Internships at UNHCR

Job Details

The Regional Statelessness Unit at the UNHCR Regional Service Centre (RSC) based in Nairobi is seeking to strengthen its engagement with States and other actors to better identify and protect, resolve existing situations of statelessness and prevent new cases in 16 countries within the region of Central, East and Horn of Africa including Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of Congo, DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Building regional and continental synergies among African States and creating adequate State mobilization on the right to nationality are critical to ensure effective prevention, reduction and elimination of statelessness by all the countries in the region. This will also contribute to ensuring sufficient support among African Union Member States for finalizing and adopting the draft AU protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the right to nationality and eradication of statelessness. Conducting targeted advocacy towards a range of stakeholders will also be essential and will be increasingly pursued at regional and at national level to ensure that all actors have adequate understanding of issues relating to nationality and statelessness within the region, enabling them to take appropriate actions to end statelessness.

Against this backdrop, the Regional Statelessness Unit at UNHCR RSC is looking to enhance regional dialogue in a coordinated, inclusive and sustained manner to prevent, reduce and eliminate statelessness in the region. UNHCR is partnering with key regional organizations such as the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and is also looking to cooperate with other relevant organizations in the region (i.e. IGAD and EAC).

The ICGLR has already spearheaded efforts to address statelessness by ensuring access to nationality and proof of legal identity across the region. The 12 ICGLR Member States adopted in October 2017 the Brazzaville Declaration and Regional Action Plan on eradication of statelessness, which sets out key commitments in line with UNHCR’s Global “IBelong” Campaign to end statelessness. This is a significant achievement, with States committing to adopt National Action Plans; reform their legislation and policies on nationality and civil status; improve birth registration systems, and conduct national and regional studies on the issue by 2019.

UNHCR’s technical support in implementing this Declaration’s commitments requires sustained efforts with dedicated staff, in order to move ahead with a series of activities at national and regional level in 2018 and beyond. These allow for a progressive approach; training and sensitising Government Focal Points nominated as per the Brazzaville Declaration, as well as ICGLR National Coordinators; promoting ratification of the international conventions on statelessness; and culminating in a Ministerial Meeting foreseen for late 2018 with the aim of extending this Regional Action Plan to 2024 and triggering the development of an ICGLR Protocol on eradication of statelessness under the ICGLR Pact. Achieving the objectives of the Brazzaville Declaration are crucial in furthering progress ahead of the 2019 High Level Event on Statelessness, including as part of the build up to the adoption of the draft AU Protocol.

Functional responsibilities & Tasks

Under the direct supervision of the Snr. Regional Protection Officer (Statelessness), the incumbent will:

• Assist the Regional Statelessness Unit in supporting the ICGLR Executive Secretariat and Member States to implement the commitments contained in the Brazzaville Declaration and Regional Action Plan, including:
• Supporting the preparation of the training workshops for ICGLR National Coordinators and government focal points on statelessness;
• Assisting in the preparatory work ahead of the Ministerial Meeting foreseen in late 2018 on statelessness in the ICGLR region;
• Assist in monitoring implementation progress of the Regional Action Plan;
• Provide inputs and support to the UNHCR country operations developing and operationalizing strategies to eradicate statelessness, including review of nationality related legislation;
• Assist in the cataloguing of the Unit’s documents, including by developing a resource library for statelessness in the Great Lakes, Horn of Africa and East African region;
• Assist in producing communications tools such as web stories and articles, brochures, one-pagers, and visibility items to support the office’s advocacy work and ensure coverage of the ICGLR process and efforts to eradicate statelessness at country and regional levels;
• Assist in collecting inputs from country operations in order to prepare quarterly newsletters, including pictures, movies and stories;
• Assist in updating the Regional Data Portal on statelessness;
• Pro-actively provide administrative and logistical support for all activities organized by the section, such as conferences, workshops and trainings;
• Assist in generating regular reports on progress, successes, challenges, constraints and lessons learned in the area of statelessness;
• Provide support for any other operational tasks when required.

Qualifications (academic and work experience)

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in law preferably with focus on human rights, refugee law and/or international humanitarian law;
• Excellent legal research and analytical skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Excellent drafting and writing skills in English;
• Excellent knowledge of French (spoken and written) as French is essential;
• Excellent organizational skills, with experience organizing events such as conferences, trainings and/or workshops.

Desirable competencies

• Interest and relevant experience in statelessness and nationality issues;
• Sense of innovation and creativity;
• Political awareness and interest to cooperate with regional inter-governmental organizations such as ICGLR, EAC, IGAD, etc;
• At least one year of related professional experience;
• Practical knowledge of Portuguese and/or Arabic ;
• Completion of UNHCR learning programmes on protection of stateless persons would be an asset or any other equivalent external courses.

Status of the intern and insurance

• Interns are neither “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, nor “officials” within the meaning of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations of 13 February 1946, as interns are not remunerated for their work. As of 1 June 2018, interns that do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive a monthly Food and Local Transportation Allowance equivalent to 10% of the Daily Subsistence Allowance for Nairobi duty station and based on 30 calendar days (not exceeding USD 1,000 per month).
• Interns may not represent UNHCR in any official capacity.
• Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of the intern or his/her sponsoring institution. However, UNHCR will help with the visa application if applicable and advise accordingly.
• Interns are not subject to UN security evacuation procedures but may be assisted to leave the country when possible and to the extent feasible.
• Interns are fully responsible for arranging medical insurance covering their full internship period. Interns will be requested to show proof of valid medical (and life/accident) insurance for the duty station. It must include adequate coverage in the event of an injury or illness during the internship. UNHCR accepts no responsibility for the medical and life insurance of the intern or costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship. As interns are not covered under any insurance, they should not travel to hazardous locations in the course of their internship with UNHCR.
• Interns will not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of UNHCR.
• Interns will maintain confidentiality of all unpublished information made known to them during the internship and will not publish any reports on the basis of information obtained during the period without prior written permission of UNHCR.