UN Volunteers
Mission and objectives
UNHCR is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCR’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, and to return home voluntarily. By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle permanently in an other country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight
Context
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1950, during the aftermath of the Second World War, to help millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes. We had three years to complete our work and then disband. Today, over 70 years later, our organization is still hard at work, protecting and assisting refugees around the world. Since 24 February 2022, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic have received nearly 900,000 refugees fleeing directly from Ukraine. While many refugees are passing through Hungary on their way to Poland, Germany, Czechia, Italy, or other countries, a growing number are remaining in Hungary, and either seeking temporary protection or applying for work visas. Hungary’s status as both a transit and a destination country necessitate a response premised on two key directions: first, providing immediate, urgently needed protection and assistance to arrivals to Hungary; and second, ensuring information about and access to legal statuses to which arrivals to Hungary may apply, alongside non-discriminatory access to rights and services provided by the government and humanitarian actors. This UNV assignment is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with WHO approved vaccine in accordance with UNHCR’s Administrative Instruction on Covid-19 Vaccination and related Safety Measures. Application to these assignments is exclusively open to individuals residing in Hungary, with stateless, refugee or similar protective status, including Temporary Protection. Official document as a proof of refugee status is mandatory to submit. The applicant with abovementioned refugee status should submit the official document as a proof of refugee status before and/or during the interview. The applications without the respective document will not be considered for this assignment. The maximum years of service as a Refugee UN Volunteer is 4 years.
Task description
Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Senior Protection Officer or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV [Refugee Digital Community Manager Assistant will: • Identify and map the digital platforms and specific social media groups that are being used by Ukrainian refugees in Hungary to get information, ask questions and create support networks; • Assist UNHCR in developing a strategy to link with the identified groups to share up to date information and encourage communication by refugees with humanitarian agencies; • Monitor news and trends on social media to identify where UNHCR can add value to the conversations and contribute to the information that refugees and Hungarian communities have about services, opportunities and their rights; • Establish partnerships or good working relationships with key Ukrainian and Hungarian actors in digital communities to help produce or promote UNHCR related content that is relevant for their communities (i.e. information on accessing services); • Assist with creating content to share through the digital communities in collaboration with the UNHCR team to disseminating information on available services and their providers, on the rights and duties of refugees and asylum-seekers in Hungary; • Listen to conversations on social media to identify risks to refugees and Hungarian communities or potential rumors and misinformation that UNHCR can help clarify; • Draft response to comments left for UNHCR on social media in collaboration with the UNHCR protection team; • Contribute to the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of UNHCR’s engagement with refugees and Hungarian communities through digital channels and make recommendations to UNHCR teams on how to improve; • Regularly update and share information related to ongoing work in digital communities, utilizing agreed data collection methods to identify gaps, assess trends and developments; • Establish a two-way communication mechanism using social media between UNHCR and persons of concern (Ukrainian refugees) by passing on useful information to the different refugee communities while promoting and supporting community engagement, resilience and active participation of refugees in the Hungarian social, economic and cultural life; • Promote and support community mobilization for organizing social, cultural and recreational events among refugee and host communities; • Assist UNHCR in organizing participatory activities and awareness-raising sessions with persons of different age groups, gender and background; • Assist in exploring opportunities for mainstreaming persons of concern into available national services and contribute to developing communication strategies with persons of concern to access such services; • In coordination with the supervisor, assist in monitoring visits to Community Based Organizations/Refugee-led NGOs/Initiatives and other partners to oversee programme implementation and provide inputs for further planning; • Contribute to the planning, monitoring and evaluation of any further community outreach activities; • Contribute age, gender and diversity mainstreaming in all of UNHCR Hungary’s activities; • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. 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: • Mapping of digital platforms and specific social media groups that are being used by Ukrainian refugees in Hungary; • Established relationships with key Ukrainian and Hungarian actors in digital communities to help produce or promote UNHCR related content; • Regular content shared on social media platforms is supported in drafting and developing in collaboration with UNHCR teams; • Recommendations and guidance to UNHCR teams on how to create content to share through digital channels; • Activities held with refugees of different ages, genders and backgrounds to co-develop content and multimedia to share through online communities; • Regular reports and updates on engagement by POCs on social media to inform UNHCR teams; • Reports on common rumors or misinformation identified on social media; • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment; • 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.
Eligibility criteria
Age
27 – 80
Nationality
Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.
Requirements
Required experience
3 years of experience in the national and/or international level in community engagement, content development and editing, digital content promotion, or other relevant programmes; experience with Community Based Organisations and participatory methods is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization; • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation and editing skills for diverse social media channels; • Experience with writing and editing digital content in English and Ukrainian; • Strong capacity to work with individuals from different ages, genders and backgrounds; • Ability to work with community groups and link to community centres and community organised activities; • Demonstrable skills in content production for digital channels; • Strong knowledge of social media platforms used by Ukrainian communities, including Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok experience is an asset; • Experience maintaining social media channels and managing online communities; • Ability to identify information needs of people and identify rumors and misinformation to report back to UNHCR; • Accuracy and professionalism in producing interactive multi-media content; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall digital literacy; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in working with refugees and volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System; • Candidate must be a refugee or a stateless person, legally residing in the country of assignment; • Application to these assignments is exclusively open to individuals residing in Hungary, with stateless, refugee or similar protective status, including Temporary Protection; • Official document as a proof of refugee status is mandatory to submit. The applicant with abovementioned refugee status should submit the official document as a proof of refugee status before and/or during the interview. The applications without the respective document will not be considered for this assignment.