Human Rights Liaison Unit Intern

Terms of Reference

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship with the Human Rights Liaison Unit, within the Protection Policy and Legal Advice (PPLA) section of the Division of International Protection (DIP) at UNHCR HQ in Geneva, Switzerland.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Our vision is a world where every person forced to flee can build a better future. UNHCR was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1950 in the aftermath of the Second World War to help the millions of people who had lost their homes. Today, UNHCR works in 135 countries. We provide life-saving assistance, including shelter, food, water and medical care for people forced to flee conflict and persecution, many of whom have nobody left to turn to. We defend their right to reach safety and help them find a place to call home so they can rebuild their lives. Long term, we work with countries to improve and monitor refugee and asylum laws and policies, ensuring human rights are upheld.

 

Organizational context:

This internship will be with the Human Rights Liaison Unit (HRLU), within the PPLA Section of the Division of Intentional Protection.
The Division of International Protection provides the necessary thematic, functional, and operational support and guidance to UNHCR’s Regional Bureaux and Country Operations – to enhance protection delivery globally, and contributes to ensuring global coherence, consistent application of international law, and of UNHCR’s positions and policies, as well as cross-regional fertilization. The Division comprises three Services. Service 1 focuses on Law and Policy, Service 2 on Field Support, and Service 3 on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways. 

The Protection Policy and Legal Advice (PPLA) Section, which falls in Service 1, leads UNHCR’s work on the development of international law and policy relevant to the rights of refugees and internally displaced people pursuant to UNHCR’s supervisory responsibility. PPLA leads, guides, and supports UNHCR’s law and policy efforts in various contexts and across the globe. PPLA engages with human rights mechanisms and actors globally, regionally, and nationally and leads the legal and normative work on the protection of displaced populations. PPLA guides engagement with the legal community, including facilitating and supporting the preparation of court interventions by UNHCR around the world as well other judicial engagement activities at the global level. 

The Human Rights Liaison Unit (HRLU) contributes to the development of international human rights law and standards and supports their practical application to enhance protection and solutions for forcibly displaced and stateless persons. The Unit provides direct support to UNHCR regional Bureaux and country Operations to promote the effective use of international human rights law, human rights mechanisms, and to leverage human rights partnerships to advance UNHCR’s advocacy and protection work. It acts as the main liaising entity at the global level between UNHCR and a variety of UN human rights mechanisms and partners, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Human Rights Council (HRC), including the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the human rights treaty monitoring bodies and the various Special Procedures mandate holders. The Unit also cooperates with a broad array of global and regional human rights actors and interagency initiatives, mainstreaming issues of forced displacement and statelessness and promoting initiatives which advance human rights protection for displaced and stateless persons. The HRLU is currently in the process of overseeing the drafting and rollout of UNHCR’s new Human Rights Engagement Strategy for 2024-2027, which will focus, inter alia, on strategic operationalization that aims to provide greater support to field colleagues in implementation of human rights at the local level. The HRLU staff includes a Senior Legal Officer (Human Rights) as Head of Unit and one Legal Officer (Human Rights).

HRLU Internship

This internship position sits with the Human Rights Liaison Unit. The internship will focus on supporting the objectives of the HRLU, which include promoting the mainstreaming of human rights into all areas of UNHCR’s work and promoting the effective use of human rights law, procedures, standards, and outcomes for greater human rights implementation in the field; contributing to human rights standards setting as relevant, and advocating for the inclusion of protection issues related to refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs, stateless persons and returnees into legal instruments, policy documents, recommendations and other outcome documents of the various human rights bodies; and to work with OHCHR and other partners to amplify the work done with other UN agencies, NHRIs, NGOs, RLOs, and other stakeholders on human rights implementation. 

The duties and responsibility of the intern may include, inter alia:

• Coordinate planning and coverage of the Human Rights Council sessions, to ensure UNHCR observation and reporting; observe side events or other meetings organized in parallel to the Council sessions, or any special Council meetings throughout the year and prepare related reports as relevant.
• Contribute to the compilation of information and preparation of UNHCR submissions on countries to be examined under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism; participate as an observer in the sessions of the UPR; conduct analysis and prepare feedback for colleagues on the outcomes of UPR sessions;
• Contribute to the compilation of information and preparation of UNHCR submissions to the various human rights treaty bodies; conduct analysis and prepare feedback on the outcomes of the UN treaty bodies;
• Undertake legal research on human rights issues relating to forcibly displaced and stateless persons, including analysis of documents produced by UN human rights mechanisms, or research provided by UNHCR to such mechanisms;
• Develop and/or update internal tools and guidance on the UN human rights mechanisms;
• Draft background notes, talking points, speeches, or position papers on issues related to human rights and forcibly displaced or stateless persons;
• Assist in the organization, preparation, implementation, recording and follow-up of workshops, conferences, and meetings;
• Other tasks may include facilitating the translation of certain materials; assisting with drafting, compiling and editing of the HRLU Newsletter; supporting the drafting of presentations for external and internal meetings; and supporting with other tasks that may arise.
In addition, where occasions arise, interns may participate in bi- and multilateral meetings of UNHCR with government and other agency partners, as well as in training seminars or briefings offered by UNHCR colleagues.
Interns may occasionally be asked to offer support to other colleagues in the PPLA Section within the Division of International Protection 

Through the internship, interns will:
(i) gain a deeper knowledge of the work of UNHCR; the international legal framework governing the organization’s interventions, namely international refugee law, human rights law and the international standards relating to the prevention and reduction of statelessness; and the way UNHCR uses the UN human rights machinery at large to further the protection of forcibly displaced and stateless persons, and (ii) practice and develop ‘professional working skills’, such as time management, prioritization, coordination, management of tasks, team work, presentation skills etc. The work of an intern is not confined to research projects, but it rather involves direct engagement with operational aspects of the work of the Unit although it might also encompass some elements of routine (e.g. taking notes and reporting on meetings and sessions) at times.

Essential minimum qualifications required:
To be considered for the internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Current student or recent (those persons who completed their studies within one year of applying) graduate in international law, preferably including human rights or refugee law, at a graduate law school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by UNESCO; 
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of the Organization; and
• Fluency in English (both oral and written), with working knowledge in a second UN language highly desirable.

UNHCR staff, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible for an internship.

Additional skills and requirements:
• Strong analytical skills;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Creative thinking;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Computer literacy (MS Office);
• Favourable disposition to working effectively and harmoniously with colleagues from varied cultures and backgrounds;
• Knowledge of international law, including human rights law, and/or refugee law will be highly valued; and
• Experience or demonstrated affinity with the rights and well-being of refugees, IDPs and/or stateless persons.

Location:
The internship will be based at UNHCR HQ in Geneva, Switzerland.

Conditions & Allowances: 
The internship is full time (40 hours per week), Monday to Friday. 
Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will, in accordance with UNHCR’s internal policies, get their international travel to and/from Geneva reimbursed and receive an allowance to help cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses.

How to apply:
Interested applicants should submit their application through www.unhcr.org/careers.html. 
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, or training).
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee background.

 

Required Languages

English

 

 

Other information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No

 

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