Area-based Inclusion Assessment

Details

Mission and objectives

UNHCR Bulgaria assists the authorities and civil society organisations working directly or indirectly on the protection of refugees and supports the further development of the national protection system within the ever-evolving pan-European asylum system. On July 22, 1993, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria concluded a formal agreement under which the UNHCR's mandate in the country was launched. Previously, in the post-1990 period, around 20 people were granted status under the UNHCR mandate, through a procedure in which interviews were conducted by the Bulgarian Red Cross and status determination was carried out at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. Historically, the Bulgarian people are known for their traditional sense of hospitality and asylum to persecuted persons from other countries. At the beginning of the 20th century, people banished from Armenia, Russia and Eastern Thrace, as well as people from countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, fleeing repression during the anti-colonial and liberation struggle after the 1950s, were found refuge. Bulgaria laid the legislative foundations for the protection of refugees with the ratification of the 1951 Geneva Convention and the New York Protocol thereto in 1967 with the publication of the relevant texts in the State Gazette No 88 of 15 October 1993.

Context

Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, over 2.1 million refugees from Ukraine have entered Bulgaria. As of mid-December 2023, the Government of Bulgaria has granted Temporary Protection to more than 173,400 refugees fleeing Ukraine, with the majority being women and children. An estimated 52,000 Ukrainian refugees remain within the country as of mid-December 2023. Additionally, Bulgaria, as an external EU border, plays a strategic role in refugee protection within Europe. In 2022, Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees (SAR) registered over 20,400 asylum seekers, primarily from Syria and Afghanistan. As of the end of October 2023, more than 19,000 asylum applications have been received by SAR, surpassing the numbers for the same period last year. SAR operates six reception centers for the registration, Refugee Status Determination procedures, and accommodation of asylum seekers. Amid an increase in arrivals of Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers since 2022, UNHCR supports Bulgaria's Government to ensure policies and legislation align with international and EU standards. UNHCR promotes a comprehensive refugee response grounded in a multi-stakeholder, whole-of-society approach. UNHCR supports government-led efforts to provide key protection, including legal assistance, information on services, education, and psychosocial support. UNHCR's priority protection interventions include access to territory and asylum procedures, inclusion of refugees in essential services and socio-economic inclusion, Child Protection, Gender-Based Violence response, support to persons with specific needs, and mitigation of risks related to trafficking and other forms of abuse and exploitation. Selected candidate with assist UNHCR through remotely interviewing key informants and fill Kobo forms with pre-set questions with a view to obtain data and information on refugees’ access to essential services and their socio-economic inclusion opportunities, including barriers and proposed solutions, and draft a report based on evidence. Selected volunteers will have a chance to learn more on the protection reporting, including area-based assessment, and UNHCR Age, Gender and Diversity Policy, and refugee socio-economic inclusion while supporting the team at first hand. We expect the selected online volunteer(s) to start with this task. 1. 1 assignment in February 2024 2. 2 assignments in May 2024

Task description

Month 1-2: - Conducting an average of 10 (per week per assignment) semi-structured interviews with key informants / service providers / in selected locations with respect to their understanding of what services are available to refugees and how the existing barriers to inclusion and social cohesion can be overcome in different local contexts - Total interviews per assignment: 96 - Average interview time 30 minutes - Interviews will be conducted (preferably via video call) with , regional/local authorities, and social protection officials, employment agencies, child protection services, disability service providers in line with guidelines provided by UNHCR Month 3: - Analysing the data and drafting a 12-page initial report to present the data.