Country: Serbia
Closing date: 04 Nov 2016
CANADEM is seeking seasoned humanitarian professionals fluent in Serbian and English with previous relevant experience in protection in a disaster response context who are available for an immediate deployment to Serbia as a seconded expert with UNICEF for a 6-months contract.
Child Protection in Emergency Coordinator
Organization: UNICEF Serbia
Duration: 6 months
Starting date: ASAP
Background: Despite the de-facto closure of the Balkan route in early March 2016, a continuous stream of refugees and migrants continued to arrive to Serbia from Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), with strong support from international smuggling networks. After it became clear that borders would not re-open for transit, refugees and migrants began approaching the waiting areas outside Hungarian transit zones in significant numbers in early April. By this time, the capacity for entry to Hungary had dropped to 30 persons per day at each site, then subsequently to 15. As a result, most refugees and migrants continued to travel towards Western Europe by irregular routes.
In April 2016, UNICEF revised its emergency response considering that the implementation of the EU -Turkey agreement has dramatically reduced the number of people departing from Turkey to Greece. Should the security operations within Turkey be reduced, it is extremely likely that a significant number of people will again attempt to reach Greece and further travel through the Balkan route. The worst-case scenario would be a repetition of the 2015 summer- autumn event, namely uncontrolled, disorganised mass irregular movement of people across the borders. Such scenario, is however, most unlikely considering the fact that concerned countries seem to be better coordinating their response, polices and border management (including border reinforcement and pushbacks).
The most likely scenario for Serbia is a worsening of the current situation with an increased number of refugees and migrants present in the country. With such policies and the smaller number of refugees/migrants able to cross from Serbia through Hungary compared to those crossing from Bulgaria and Macedonia to Serbia, the numbers of refugees/migrants in Serbia reached over 4,900 by mid-September.
With such rate, the number of refugees/migrants to go through Serbia is expected to reach
12,000 people, with approximately 6,000 that would most likely require to be accommodated during the winter from at least a month up to several months while continuing their journey towards Western Europe. With some speculations of the failure of EU- Turkey agreement leading to less control of the Turkish borders, more refugees/migrants are expected either through Bulgaria or from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Smaller numbers are also expected to arrive through Kosovo* or Montenegro, and Albania. Moreover, the duration of stay of refugees/migrants in Serbia is expected to increase from at least a month up to several months while waiting to enter Hungary.
UNICEF is currently present in Belgrade, Presevo and in Sid.
Presevo Reception Centre served as a transit accommodation for refugees, migrants and asylum seekers passing by Serbia on their way to Western Europe. After the closure of the Balkan route in early March, the duration of stay in Presevo increased with many accommodated for a period between 1 -3 months. 40% of the 700 accommodated in Presevo by September 25 are children and the numbers are expected to rise to reach the maximum capacity of the reception centre of
1,000 individuals (up to 1,500 for short stay). The authorities are in the final stages to open a smaller accommodation facility with the capacity of 125 individuals in Bujanovac. UNICEF is running a Child Friendly Space (CFS) and Mother and Baby Corner (MBC) in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and ready to open similar facilities in Bujanovac as soon as it is operational. To respond to the needs of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), UNICEF is supporting Presevo Centre for Social Work (CSW) which is the governmental authority in charge of case management. UNICEF extended similar support to CSW Bujanovac to follow-up child protection concerns with focus on UASC once Bujanovac starts accommodating children.
Scope and results of work:
Under the general guidance of the Deputy Representative, the incumbent is expected to perform the following functions:
Provide strong leadership to child protection coordination in Presevo and Bujanovac, promoting and facilitating active participation from key actors, including government, international and national NGOs, civil society and other relevant actors.
Advice the camp management on issues related to children and the best ways to coordinate the efforts of the different child protection actors.
Work as a liaison between child protection actors and the camp management.
Lead the planning of events and activities among child protection actors to ensure optimum utilization of resources and avoid duplication.
Represent the child protection actors of Presevo in the monthly Child Protection sub-Working
Group meetings in Belgrade.
Participate in all relevant coordination meetings in Presevo and ensure that all child protection concerns are addressed.
In coordination with UNICEF Child Protection Section, seek capacity building opportunities for child protection staff of the government and NGOs in Presevo.
Competencies&experience:
Advanced university degree, or equivalent experience, in social work or child psychology, international law or other relevant field.
A minimum of 5 year experience in either the UN and/or NGO, especially in emergency settings
Fluency in Serbian and English (verbal and written), knowledge of Farsi, Pashtu or Arabic is an asset
Knowledge and experience in application of international technical guidelines and standards in Child Protection.
Sound judgement is required in follow-up on requests; high degree of accuracy is important. Ability to meet tight deadlines through excellent time management, organization and multi- tasking skills.
How to apply:
If you have all of the above-mentioned skills, please register with CANADEM before contacting us. This can be done on our website at www.canadem.ca/register . Then send an email no later than 4th of November, 11:59 pm EDT to luba.shmygol@CANADEM.ca with a Subject Line: "UNICEF-Child Protection in Emergency Coordinator."
In your email, please include an updated resume, date of availability, your current location, and a phone number where we can reach you.