UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life-saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.
Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact.
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Why a career with UNHCR?
Our dedicated staff work to protect and assist people fleeing conflict and persecution at a time when global forced displacement is at a record high. Our colleagues bring a wide range of specialized skills, including expertise in legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs, health and other disciplines.
Disability inclusion
If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form.
There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process.
Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request.
All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, offers a part-time and 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
Contract Type: Internship
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) and French and/or Haitian Creole (Essential), Spanish (Desirable).
