Eligibility Responsible United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Experience: 0 to 3 Years Panama City, Panama Apply By: 09-01-2025

As stated in Article No. 16 of Executive Decree No. 5 of January 16, 2018, “the National Office for Refugee Assistance (ONPAR), attached to the Ministry of Government, will be in charge of coordinating and executing the decisions made by the National Commission for Refugee Protection (hereinafter CONARE), as well as the programs for the care and protection of refugees.”

One of the functions assigned to ONPAR through the legal instrument mentioned in the previous paragraph is to process the asylum claims, which includes receiving applications, conducting interviews, creating files, analyzing, and drafting reports of the cases to be presented for recognition before CONARE. Additionally, ONPAR provides psychosocial guidance to asylum seekers and recognized refugees, ensuring that identified needs are addressed and referred to the appropriate actors for case follow-up.

The Province of Darién, located on the border of Panama and Colombia, has historically been a point of entry into Panamanian territory for people who have been forced to flee their country of origin in search of international protection. In recent years, there have been entries of people from different parts of the world as part of mixed movements.

Currently, Darién is the second province with the highest number of recognized refugees, most of whom are from Colombia, who find it difficult to carry out their procedures before ONPAR due to the costs associated with their travel to Panama City, given the distance from the communities where they reside and the difficulty of leaving them.

In 2023, a historic milestone was marked with the entry of more than 500,000 refugees and migrants into Panamanian territory through the border with Colombia, among them, a considerable number of people with international protection needs.

In light of the above, with the support of UNHCR, in February 2024, a field office of ONPAR was established in Metetí, Province of Darién, with the purpose of attending to people who request to be recognized as refugees in Panama, as well as providing support and accompaniment to recognized refugees residing in that province.

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between UNHCR and MINGOB, signed on November 29, 2022, on the provision of technical assistance through the temporary assignment of personnel, the structure of ONPAR will continue to be strengthened to improve and enhance its capacities and promote the quality of the asylum system in Panama through the hiring of an Eligibility Responsible for the ONPAR field office, located in Metetí, Province of Darién.

Specific Objectives of the Hiring and Functions of the Eligibility Responsible: 

Objective No. 1: Eligibility Interviews and Case Management

• Register asylum claims invoked by people who have entered Panamanian territory through the border with Colombia.
• Conduct eligibility interviews with asylum seekers to gather all necessary information to carry out the credibility analysis, both inside and outside ONPAR’s office.
• Create a physical and digital file for each asylum claim, to include all the information and/or documentation provided by the asylum seeker.
• Conduct follow-up interviews with asylum seekers in the case that more information is needed.
• Maintain contact and foster coordination with authorities on the ground to ensure respect for the rights, obligations, and safeguarding of asylum seekers, recognized refugees residing in Darién, and their respective family units.

Objective No. 2: Case Analysis and Evaluation Reports:

• Conduct a credibility analysis based on the information/documentation provided by the asylum seeker and the information from the country of origin.
• Draft admissibility resolutions, as appropriate, in a manner that clearly reflects a legal analysis of the elements of the refugee definition in accordance with applicable national and international legislation.
• Carry out the corresponding notifications.
• Prepare evaluation reports for CONARE.
• Stay updated on the situation in the countries of origin of asylum seekers and recognized refugees.

Objective No. 3: Assistance to Recognized Refugees Residing in the Province of Darién

• Provide assistance to recognized refugees residing in the Province of Darién for procedures that require ONPAR’s support (renewal of documents, obtaining work permits, obtaining permanent residence, various certifications, obtaining travel documents, among others).

Objective No. 4: Activities Related to the Hiring

• Conduct monitoring visits to Temporary Migration Reception Stations (ETRM), located in San Vicente and Lajas Blancas, host/transit communities, as well as any other space or community where people part of Mixed Movements and/or people with international protection needs transit or are housed.
• Stay updated on the situation of mixed movements entering Panamanian territory from Colombia through the Darién National Park.
• Refer people with international protection needs in vulnerable conditions and with special needs to other organizations and/or authorities on the field for proper attention.
• Provide assistance and advice on refugee status determination procedure.
• Conduct missions to host communities for the follow-up and assistance of refugees to strengthen opportunities for local integration and access to basic rights.
• Periodically, or upon request, submit reports on the actions carried out from the ONPAR field office for the preparation of corresponding reports and statistics.
• If required, and with prior authorization from the Director of ONPAR, provide support UNHCR, its partners, and the Ombudsman’s Office in any additional task requested in relation to assistance, guidance, and advice on the refugee status recognition procedure, as well as the rights and duties of refugees and asylum seekers.
• Carry out any additional task requested for the protection of refugees and refugee status applicants in Darién, as well as perform all necessary activities to successfully carry out their work.

Workplace and Supervision:

• The hired person will be physically located in the ONPAR field office in the Province of Darién, in Metetí. Due to the responsibilities to be developed, the Eligibility Responsible must travel to the ETRMs, transit and host communities of asylum seekers and recognized refugees by land, river, sea, or air.
• Will be under the supervision of the Director General of the Office for Refugee Assistance (ONPAR) and must adhere to the working hours and guidelines of that institution.

Profile and Requirements:

Education and Knowledge Level

• Desirable with university degree in Law and Political Science in the Republic of Panama or in the final year of the Faculty of Law.
• Knowledge of laws, codes, and other legal provisions governing the Panamanian legal-administrative and procedural system, as well as international conventions on human rights and international protection.
• Knowledge of the situation of mixed movements entering Panamanian territory through the Darién National Park.

Work Experience

• Experience in international protection, refugee protection, and migration desirable.
• Knowledge of the situation of refugees in Panama.
• Knowledge of the situation in the main countries of origin of people entering Panamanian territory through the border with Colombia.

Other Skills

• Proactive attitude for conflict resolution and difficulties in the development of their functions.
• Good writing and synthesis, ability to analyze context.
• Proven experience in the use of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Source: https://unhcr.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/Meteti-Panama/Eligibility-Responsible_JR2447052