UNHCR is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic workforce committed to protecting the rights of refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons. Candidates who themselves come from a refugee background are strongly encouraged to apply. An internship provides the opportunity to learn about UNHCR’s activities, to gain initial work experience, and/or gain knowledge on a broad range of refugee related issues with a focus on Northern Europe (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden).
The External Relations Unit supports UNHCR in its resource mobilization efforts in securing and increasing political and financial support from the Northern Europe countries, who are among UNHCR’s main partners and donors, by providing political intelligence, risk management and public diplomacy. The ER Unit is a small and close-knitted team, and as an intern you will work on a broad variety of issues, liaising closely with the Protection Unit and the Communications & Public Information Unit at the Regional Representation for Northern Europe. You will actively participate in the work of the Regional Representation in Northern Europe and will be responsible a variety of external relations related tasks, including conducting research, assist in managing the government donor website, preparing briefing notes and reports. Your interest and expertise will be taken into consideration when guiding some of your workload. You will be expected to work independently, yet in close collaboration with colleagues and with interns from the Protection and PI/communication. You are analytical, have strong drafting skills and social media proficient.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:
- Monitor the political and socioeconomic context in the Northern Europe region and stay abreast of developments and trends regarding asylum and foreign policy issues
- Assist with government donor relations, including social media (Twitter) updates and writing web stories for contributions to UNHCR
- Assist with drafting reports on political developments in the region
- Assist with providing political intelligence, risk analysis and briefing notes to facilitate UNHCR meetings, missions and other events
- Assist with foreign and development policy and strategy analysis
- Compile and draft key protection updates from the region
- Participate in, when relevant, and report from seminars, meetings and other events relevant for the organization.
BACKGROUND AND REQUIREMENTS:
- A degree or on-going studies in communication, political science, international relations, development studies or other relevant fields
- Fluency in written and spoken English and in one or several of the Northern European languages: Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Swedish
- Knowledge of asylum and refugee issues in the region
- Good drafting, writing, analysis and IT skills
- Experiences in the refugee/humanitarian field are an asset
APPLY TO THIS INTERNSHIP
Good to know when applying
Interns may be eligible for funding through scholarships available by universities, or other external sources and are encouraged to look into this. A food and transportation allowance of maximum USD 1,000 per month is available for un-sponsored interns.
It is the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institution to arrange for travel to and from the duty station upon commencement and conclusion of the internship. All related travel expenses, including visas, will be paid by the intern or sponsoring institution. UNHCR does not cover the cost of travel or visas.
All interns who are not nationals of the country where their duty station is located must show proof of valid medical insurance coverage, including illness, accidents and repatriation coverage, to cover the full period of the internship. UNHCR accepts no responsibility for any costs connected to medical insurance of interns.
You may also be interested to read the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions.
Your application should consist of three documents written in English:
· A 1-page letter of motivation
· A copy of your up-to-date CV/resume
· A complete and signed P11 form
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
For internships starting October 2019, please apply by August 30th. Send your application to [email protected]. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.