The humanitarian situation in Iraq is one of the most severe and complex crises in the world. Escalation in conflict across the country has led to unprecedented displacement. More than 3.3 million people have been displaced since the beginning of 2014, and more are expected to face displacement in 2016. The majority of IDPs are scattered across more than 3,600 locations throughout the country, with over 90% living outside of camps. As the crisis continues to deepen, humanitarian needs among affected populations are intensifying.
Compounding these issues is a lack of information about humanitarian assistance and services among displaced communities. This information gap is fuelling isolation, confusion and growing mistrust amongst displaced people, significantly reducing their ability to cope with the growing crisis. With information being increasingly recognised as a vital form of aid – with disaster-affected people requiring life-saving information on services as much as water, food, medicine or shelter – humanitarian agencies are being asked to increase information exchange, improve dialogue with affected communities, and strengthen their ability to listen and respond to the needs of affected communities while providing a safe forum through which to communicate and access information on service provision.
Following a 2014 inter-agency assessment of information needs amongst displaced communities in Iraq, it was identified that access to information on humanitarian assistance is a key priority for affected populations. In response to the assessment, the Humanitarian Country Team agreed to the establishment of an inter-agency two-way communication and accountability mechanism that allows affected populations to shape their own relief and recovery.
Launched in July 2015, the Iraq IIC is implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) with financial support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund (IHPF), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Office of the UN Iraq Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Operating as a toll-free humanitarian helpline with Operators speaking Arabic, Kurdish Sorani, Kurdish Badine and English, in 2016 the Iraq IIC handled more than 50,000 calls from people displaced across Iraq.
The Iraq IIC’s primary objective is to promote two-way communication between affected populations to:
- Empower communities through the provision of accessible and timely information on how to access humanitarian services and resources required to improve their situation and make informed decisions
- Help ensure efficient and effective coordination of humanitarian actors operating in Iraq by collecting and circulating information about the urgent needs and priorities of affected populations
- Support an environment of transparency and accountability by:
a) Establishing an easy-to-access and safe mechanism through which affected populations can lodge feedback and complaints
b) Channelling feedback and complaints to humanitarian actors to influence humanitarian programming and shape quality advocacy
UNOPS is seeking an Arabic-speaking Community Engagement Officer to strengthen field-level outreach to both affected populations and humanitarian partners. The Community Engagement Officer will conduct community and partner outreach across Iraq through activities such as focus group discussions and trainings. Outreach activities will include a special focus on communicating with vulnerable members of society, including women, children, the disabled and the elderly. This will lead to increased awareness of the call centre among beneficiaries, greater community feedback on the effectiveness of call centre's operations, and greater partner feedback on their ability to follow up on feedback and referrals. The primary objective of this position is to bolster collective accountability to affected populations in Iraq.
The position will be based in Erbil, Iraq, with regular travel to governorates hosting affected populations.
The incumbent reports to the Iraq IIC Project Manager, who reports to the Head of Programme – UNOPS Operational Hub in Amman.
The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.