Deadline for Applications
November 4, 2025
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)
H (no hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
International Deployee
2025-11-03
Terms of Reference
Policy Officer (Global Compact on Refugees) (P3)
MISSION LOCATION
Geneva, Switzerland
DURATION
Nine months (with possibility of extension)
OPERATIONAL CONTEXT
Created in 1950, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a global organization
dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for forcibly displaced and stateless
people. UNHCR’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee.
Organizations led by displaced and stateless persons are often the first responders in humanitarian
emergencies and can access areas to which UNHCR and partners have no or limited access. They also often have a profound understanding of the issues and capacities of people UNHCR serves, which allows them to effectively respond to their needs. One of UNHCR’s priorities is to strengthen and increase our engagement with these actors, including based on consultation with key partners and donors, as a key element of follow up to the GRF 2023 and Roadmap to the High-Level Officials Meeting 2025.
UNHCR, like other UN agencies made the commitment at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016 to “Empower national and local humanitarian action” and thus, to work towards greater localization. Engaging with CBOs is also rooted in UNHCR’s community-based protection approach and the age, gender and diversity policy through which UNHCR commits to putting displaced and stateless persons at the center of all decisions that affect their lives ensuring our accountability to affected people. Moreover, the New York Declaration and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) both refer to the importance of engaging directly with forcibly displaced persons themselves. The Compact, affirmed in December 2018, set out a framework for ensuring more predictable and sustainable burden and responsibility sharing arrangements in the context of large-scale movements of refugees. Key amongst these arrangements is the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), which is convened every four years with States and other Stakeholders, and every two years in between fora, a High-Level Officials Meeting (HLOM) to take stock of progress and maintain momentum in the implementation of the GCR.
UNHCR’s GCR Coordination Team was created to align internal efforts and support States and relevant
stakeholders to implement the Global Compact on Refugees. Under the Executive Office of the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, the GCR Coordination Team promotes multi-stakeholder and partnership approaches, in particular to ensure meaningful refugee participation in global policymaking. Similarly, the GCR Multistakeholder Team was created to ensure meaningful engagement with the broad base of stakeholders deemed critical for comprehensive refugee responses in the Compact, including inter alia academia, parliamentarians, faith actors and others. Further to UNHCR’s 2025 restructuring exercise, these two teams will be merged into one GCR Section as of 1 October 2025, reinforcing synergies and effective multistakeholder engagement.
AIM OF THE MISSION
This assignment is part of UNHCR’s efforts to strengthen UNHCR’s engagement and partnership with persons under its mandate, by providing support to the GCR Section in promoting meaningful engagement of organizations led by displaced and stateless persons in GCR implementation, as well as bringing their expertise to the planning, development and follow up of events like the GRF and HLOM, as well as in the broader GCR policy processl underpinning those events, including pledge implementation, bringing refugee voices to multilateral policy processes and fora relevant to forced displacement. This also entails engagement and consultations within UNHCR and with Member States and external GCR stakeholders.
MISSION OBJECTIVES
- Support the strengthening of meaningful refugee participation (MRP) throughout the GCR policy process including across the pledge process and stakeholder community
- Support mainstreaming MRP internally through engagement with relevant internal Divisions, Regional Bureaux and the UNHCR Task Team on Engagement and Partnership with Organizations led by Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons
- Manage stakeholder engagement with the community of refugees and stateless people and the organizations they lead in the context of the GCR including the Advisory Board to the UNHCR Task Team as well as with other stakeholders
- Support MRP in GCR-related events as well as proactive advocacy for MRP in multilateral events and processes relevant to forced displacement
RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the supervision of GCR Coordination Team Senior Policy Officer (Policy and Events Pillar), the Policy Officer will:
- Support the meaningful participation of forcibly displaced and stateless persons and the organizations they lead in follow-up processes to the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2023 and the High Level Officials Meeting 2025 (HLOM). This includes facilitating strengthened engagement of organizations led by displaced and stateless persons as well as refugee experts in GCR multi-stakeholder pledges and pledge implementation processes, stocktaking, as well as in events at global, regional, and national levels, and multi-stakeholder engagement, including roundtables. This will entail working closely with and providing guidance and support to internal and external pledge leads and relevant focal points in Divisions and Bureaux
- Represent the GCR Section in the UNHCR Task Team on Engagement and Partnership with Organizations led by Forcibly Displaced and Stateless Persons, and support its deliverables particularly those that are directly linked to GCR processes (GRF, HLOM, pledges, etc.) including engaging as relevant with the Advisory Board to the UNHCR Task Team.
