UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Terms of Reference
Caribbean Protection Unit, MCO Washington
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship with the Caribbean Protection Unit at UNHCR MCO Washington.
Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions.
Title: Caribbean Protection Unit (CPU)
Duty Station: MCO Washington
Duration: 3 months with the possibility of extension for 3 additional months
Contract Type: Internship
Start date: 11 March 2024
Organizational context
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.
Details of Assignment
• UNHCR offers full-time Internships. Interns are responsible for their housing, their legal stay in the United States, health insurance, and any other related documentation.
• In accordance with UNHCR policy, interns who do not have their own funding, will receive the Food and Local Transportation Allowance (FLTA) amount set at 50% of the monthly net salary of the GS level 3 step 1 of the duty station. Please also note that the FLTA is not considered as a
source of income, and UNHCR will not provide any tax-related documents such as W-2 forms.
• An internship does not create any expectation or entitlement to employment with UNHCR after the internship. An intern cannot be considered for regular positions for six months following the completion of the internship; however, a former intern may be engaged under any affiliate scheme with no break in service. To be considered for this position, candidates must submit their application through the UNHCR portal. Please note that a person interested in applying must be a US national or legally present in the US at the time of application, selection process, and hire. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Washington DC.
Allowance: Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive an allowance to partially help to 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 click on vacancy.
In your cover letter, please make sure to include whether you have available funding through your university to sponsor the internship.
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, traveling, processing, or training.
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.
Standard Job Description
Required Languages
Spanish
,
,
Desired Languages
English
,
Creole
,
French
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Law, Bachelor of Science (BS): International Relations
Certifications
Work Experience
Other information
This position doesn’t require a functional clearance
Home-Based
No
How to apply
For a full job description and to apply, interested candidates are requested to visit
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.
Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).
Closing date of receipt of applications: 9 February 2024 (midnight Geneva time)
Deadline: 9 Feb 2024