Protection Internship - Tenders Global

Protection Internship

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

tendersglobal.net

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Description

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The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has an international mandate to protect persons in need of international protection, including asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless persons. The Caribbean Protection Unit (CPU) of UNHCR’s Multi-Country Office in Washington, D.C., covers 18 Caribbean countries and territories.  Whilst UNHCR has a physical presence in the Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, being responsive to the needs of persons UNHCR works with and serves as well as relevant stakeholders takes place remotely. UNHCR aims to be responsive to emails and queries received via UNHCR’s help.unhcr.org web page for the Caribbean. An important part of the CPU’s role is therefore to engage directly with persons we work with serve and a second important part is to influence law and policy to improve the overall protection environment for refugees and asylum seekers as well as stateless persons.
The position
 
The Protection Intern will work under the overall supervision of the Senior Operations Coordinator to support case management and protection activities throughout the region. This includes the opportunity to develop communication and outreach as well as research skills within the context of an international organization. The intern is expected to support CPU activities and work with the CPU staff to ensure that the urgent needs and risks of the persons we serve are identified, and proper protection interventions are deployed.
 
Duties and responsibilities

Specific duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Manage the Caribbean Protection Unit email account by responding to individual queries from asylum seekers, refugees, and Caribbean Governmental counterparts regarding UNHCR’s role and mandate in the region as well as their rights and entitlements.
  • Support the development of better practices in the implementation of registration activities for people contacting UNHCR to identify their vulnerability, durable solution prospects, and need for international protection.
  • Support individual asylum cases through country-of-origin research and legal analysis.
  • Attend and report on meetings with local partners implementing protection activities in the Caribbean.
  • Conduct research and compile reports on the Caribbean countries’ immigration laws and procedures, asylum procedures, human rights environment, 
  • Monitor media and highlight articles relating to protection issues arising in the Caribbean to support UNHCR’s advocacy efforts.
  • Any other relevant duties assigned.
Minimum qualifications required

In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO; and
  • Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR.
Desirable qualifications and skills
  • Graduate Degree or JD, either recently obtained or in process.
  • Demonstrated interest and experience in refugee rights, international relations, human rights, and humanitarian response.
  • Proficiency in English (Essential), Spanish (Essential), and French and/or Haitian Creole (Desirable).
  • Strong research, analytical, and drafting skills.
  • Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, as well as within a team.

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