Afghanistan: Emergency Shelter Coordinator

Sep 13, 2015 | UNHCR
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With more than 2.7 million Afghan refugees in the region, and an estimated 3 million globally, Afghanistan has one of the largest refugee populations in the world. Since the fall of the Taliban at the end of 2001, the country has witnessed massive return, with 4.6 million refugees returnees assisted by UNHCR. The situation has changed considerably since 2013: the return rate has been reduced significantly but the number of IDPs has increased. The future is uncertain due to the transition the country is experiencing with the ongoing departure of the international forces, and the decrease in  humanitarian assistance.

Shelter needs in Afghanistan are still unmet and likely to grow. The number of conflict-induced IDPs is increasing due to the complex patterns of the internal conflict which, in the short term, are expected to expand as the presence of international armed forces is reduced and the national forces assert themselves. The population growth, the urbanization, and the increasing number of natural disasters (particularly floods) are resulting in more IDPs caused by natural disasters. There are still around 2.5 Afghan refugees in the neighbouring countries that are returning to Afghanistan although not in the high numbers that were registered in the past years. As a result of these needs, the number of shelter actors in country is still quite considerable and they implement different types of shelter assistance ranging from the delivery of Non Food Items (NFIs) to longer-term shelter or permanent housing, from advice to acquire land to providing cash for shelter. An external evaluation commissioned in 2012 by UNHCR on its shelter programme undertaken by Mastricht University and Samuel Hall stressed the fact that shelter is still a cornerstone for the reintegration of refugee returnees and also required for (re)-integrating the growing number of IDPs. Additionally, the newly approved Afghan IDP policy emphasizes the importance of achieving durable solutions for IDPs, shelter being a key aspect of them. Finally, Afghanistan has been chosen as a pilot country (one out of three) to implement the UN Secretary General Policy for Durable Solutions for IDPs and Refugees.

The Afghanistan Emergency Shelter and NFI Cluster:

The Afghanistan Emergency Shelter and NFI Cluster was established on the 2 March 2008 with UNHCR as the lead. The cluster was initially co-led by CARE until 2009 when IOM took over this role from CARE with a particular focus on natural disasters. Given the importance of shelter needs and NFI coordination, the complexity of the sector and the need for additional capacity building of Afghan counterparts, a dedicated shelter cluster coordinator has been deployed since mid-2013 and will be still needed in the future.

These are the Terms of Reference for the dedicated Emergency Shelter and NFI Cluster Coordinator.

Main duties and responsibilities:

The Emergency Shelter and NFI Cluster Coordinator (hereinafter referred to as “the Coordinator”) will work under direct supervision of the UNHCR Deputy Representative (Operations) for Afghanistan or as designated by him/her. The Deputy Representative represents UNHCR as the cluster lead in the Humanitarian Country Team. In undertaking their duties the Coordinator is also responsible to the Shelter and Settlement Section in Geneva which leads the cluster at the global level.

The main objective of the Coordinator is to ensure that the cluster fulfills its core functions:

1.Supporting service delivery

a. Provide a platform to ensure that service delivery is driven by agreed strategic priorities
b. Develop mechanisms to eliminate duplication of service delivery

2. Informing strategic decision-making:

a. Needs assessment and response gap analysis (across sectors and within the sector)
b. Analysis to identify and address gaps, obstacles, duplication, and cross-cutting issues including age, gender, environment, and HIV/AIDs
c. Prioritization, grounded in response analysis

Duration: 12 month recruitment, expected commencement 15 November possibly earlier.

How to apply:
Please send your CV and cover letter by e-mail to HQShelter@unhcr.org. Applications must be received no later than 30th September 2015. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

For more details: http://reliefweb.int/job/1139961/emergency-shelter-nfi-coordinator