- Jointly liaise with relevant stakeholders on the multi-stakeholder pledge on Refugee Participation and the Coalition on Meaningful Refugee Participation
- Ensure that MRP efforts are mainstreamed in relevant multilateral policy processes (participants in events, key messaging, etc.) and in the GCR indicator report process
- Regularly update the mapping of refugee advisory mechanisms to UNHCR as well as refugee advisory mechanisms at the national level to build on existing engagement mechanisms, where possible
- Support preparations for the High Level Officials Meeting 2025 as regards MRP, including:
o Closely liaise with the Swiss Permanent Mission and relevant Swiss entities to ensure aligned invitation, visa, registration, and other logistical processes for individual and organization-affiliated HLOM participants
o Collaborate with the Advisory Board on ensuring MRP in the HLOM 2025, including through members’ participation in the GCR quarterly briefings (logistical support as well as drafting and coaching support, if requested), HLOM programme consultations, HLOM refugee participant selection modalities, MRP in side events, and drafting process of the Joint Refugee Statement. In this regard, regularly attend Advisory Board meetings to ensure members are up to date on meaningful participation efforts in GCR processes
o Advocate for and map the participation of refugee advisors/representatives in national government and other stakeholder delegations and provide guidance on how to ensure their engagement is meaningful
o Coordinate and monitor forcibly displaced and stateless HLOM 2025 participants outside of the UNHCR-selected/invited group to maintain an overview and provide support, where necessary and manage volunteers, providing ad hoc support to participants as needed
- Engage in all MRP-related aspects of HLOM follow up, including:
o Survey of refugee participants and other stakeholder management
o Contribute to the preparation of the MRP-related content for the HLOM recommendations and outcome document
o Facilitate MRP-related aspects of HLOM follow up and GRF preparations
- Any other tasks that may be required to ensure meaningful refugee participation in the lead up to GRF 2027.
PROFILE
Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education): Master’s degree in Political Science, Social Sciences, International Law, Law, International Public Law, International Refugee Law, International Human Rights Law, Refugee and Forced Migration, International Relations or other relevant field
Work experience
- Six years relevant experience with Master’s degree;
- Experience in external engagement with humanitarian actors, donors and governments.
- Experience supporting participatory and people-centered approaches to humanitarian action, such as meaningful refugee participation.
- Experience in organizing a global event.
- Experience managing complex multi stakeholder relationships and coordinating information across internal (inside the organization) and external (external to the organization) stakeholders.
- Excellent drafting skills in English (formal letters, funding proposals, appeals, reports) briefings, and donor correspondence for external supporters.
- Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills.
Functional Skills: CO-Strategic Communication, MS-Drafting, CO-Preparation of key messages/talking points/speeches, DM-Database Management, Intercultural Competence, PM-Capacity building initiatives with project/programme partners, PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and Methodologies, PR-Accountability to Affected People – Principles and Framework
Language: Proficiency in English language. Working knowledge of another relevant UN language would be an asset particularly French, Spanish or Arabic
a. Key Competencies
C002L2 – Teamwork & Collaboration
C003L2 – Communication
C004L2 – Commitment to Continuous Learning
C005L2 – Client & Result Orientation
C006L2 – Organizational Awareness
M006L2 – Managing Resources
X001L2 – Analytical Thinking
X002L2 – Innovation and Creativity
X007L2 – Political Awareness
Standard Job Description
Required Languages
English
,
French
,
Desired Languages
,
,
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Other information
This position doesn't require a functional clearance
Remote
No