Senior Advocate for Statelessness

refugees international

Location:

United States (Washington, DC)

Website:

www.refintl.org

Contact Information:

rosa guerrero

Phone:

202-828-0110

Email:

rosa@refintl.org

Description:

The Senior Advocate is the core staff program position responsible for providing high- level leadership and strategy development for RI's work to reduce and prevent Statelessness. S/he leads 3-4 missions overseas to research on stateless groups, in particular within RI's priority focus regions. S/he is the principal liaison and focal point for RI with the UN, the US government and focus countries on this issue. S/he develops and leads the implementation of the agreed advocacy strategy and is responsible for assessing its impact. Additionally, s/he will participate in the development of fundraising proposals and reporting in support of these activities.

The successful candidate must be available to travel to countries and regions experiencing humanitarian crises and equipped to assess the level and causes of displacement. Upon completion of assessment missions, the Senior Advocate is responsible for writing short field reports including recommendations and longer reports as deemed necessary to advance RI's strategic goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide leadership and develop advocacy strategies for reduction and prevention of statelessness in the US, focus regions and priority countries. S/he will work toward the full actualization of UNHCR's and the UN's mandate on this subject, and encourage greater US attention to this/or other issues as identified in the agency's annual planning process.

2. Working with a colleague or with an external consultant, the senior advocate will conduct field assessments of situations of statelessness. S/he will conduct field research through interviews with those affected, with other individuals knowledgeable about the situation, including NGO and UN personnel, government officials and academics.

3. Summarize the analysis of the mission findings particularly the impact of de jure or de facto statelessness on the human rights of the individual and recommendations for how to best address this issues in short policy and advocacy oriented field reports.

4. Develop and carry out an advocacy strategy with the Director of Policy and Advocacy, the Government Relations Senior Advocate and other colleagues to assure the implementation of RI recommendations.

5. Hold frequent meetings with U.S. government elected and appointed officials, UN agency personnel, and other relevant actors under the guidance of the Director of Policy and Advocacy and the Government Relations Senior Advocate to advance the overall advocacy agenda of the organization or to carry out a plan of action particularly where a legislative or diplomatic solution is sought. Prepare testimony or statements for relevant UN or US bodies.(such as Human Rights Council, OSCE, Congressional committees or caucuses),

6. Write articles for publication in media outlets, including scholarly journals, conference papers, newspaper op-eds, letters to the editor, etc. Prepare longer reports or updates of RI products as necessary and keep web products up to date.

7. Represent the agency's views on statelessness at national and international events and conferences, and seek opportunities to enhance the public profile of Refugees International on focus countries and issues. Represent the agency at coordination meetings organized by NGOs, the U.S. government, the UN, think tanks, and other relevant institutions.

8. Being prepared to engage in relevant public events. As a start, collaborate with current staff on the preparation and implementation of the conferences on Gender Discrimination and Nationality Laws and on Statelessness and the Right to Nationality in the Dominican Republic, to be held in late October 2011.

9. Maintain and further develop the tri-annual teleconference consultation network of UN, government, NGO and academic experts committed to research, legislative and policy development and advocacy efforts for the prevention and reduction of statelessness.

10. Develop media contacts and conduct interviews or submit op eds, letters to the editor, as needed to advance the advocacy agenda of the organization in consultation with Communications Director.

11. Coordinate the work of consultants and interns as needed.

12. Collaborate with fellow advocates and other RI staff to advance agency thinking on key issues and to support the achievement of the agency's mission.

13. Contribute to the development of proposals to fund work on the issue, meet with donors, contribute to donor reports, help to organize Board or other missions, and give public talks on statelessness and other refugee issues.

14. While being prepared to undertake 3-4 missions per year, remain available to join research teams to assess the situation of displaced groups in countries not hosting statelessness populations or looking at thematic issues other than statelessness.

15. Perform other reasonably related duties as assigned.

Qualification:

1. At least five- seven years professional experience involving some combination of overseas work, preferably with refugees and displaced on nationality and/or human rights issues, or in crisis situations, and previous advocacy and policy work.

2. A Masters degree in international humanitarian issues or a law degree and experience with nationality and citizenship isues. .

3. Familiarity with international human rights issues and treaties as well as the key agencies of the international humanitarian system and the strengths and weaknesses of this system required.

4. Communication skills, especially writing, and public speaking, blogging.

5. English language fluency and working knowledge of another language of value to the agency's overseas work, such as Arabic, French, Spanish, etc.

6. Ability to work well with others in small teams.

7. Willingness to travel to dangerous and isolated places up to six months per year.

8. Flexibility and sense of humor.