Legal Intern, Bucharest

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)H (no hardship)

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeInternship

Target Start Date2024-11-18

Deadline for ApplicationsNovember 9, 2024

Terms of ReferenceOrganizational context
Since the start of the international armed conflict in Ukraine which has forced almost 6 million people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection, and assistance across Europe, more than 4.1 million border crossings into Romania have been recorded. Prior to this, Romania was hosting some 4,000 asylum-seekers and refugees, with 10,000 persons being the largest number to arrive in a single year. The number of refugees arriving from Ukraine is therefore at an unparalleled scale for the country. The Government and various stakeholders including civil society, the private sector, volunteers, and international organizations have responded to the crisis with generosity and hospitality. As of 19th March 2024, 77,249 Ukrainian refugees remain in Romania.

UNHCR supports the Government of Romania overall response in coordinating humanitarian actors under the framework of the Regional Refugee Response (RRP) and through the Refugee Coordination Forum (RCF) and sector working groups. The RRP response is aligned with and complementary to the National Plan (NP) of measures for the protection and inclusion of displaced persons from Ukraine, beneficiaries of TP in Romania, a vision for the medium and long-term refugee response in Romania.

The position
The Legal Intern will work in Bucharest, Romania under the direct supervision of the Protection Officer. Within the Protection Unit, the incumbent will be part of a small team that is focused on general protection issues including legal matters such as access to the territory, border monitoring, access to documentation for beneficiaries of temporary protection as well as asylum-seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, the refugee status determination procedure, legal orientation and aid, access to rights more broadly and legal developments that have a potential impact on the rights of these populations as well as on stateless persons. The team also supports the coordination of the Protection Working Group, which has been set up under the RRP to coordinate the protection response by UN agencies, NGOs and civil society. The Legal Intern’s support will be key with a view to helping the team staying abreast of legal developments and analyzing relevant draft bills as well as other legal provisions in addition to several other tasks as described in the terms of reference. The internship will provide the intern with an excellent opportunity to obtain experience on the core of UNHCR’s mandate, be exposed to a wide range of protection issues and analyze legal developments and provisions with a view to understanding their impact on the protection of refugees. S/he is also expected to further develop research and analytical skills and liaise with different Units across UNHCR as well as a range of actors that are involved in the refugee response.

Duties and responsibilities
• Keep abreast of legal developments relating to beneficiaries of international protection and beneficiaries of temporary protection.
• Analyze and summarize relevant legal initiatives and other legal provisions in understandable terms, including for a non-legal audience.
• Prepare analytical notes and talking points related to legal issues impacting the protection of asylum-seekers and refugees, including beneficiaries of temporary protection.
• Carry out legal research as needed to contribute to legal comments and other legal documents.
• Analyze asylum-related statistics as required.
• Liaise with UNHCR’s main legal partner, CNRR, to exchange information on legal developments.
• Participate and contribute to regular meetings with legal counsellors in different reception centers to analyze relevant trends related to the asylum procedure.
• In coordination with information management colleagues, analyze data received through protection monitoring and profiling exercises and draft protection briefs on main findings.
• Prepare meeting minutes.
• Assist with the preparation of events and trainings as required.
• Assist with providing follow-up on individual cases as required.
• Carry out any other tasks in accordance with the needs of the Protection Unit and its legal team.

Minimum qualifications required
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Be a recent graduate from a university or higher education facility accredited by UNESCO in Law.
• Demonstrated knowledge on national legislation and the international protection of human rights and/or international refugee law, with knowledge of legislation on refugees and/or migration considered as an asset.
• Previous work experience, including volunteering, working with vulnerable populations and in particular with refugees is considered an asset.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Ability to work in a team.
• Fluency in English and Romanian, with solid English drafting skills (both languages mandatory).

Conditions
It is a full time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 6:00pm Monday to Thursday and 9:00am to 3:30pm on Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Bucharest.
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.
Monthly allowance: approximately 2808 RON.

Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to successful reference checks, and integrity clearances.
Candidates must be legally present in Romania at the time of application, recruitment and hire.
For further information on how to apply, please visit the ‘UNHCR - Application and Selection’ page, at
The recruitment process might include a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
NOTE: An individual whose mother, father, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible to apply.
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, travelling, processing or training.
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.

Standard Job Description

Required Languages Romanian

,English

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Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance

Home-BasedNo