Humanitarian Access Officer SC9 | Goma | DRC

Qualified women and people with physical impairments 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.

ABOUT THE 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.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

DRC is one of the largest hunger crises in the world. Hunger and conflict fuel one another, with armed conflict and widespread displacement prevailing for the past 25 years and multiple other crises compounding DRC's humanitarian challenges.

In recent years, the country has witnessed an increase in insecurity and armed conflicts in the east, resulting in recurrent displacements, and subsequently, worsening levels of food insecurity and threats to durable solutions. Since early 2022, security in the east has also been affected by the armed groups offensive in Rutshuru territory, with repercussion across North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri Provinces. The humanitarian space has also been shrinking in Ituri and South Kivu following conflicts. 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 and in a context of militarization.

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. Within the new Access Unit created in late 2022, this work would entail developing access strategies to increase WFP acceptance, strengthening analysis and networking with local stakeholders and step-up internal coordination mechanisms.

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 selected 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.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES (not all inclusive):

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Policy Officer (Humanitarian Access), the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Monitor, analyze, map and report on humanitarian developments, disaster relief/management or emergency situations in assigned area, particularly related to Humanitarian Access.
2. Monitor and review access constraints and contribute to documenting their impacts on WFP operations and identify alternatives.
3. Advise on strategies and approaches for improved access to high-risk or remote areas.
4. Establish and maintain close working relationships with main players who can influence beneficiaries access to humanitarian assistance and WFP access to people in need. 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.
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. Work with Humanitarian access team to build local community acceptance.
7. Assist in the development of conflict analysis and internal/external analytical reports.
8. Advise WFP operation management team on risk mitigation measures for beneficiaries.
9. Identify and report information and events that may have an impact on WFP operation.
10. Coordinate with other key units involved in humanitarian access, including security, protection, humanitarian & military interactions, communication, supply chain and programs.
11. Coordinate with the Humanitarian Access associates.
12. Support training of WFP staff and partners on humanitarian access issues and foster an access culture internally.
13. Support the facilitation of the WFP Access Working Groups at field offices level.
14. Contribute to strengthening interagency coordination on humanitarian access.
15. Perform other tasks as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

OUR WFP VALUES :

• Integrity
• Collaboration
• Engagement
• Humanity
• Inclusion

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

29/04/2023

Ref.: VA 667103

Kindly note the only documents you need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc may potentially be requested at a future time.

For candidates who experience problems accessing WFP E-recruitment platform and need accommodations in applying, please contact wfprecruitment@wfp.org mentioning the VA number in the subject line.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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

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