Bangla Speaking Cultural Mediator

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)FamilyCONTR Local Entry and Mid-Level Support2024-03-11March 28, 2024Over the years Malta has experienced a steady influx of asylum-seekers, through irregular and regular means.
In Malta, UNHCR has two core mandate functions:
• To provide legal protection activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the relevant bodies of law, namely human rights law, international humanitarian law, and refugee law. UNHCR engages with persons of concern on a regular basis through outreach activities both in the open centres and the community, and individually. This approach provides the necessary information needed for UNHCR’s advocacy work in protecting refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless persons.
• To seek and secure a durable solution for refugees through:
- voluntary repatriation: usually the preferred solution, when possible, by referring to IOM;
- local integration: assisting refugees in integrating into the host community through community outreach to provide information on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons to legal, support and social welfare services, while supporting refugee-led organisations as well as social groups (such as refugee, asylum seeking and stateless women) in developing and implementing self-reliance initiatives, and in raising awareness on community issues of child protection and gender based violence.
- Individual cases of vulnerability: monitoring and assisting FDSPs experiencing added vulnerabilities related to age, gender, mental health and others, through individual/family counselling, referral and advocacy.
UNHCR presence at disembarkations continues to be a priority. Information provision sessions are carried out in detention centres and open centres, with groups and with individuals whose vulnerability is of concern to UNHCR.
To view occupational safety and health considerations for specific duty stations, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment:
Concise and detailed description of activities, including measurable outputs and delivery dates, impact indicators (what qualitative and quantitative results would be achieved upon completion of individual contract), performance indicators (timelines, value of the service rendered in relation to the cost, timeliness) and work plan:

The function performed by Cultural Mediators, that of overcoming the barriers of language and culture, is vital in any international context. It assumes an added dimension when practiced in an effort to assist UNHCR in its core work: protecting and seeking durable solutions for refugees. Cultural Mediators are essential to UNHCR in fulfilling its core mandate functions, including monitoring, counselling, community outreach, all of which may involve discussions on sensitive issues. Thus, Cultural Mediators perform a key role in many UNHCR offices. A correct and culturally sensitive understanding of refugees’ statements is essential in enabling UNHCR to understand refugees’ concerns and make appropriate interventions.

The cultural mediator will be supporting UNHCR staff with calls, monitoring visits (at disembarkation, detention, and open centres), and informational material. The cultural mediator will support UNHCR staff with helpline phone calls and individual cases (office appointments) in the language needed.

Residency requirement: The desired candidate must have a work permit that allows him/her to work in Malta. S/he will have to produce a police conduct certificate, (not older than 6 months) along with their application. S/he will carry out the following activities:

a) Provide interpretation and translation services as required in the different activities carried out by UNHCR and/or third parties;

b) Secure mutual understanding between UNHCR and/or third parties and the asylum seekers and refugees, ensuring that main diversities regarding culture, traditions, religion, age, gender and other attributes are given adequate attention and consideration in order to build necessary trust with the beneficiaries and maximize the effect of the counselling/information activity;

c) Participate in relevant training activities, whether online or in-person;

d) Respect the confidentiality of any sensitive information and adhere to the UNHCR Code of Conduct;

e) Carry out any other related service, as required and on the basis of an evolving context.

Qualification and experience required (degree, years of work experience, field of expertise, language):
• Fluency in English and Bengali. Fluency in more than one language is considered an asset.
• Secondary level of education. Relevant training in interpretation and cultural mediation is considered an asset.
• Minimum one-year relevant experience.
• Knowledge of UNHCR mandate and work.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills.
All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross- functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.
Core Competencies:
- Accountability
- Communication
- Organizational Awareness
- Teamwork & Collaboration
- Commitment to Continuous Learning
- Client & Result Orientation
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

 

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

Bengali

,

English

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

A written test is required to assess language skills.This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No