Terms of Reference (ToRs) Protection Internship at UNHCR BiH Country Office Sarajevo 1.
Introduction The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Country Office Sarajevo, is currently looking for a talented and highly motivated candidate with an outstanding interest in human rights and refugee law and policies to perform an internship within our services.
UNHCR started its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war, with one of the biggest relief operations ever organized. Since 1992, UNHCR has been the leading agency with regard to humanitarian assistance and protection of displaced persons in BiH. Today, UNHCR continues to support the implementation of Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreement which aims to enable access to their rights for internally displaced people and returnees. UNHCR also supports the rights of asylumseekers and refugees and assists the authorities in developing a functional asylum system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with international standards. Additionally, the Office assists the authorities to address statelessness issues and works to prevent, identify and reduce statelessness in BiH.
2. Time of the engagement
- The UNHCR internship will be initially granted for a period of two months and could be extended, subject of the operational needs and successful performance, up to a maximum six months or, if mutually agreed and meeting eligibility criteria, up to a maximum total cumulative internship durationsof eight months;
- The internship is normally on a full-time basis;
- The starting date of the internship can be immediate.
3. Description of activities
The intern will be attached to the Protection Unit of UNHCR Representation in BiH, duty station Sarajevo. In particular, s/he will contribute to the following tasks:
- Coordinating data collection and supporting data input/entry related to asylum applications in BiH;
- Providing assistance in the daily management of the UNHCR information centre;
- Providing assistance in translating documents;
Other tasks that may be required are:
- Conducting research/draft notes on law and policies in the field of asylum, statelessness and internal displacement, including on legislation and practice in the EU and BiH;
- Providing administrative and logistical support to the unit, including with organizing meetings, events and translating documents;
- Providing support in organizing the Refugee Law Clinics;
Participating in meetings and events as required, drafting minutes and reports;
- Providing occasional support to other units;
- Performing any other duties as required.
4. Eligibility
In order to be considered eligible for an internship, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
- Be a recent graduate (persons who completed their studies within one year of applying for an internship with UNHCR) or be a current student at the last year of a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university in the field of law, political science or another relevant field;
- An individual whose father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not Eligible for an internship with UNHCR.
5. Essential Minimum Qualifications Required
- National of BiH or a holder of a valid residence permit in BiH;
- Good computer literacy and excellent written and oral communication capacity;
- Fluency in English and languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Autonomy and readiness to work as a team member;
- High level of interest and motivation.
6. Desirable Qualifications
- Previous relevant experience working with asylum, displacement or statelessness issues.
- Participation in past UNHCR Refugee Law Clinics is preferable;
- Good knowledge of refugee law and human rights issues, including international standards. Familiarity with UNHCR mandate in BiH.
7. Application process
Your CV and a motivation letter in English, certified copies of diplomas or proof of enrolment in graduate/undergraduate studies, including recommendation letter from the graduation educational institution, should be forwarded by e-mail to Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.. In the subject line please indicate “UNHCR BiH Protection Internship”. Deadline for application: 4 May 2018, 15:00 CET.
Due to a large number of applications, only short-listed candidates will be contacted and invited for the panel interview.
8. Administrative Note
- As of 01 June 2018, UNHCR will provide interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party (non-sponsored interns) a Food and Local Transportation Allowance (“Allowance”), which will be the equivalent of 10% of the UN Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) of the duty station and be based on 30 calendar days, payable in a local currency. When the agreed internship is not full-time, the Allowance will be adjusted accordingly. In cases where a sponsored intern receives funding from the sponsoring institution or another sponsor less than the amount of allowance described above, UNHCR will pay the difference between this amount and the above allowance, if any;
- Doctor's certificate attesting to interns’ good health must be submitted to UNHCR prior to the start date of the internship;
- Interns are fully responsible for arranging medical insurance covering the full internship period. UNHCR accepts no responsibility for any costs connected to medical insurance of interns. A copy of proof of a valid medical insurance covering the period of the contract is required by UNHCR. UNHCR does not cover the costs of medical evacuation of interns.
9. Supervision With the guidance of the intern's designated supervisor, work plans are to be discussed and agreed once the internship begins.
10. Subsequent Employment by UNHCR
An internship does not create any expectation or entitlement to employment with UNHCR at the conclusion of the internship. Following the successful completion of an internship with UNHCR, and in order to be considered as an external candidate to a regular position or a Temporary Appointment (TA), six months must elapse between the end of the UNHCR internship and the closing date of the related vacancy announcement. A former intern may be engaged under any affiliate scheme with no break-in-service.
Sarajevo, 20 April 2018
