliance with humanitarian principles in the humanitarian response. This is an essential element of effective humanitarian coordination and is central to establishing and maintaining access to affected populations, particularly in conflict-affected areas of Sudan.
The position of the Special Assistant to the Humanitarian Coordinator is hosted by OCHA and will require engagement with the Resident Coordinator’s Office and UNITAMs.
Context
OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA provides support to the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), who works with the Secretary-General and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in leading, coordinating and facilitating humanitarian assistance to respond to the needs of affected people, which includes internally displaced persons (IDPs). See www.unocha.org.
Task description
– Monitors, analyzes, and reports on humanitarian developments, disaster relief/management, or emergency situations in assigned country/area.
– Assists in planning, organizing and reporting on key coordination meetings and activities, including the ICCG, led by the Strategic Coordination and support Unit, and serves as a focal point, as assigned, for Emergency Preparedness and Response. Also organize systematic follow-ups and action points/decisions tracking.
– Establishes and maintains contacts with government officials, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions, media, etc.
– Undertakes and provides support to technical assistance and other field missions, e.g. participates in field trips to undertake in-depth reviews of specific country coordination mechanisms, as directed
– Prepares and/or contributes to the preparation of various written reports, documents and communications, e.g., drafts sections of studies, background papers, policy guidelines, briefings, case studies, presentations, correspondence, etc.
– Reviews and provides advice on policy issues related to safeguarding humanitarian principles and ensuring the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance.
– Assists in the coordination of international humanitarian/emergency assistance for complex emergency/disaster situations and in ensuring the necessary support is in place.
– Assists, as assigned, in the production of appeals for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.
– Keeps abreast of latest developments, liaises with other humanitarian organizations, donors, etc., ensures appropriate monitoring and reporting mechanisms; provides information and advice on a range of related issues.
– Assists and participates in work groups, meetings, conferences, consultations with other agencies and partners humanitarian and emergency relief-related matters.
– Performs other duties as required.