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Qualified persons with disabilities and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

JOB TITLE: Humanitarian Access Associate

NUMBER OF POSITIONS: 03

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Service Contract

GRADE: SC6

UNIT/DIVISION: Access Unit

DUTY STATION: Bukavu, Beni, Bunia / DR Congo

DURATION: 12 months

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Approximately 25.8 million people are projected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023. Armed conflict, leading to massive population displacement, continues to reduce the purchasing power of the poorest households and despite WFP’s ongoing response in eastern DRC and a scale-up of operations to respond to this crisis, the growing gap between the number of people in need and those being reached with food assistance is widening. This has led WFP to activate a Corporate Scale-up Response for DRC as of 1 June.

Since early 2022, security in the east has also been affected by the M23 offensive in Rutshuru territory, with repercussion across North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri Provinces. Rising tensions have also resulted in deadly protests against the UN peacekeeping forces with increased risks for humanitarian agencies relying on armed escorts for movements. The security situation is not anticipated to improve significantly in the run up to the elections at the end of 2023.

The recent developments have further increased challenges for humanitarian access, particularly in the eastern provinces of the country. These include ongoing hostilities and violence against humanitarian personnel, assets and facilities; interferences in the implementation of humanitarian activities; compounding constraints related to the physical environment and lack of infrastructure.

WFP aims at strengthening its capacity to obtain and maintain humanitarian access to beneficiaries in coordination with cooperating partners and other UN agencies. This work would entail developing access strategies to increase WFP acceptance, strengthening analysis and networking with local stakeholders and step-up internal coordination mechanisms.

To effectively deliver humanitarian assistance in a complex context like Grand Nord Kivu, Ituri or Sud Kivu, WFP needs to ensure the safeguarding of its humanitarian principles, advocate and negotiate for adequate humanitarian space with all relevant stakeholders on all levels.

This position requires someone with in-depth knowledge of the political, ethnic and security context in the country and an existing network of interlocutors at the national, state, and local levels. The candidate will need to be able to analyze regional, national, and sub-national geopolitics and conflict dynamics, with pre-existing skills and experience in negotiating access for humanitarian operations and advocate for principled and sustained humanitarian access.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Within delegated authority, the Humanitarian Access Associate will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Actively monitor and analyze the context, conflict dynamics and actors within the area of responsibility and provide input into briefings, reports and analysis on the impact of local dynamics on WFP access and programmes.
2. Establish and maintain close working relationships with main players who can influence beneficiaries access to humanitarian assistance. These actors include key formal or informal community leaders, other humanitarian organizations or local partner organizations, civil society groups and various state and non-state armed actors;
3. Monitors, analyses and reports on humanitarian developments, disaster relief/management or emergency situations in assigned area, particularly related Humanitarian Access;
4. Monitor and review access constraints and contribute to documenting their impacts on WFP operations and identify alternatives.
5. Facilitate the establishment and maintenance of lines of communication with formal and informal armed groups through the most appropriate liaison approach. Establish mechanisms for information sharing to promote common situational awareness on mutually relevant operational issues.
6. Advise on strategies and approaches for improved access to high-risk or remote areas;
7. Advise WFP operation management team on risk mitigation measures for beneficiaries
8. Identify and report information and events that may have an impact on WFP operation
9. Support training of WFP staff and partners on humanitarian access issues.
10. Work with Humanitarian access team to build local community acceptance
11. Support the facilitation of the WFP Access & HMI Working Groups at field offices level
12. Contribute to strengthening interagency coordination on humanitarian access and HMI

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE MISSION:

1. Access constraints are monitored and analysed, and impact on operations highlighted,
2. Access related network is expanded and maintained across relevant sub offices,
3. Cooperating partners are supported and actively involved in efforts to improve humanitarian access,
4. CO management and field offices are supported in their access advocacy efforts and negotiations,
5. Internal and external coordination on humanitarian access is strengthened,
6. Interagency coordination on humanitarian access is strengthened
7. Support is provided to context analysis for internal and external reports.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area.

Experience:

At least 6 years of work experience in the humanitarian field, with demonstrated experience in the humanitarian sector in deep-field locations in Grand Nord Kivu (Beni) or Ituri (Bunia) or Sud Kivu (Bukavu), with either a security, program or supply chain background.

Knowledge and skills :

• Familiarity with WFP programming and ways of working and armed conflict and food security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and/or demonstrated ability and willingness to rapidly acquire such in-depth knowledge.
• Demonstrated experience in humanitarian access negotiations.
• Strong knowledge of civil war and organized violence, including state and non-state armed actors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
• Ability to build effective working relationships with persons of many national and cultural backgrounds
• Ability and willingness to cope with situations which may threaten health or safety and to live in challenging environments
• Strong knowledge of humanitarian principles, UN rules, regulations and procedures.

Language:

Working knowledge of French and knowledge of major local languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Working knowledge of English is an advantage.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

10 July 2023

VA 828140

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Please note that the only documents you need to submit currently are your CV and cover letter. Additional documents such as passports, letters of reference, university certificates, etc. may be requested in the future.

For candidates who have difficulty accessing WFP e-recruitment platform and require support to apply, please contact us at wfprecruitment@wfp.org with the relevant vacancy number.

All employment decisions are made based on organizational needs, job requirements, merit and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free from sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, all types of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of power. As a result, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointments under any contract will be offered to members of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the FAO Finance Committee, the external auditor of the WFP, the WFP Audit Committee, the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the UN system with WFP oversight responsibilities, both during their service and during the three years following termination.