Internship in UNHCR Field Office Ibarra, ECUADOR

Ecuador has the largest refugee population in Latin America, most of them people fleeing from the internal armed conflict in the neighboring Colombia. As of March 2012, the Ecuadorian Government had recognized 56398 refugees in Ecuador, 60 per cent of them live in urban areas while most of the remaining 40 per cent stay near the border in remote areas, with scarce development, limited basic services and little infrastructure. UNHCR has offices in Esmeraldas, Carchi, Sucumbìos, Imbabura, Quito and Guayaquil provinces.

Description of activities:

Under the supervision of the Protection Assistant in charge, the intern will be asked to perform the following activities:

• Assist the protection team with individual case management, and identification of specific needs for the promotion of durable solutions.
• Active participation in the weekly Durable Solutions Committee.
• Identification of cases for resettlement, and drafting resettlement referrals.
• Regular visits to the Provisional Detention Center in Ibarra to prevent illegal detention or deportation of asylum seekers and refugees.
• Support capacity building activities of the implementing partners in charge of providing refugees and asylum seekers with legal advice and representation before the Courts.
• Support the protection and program assistant monitoring the community outreach activities of UNHCR implementing partners in Ibarra neighborhoods.
• Assist with the implementation of focus group discussions and participatory diagnosis in Ibarra neighborhoods.
• Active participation in provincial protection networks as the Human Mobility Table and the Provincial Network for Survivors of Gender Based Violence.
• Support training sessions about International Refugee Law and Human Rights Law to public institutions, the army, the police and civil society organizations.
• Support with translation of UNHCR documents.

Requirements:

• University Degree in Law or Social Sciences.
• Good Knowledge of Spanish and English.
• Availability for 6 months from March 2013.
• Respect for diversity and capacity to work in stressful contexts.
• Capacity to adapt to the requirements of the operation and to be a good team player.

Remarks:

• United Nations interns are not paid. All costs related to travel, insurance, accommodation, and living expenses must be borne by either the interns or their sponsoring institutions.
• Visa: You will be responsible for obtaining and financing the necessary visas.
• Travel: You will arrange and finance your travel to the United Nations location where you will be an intern.
• Medical insurance: You will be responsible for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the internship and must show proof of a valid medical insurance coverage.

How to apply:

Please send your CV and motivation letter electronically to:

Diego Yépez: YEPEZ@unhcr.org María Fernanda Pozo: POZOM@unhcr.org

Or physically to:

Oficina de ACNUR Ibarra Avda José Tobar y Tobar y Juan de la Roca Sector Pilanquí Ibarra, Imbabura Ecuador