Assistant High Commissioner (Protection)

The position of Assistant High Commissioner (Protection) was approved by the Executive Committee in October 2005, endorsed by the Secretary-General, and came into effect the following February. The AHC (Protection) has oversight of protection policy development, UNHCR's advocacy for rule of law and implementation of standards, as well as ensuring that protection priorities are integrated into management and delivery of operations by the Bureaux and in the field in a coherent and consistent manner across the regions. The AHC (Protection) also oversees the activities of the Division of International Protection Services, which includes the Resettlement Service. The Policy Development and Evaluation Service has a direct reporting line on protection policy issues to the AHC (Protection).

For the Division of International Protection Services (DIPS), 2006 was a year of transition in terms of leadership and structure. The functions of some sections were adjusted to improve support to the Field, while avoiding duplication with the legal advice provided at the bureau level. Additionally, colleagues with expertise in community services, gender, women and children joined the Division, enabling DIPS to employ a multifunctional team approach and mainstream such issues within all protection interventions.

The Director of the Division of International Protection Services is responsible for advising and assisting the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection in the formulation of the international protection policies necessary for the discharge of UNHCR's mandate. To this end, DIPS plays an important advisory role in the formulation of strategy and policy. The Division disseminates tools and best practices; supports methodologies that enhance protection through community-based and rights-based approaches; and also supports the development of comprehensive solutions to displacement and statelessness.

The Community Development, Gender Equality and Children Section (CDGECS) was moved into DIPS in March 2006, strengthening the ability of DIPS to provide practical and comprehensive support to field operations on community, age, gender, and diversity issues.

The Protection Capacity Section (PCS) worked to increase the operational protection capacity of UNHCR staff and governmental and non-governmental partners. The delivery of refugee protection learning programmes and the development of tools and manuals continued to be a central activity for PCS in 2006. Learning programmes undertaken in 2006 included the newly-launched Protection Induction Programme, the Protection Learning Programme, the Thematic Protection Learning Programme on Migration, and the revised Refugee Status Determination Programme and Resettlement Learning Programme.

PCS also continued to promote principles of international refugee protection among external partners such as government officials who work on refugee-related matters and members of civil society, including RSD adjudicators, academics and students.

The Protection Operations and Legal Advice Section (POLAS) carried out its core function of ensuring proper interpretation of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees through the development of policy guidance and the provision of legal advice. In 2006, POLAS issued guidance on topics such as the application of the exclusion clauses in mass influx situations; HIV and AIDS and the protection of refugees, IDPs and other persons of concern; maintaining the civilian and humanitarian character of asylum; diplomatic assurances and refugee protection; and the refugee status of trafficked persons and those at risk of being trafficked.

The Resettlement Service was created in 2006 to strengthen UNHCR's capacity to be responsive to resettlement countries and other partners, as well as to build upon initiatives to be proactive in terms of promotion and advocacy of resettlement as a protection tool, a durable solution and a responsibility and burden sharing mechanism.

The Status Determination and Protection Information Section (SDPIS) was created in 2006, merging together the Refugee Status Determination Unit and the Protection Information Section. This organizational change allowed the two units to focus their efforts to strengthen the capacity of both UNHCR and governments in ensuring quality, integrity and fairness in the RSD decision-making process.

With regard to knowledge management, SDPIS improved the content and structure of UNHCR's primary information database, RefWorld. The section also conducted primary research on countries of origin, prepared country reports and eligibility guidelines for external and/or internal publications, and started developing new RSD tools, such as country briefing folders.

The Solutions and Operations Support Section (SOSS) supported field operations by promoting comprehensive solutions to refugee situations, in particular those that are protracted. It also supported the work of the Strengthening Protection Capacity Project (SPCP) and published a reference guide entitled Operational Protection in Camps and Settlements. The Statelessness Unit worked closely with regional bureaux, country offices and external partners to resolve protracted statelessness situations.

Source: UNHCR Global Report 2006. For more details, see chapter Headquarters (pdf).