About

The UNHCR-WFP Joint Programme Excellence and Targeting Hub is an inter-agency team of roving UNHCR and WFP staff that offer technical support to UNHCR and WFP on joint work in a number of thematic areas at the country, regional and global level. The Hub works closely with both UNHCR and WFP technical teams in regional bureaus and at headquarters levels, including in supporting the mainstreaming of technical expertise. 

Meet the team

Jane Lewis

Jane Lewis

Coordinator

Jane leads the Hub team in providing country, regional and global support to UNHCR-WFP collaboration in the Hubs thematic areas. 

Olivia Collins

Olivia Collins

Monitoring and Learning Officer

Olivia provides support to monitoring, learning and documentation of UNHCR-WFP collaboration.

 

Cinzia Papavero

Cinzia Papavero

Senior Targeting Advisor

Cinzia leads the Assessment, Analysis and Targeting team in the provision of country support. 

 

Guillermo Rodriguez

Guillermo Rodriguez

Data Analyst & Assessment Officer

Guillermo provides technical support to joint assessment exercises and data analysis.

Sunee Singh

Sunee Singh

Regional Joint Hub Advisor & Roving Country Coordinator

Based in Nairobi, Sunee coordinates Hub support to joint initiatives in the region.

Sahand Tahir

Sahand Tahir

Joint Assessment Officer

Sahand provides technical support to joint assessment exercises. 

 

Cristian Bevacqua

Cristian Bevacqua

Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer

Cristian provides support to UNHCR-WFP collaboration on livelihoods and economic inclusion.

Michel Dikkes

Michel Dikkes

Protection & AAP Officer

Michel supports collaboration on community engagement, and feedback and appeals  mechanisms.

Felicia Takavarasha

Felicia Takavarasha

Joint Data Analyst

Felicia provides technical support to joint data analysis.

Cecilia Pietrobono

Cecilia Pietrobono

Senior Programme Advisor

Cecilia leads the Programme team in the provision of country support.

The Hub is overseen by a Technical Advisory Group of UNHCR and WFP staff and supervised by a Steering Committee of UNHCR and WFP senior management. 

The Technical Advisory Group provide overall guidance and direction for the Hub. This includes the setting of priorities,  monitoring progress, and providing support to the Coordinator and technical colleagues in the Hub. The Technical Advisory Group ensure alignment with UNHCR and WFP technical and strategic directions and complementarities with other joint initiatives   

Partnership

The Hub is a partnership between UNHCR, WFP and two US government entities, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and the US Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM).

Frequently asked questions

How does the Hub link with other initiatives that involve UNHCR and WFP (such as the Common Cash Statement)?

The work of the Hub builds on and coordinates closely with other joint UNHCR-WFP initiatives. To support this coordination, the Hub’s outer circle includes members of other initiatives such as the UN Common Cash Statement, UNHCR-WB Joint Data Center and the UNHCR-WFP Joint project on Mitigating the Risks of Abuse of Power (MRAP) in Cash Assistance. Examples are alignment of work on interoperability with Cash Statement countries, and support in implementing MRAP recommendations to strengthen collaboration on accountability in cash assistance.

How does an operation request Hub support?

Both UNHCR and WFP need to jointly request support to the Hub and to the Technical Advisory Group that oversees the Hub. Any request should be addressed to [email protected]. Before sending a formal expression of interest, the Hub can first provide consultation and calls can be set up to discuss possible areas of support and to provide more information on the work of the Hub and the country context.

Can the Hub provide support to only one agency?

No, the Hub cannot only support either UNHCR or WFP alone. The Hub only provides support to joint work, or to the alignment of work between the two agencies in the hubs thematic areas.

Can the Hub support any country/ context or population group?

Provided that both agencies are active in a country in support of refugees and the request for Hub support is from both agencies the hub can provide support.

For the time being the Hub only provides support to UNHCR and WFP offices collaborating on assistance to refugees, and not other population groups.

What kind of support does the Hub provide?

The Hub provides a range of technical support in thematic areas to joint or harmonised work. This can include technical support such as in the planning, implementation and analysis of assessments, developing targeting strategies and in developing communication strategies. You can find out more details on the type of support offered via the Hub support page.

What is the governance structure for the Hub?

The hub is overseen by a Technical Advisory Group of UNHCR and WFP staff that provide managerial oversight and guidance to the work of the Hub on a regular basis. The technical advisory group meet regularly with the Hub team.

 

In addition, the Hub project is overseen by a Steering Committee consisting of UNHCR and WFP senior management. The Steering Committee meet less frequently and provide strategic guidance and higher-level decision making on Hub engagements.

 

Hub staff also have reporting lines to ‘outer circlethematic experts in both agencies at the headquarters level to align technical discussions for each thematic area with each agencies policies and best practices, and to foster engagement on specific technical discussions.

How many countries does the Hub support?

The Hub is currently supporting the following countries:

  • Cameroon
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Jordan
  • Mauritania
  • Mozambique
  • Rwanda
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
Can Hub staff come on mission to provide in-country support to operations?

Provided there are no travel restrictions, the Hub team can deploy on mission to support operations. These missions aim to provide technical support to strengthen collaboration between WFP and UNHCR and require significant engagement from the country office teams.

Can the Hub conduct activities independently for an operation?

The Hub does not conduct activities independently, but provides technical support acting as a convener between the two agencies. Both agencies staff will need to be actively involved in any activity throughout the process.

How do I apply for a job with the Hub?

Any vacancies are advertised on the UNHCR or WFP websites.

Contact the Hub