Refugee Advocacy Board
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Are you actively engaged in advocating for refugee rights in Bulgaria? Are you a refugee advocate or working in a refugee-led organization? Are you interested in deepening and broadening your knowledge and expertise in Bulgarian legal framework of asylum and integration? And interested to motivate other refugees to be active and give them a voice?
Then this is for you!
We search for additional 5 members of the advocacy team of refugees!
- Purpose of the Refugee Advocacy Board (RAB)
The advocacy team of refugees was set up by the following partners: Center for Sustainable Communities Development (CSCD), the Bulgarian School for Politics (BSoP), and the Council of Women Refugees in Bulgaria (CWRB) under the supervision of UNHCR Bulgaria and with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund set up by Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein and EC.
Its goal is achieving sustainability of the idea of inclusion and empowerment of refugees in Bulgaria. For a long-term solution to the problems of the refugees, it is necessary to involve them in the decision-making process on the problems that directly concern them. RAB is working to improve the understanding of the real needs of refugees; for targeted national policies for their integration and inclusion; for creating bridges between the refugees and the local communities.
The members work is voluntary!
- Required Experience and Skills from the Future Members of the Team
- Fluency in written and spoken English is a must. Knowledge of other languages is a strong advantage, especially proficiency in Bulgarian (as one of the main aims is to provide the opportunity to work directly with relevant Bulgarian institutions);
- Good understanding of the challenges faced by refugees in Bulgaria;
- Ability to prepare clear written analysis, including providing advice and actionable recommendations to policy-makers;
- Experience working in human rights, advocacy or civil society, governmental or inter- and non-governmental organizations is an asset;
- Good knowledge of international relations, European and/or national policies and practice on refugee protection, migration and related issues is an asset.
- Eligibility Criteria
- Residence and personal documents
- Legal residence (temporary protection holder; asylum-seeker; beneficiary of international protection, including those who have obtained Bulgarian citizenship, stateless persons);
- A minimum period of residence in Bulgaria of one year (for asylum-seekers and beneficiaries of international protection only).
- Intentions and commitments
- Willingness to remain in Bulgaria in the foreseeable future;
- Strong desire to work in support of the refugee community and for its empowerment;
- Strong desire to understand the Bulgarian legal and institutional framework and study Bulgarian language;
- Previous experience in supporting refugees is an asset (e.g. employment in the humanitarian sector; volunteering; personal initiatives; informal community leadership, ).
- Professional background and skills
- Basic computer skills are an asset;
- Other unique skills such as photography, graphic design, journalism, etc. are an asset;
- Experience in the Bulgarian labour market is an asset.
As part of the selection process partners will take into account the diversity and equal representation of various refugee groups in terms of:
- Gender balance;
- Age groups;
- Specific needs;
- Geographical location within Bulgaria.
Citizens of countries other than Ukraine will be given priority.
- Main Activities of the Refugee Advocacy Board
- Advocacy: The goal of the advocacy team is:
- working towards improved access to rights and more opportunities for refugees in Bulgaria;
- participation in working groups and mechanisms for the creation and improvement of measures and policies for the protection of refugees;
- supporting state and local authorities.
- Community outreach: all members of the group contribute to refugees’ participation in processes related to their stay and access to rights in Bulgaria. The team actively reach out to refugees to provide information, opportunities for their engagement and fruitful exchange with the local community.
- First Operational Tasks of the Members
- Attend all the trainings provided by the partners, including:
- Leadership and strategic thinking;
- Political process and policy formation in Bulgaria;
- Civic participation in Bulgaria.
The trainings will be held in Sofia in English, within several modules of two or three days. Trainees from outside Sofia will have their accommodation and transportation costs covered.
- Engage in available opportunities for acquiring Bulgarian language proficiency;
- Jointly carry out a needs assessment of refugee communities in Bulgaria;
- Develop a roadmap/action plan for working with Bulgarian institutions and refugees;
- Participatе in a series of meetings with the identified key institutions.
The initial mandate of the group is one year. Upon the completion of the one-year mandate, UNHCR preserves its right to continue supporting the functioning of the advocacy team, subject to the set goals, priorities and achieved results.
VII. Selection Procedure
All interested candidates must fill in the application form available in the following link:
Only full application forms will be reviewed. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview by an international selection committee.
The selection procedure schedule is as follows:
- Online application closes: 5 March, 2023
- Short-listed interviews: March 9, 2023
For further details please contact Stanimira Hadjimitova at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Ivan Nachev at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Parthership for Sustainable Refugee Inclusion project is being implemented with financial support of EUR 17,067 provided by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the EEA. The main goal of the Parthership for Sustainable Refugee Inclusion project is to enhance skills of refugee communitie representatives for recognition of the institutional environment and access points to the decision-making system in Bulgaria.
All responsibility for the content of the document is borne by Center for Sustainable Communities Development and under no circumstances can it be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Operator of the Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria.