United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland
Sam Siew in front of the UNHCR headquarters |
Greetings from Geneva, Switzerland! This summer, I am working as a legal intern at the Geneva Headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). My experience here is proving to be unlike any other: I am gaining invaluable knowledge and skills, as well as a better view of the forces that shape the landscape of global humanitarian aid.
I am interning within the Regional Bureau for the Americas, which covers North and South America as well as the Caribbean. The position of the Regional Bureau can best be described as a midpoint between Headquarters and the Field Offices. The Bureau is kept up-to-date on all developments in the Americas and acts as a liaison between the Office of the High Commissioner, the various departments at Headquarters, and the field offices. Importantly, the Bureau determines policy and strategy for the region, in consultation with the Office of the High Commissioner, and promotes coordination between the field offices with a view to ensuring an integrated protection strategy.
As the only intern at the Bureau, I have benefited from the opportunity to take on substantial responsibilities. I am being supervised by the Bureau's phenomenal Senior Protection Officer, who has ensured that my assignments are varied and interesting. Some of the first assignments I worked on were "Gaps Analyses" of Ecuador and Venezuela. These involved desk studies to identify inadequacies in the refugee protection frameworks of these countries, with a view to designing projects aimed at addressing those gaps. I was also involved in drafting memos on cases in North America that were candidates for UNHCR intervention in the courts, for review and "greenlighting" by the Assistant High Commissioner.
One of the cases I was tasked with summarizing centered on the US Courts' interpretation of an exclusion clause in the 1951 Convention (Article 1F.b) to bar an individual from refugee protection if they were deemed have committed a serious non-political crime. As I had worked on a refugee claim at Downtown Legal Services that also raised the possibility of exclusion on similar grounds, I drafted a legal memo on the issue on my own initiative. The reaction to the memo was very positive, and my supervisor became aware of my particular interests. This sparked a chain of assignments related to legal interventions in North American courts. Most notably, I found it very rewarding to have the opportunity to draft memos, contribute legal research and participate in teleconferences on litigation strategy for an amicus brief headed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
A major project I am working on is formulating and drafting UNHCR's legal position paper on the US-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement, in consultation with the Division of International Protection Services and the Ottawa Branch Office. The project has involved combing through vast amounts of correspondence dating from the Agreement's conception to its implementation, cases and laws from domestic and international law-making fora, and reports on the functioning of the Canadian and US asylum systems. I find it pleasantly ironic that I am across the Atlantic, yet have never been more immersed in North American refugee and asylum law. At the time of writing, I have just transferred to the Resettlement Service (to continue aiding my supervisor), so I anticipate brand-new challenges on the horizon.
I've also enjoyed the opportunity to attend lunchtime seminars for interns about various topics related to refugees and the UNHCR, given by experienced professionals in the field. These have contributed to a multi-dimensional internship experience, where theory and practice complement each other.
Lastly, but certainly not least, I am deeply valuing the unprecedented opportunity to meet interns and staff from around the world. The diversity of backgrounds and experiences at the United Nations is truly amazing and I feel more than ever like a 'global citizen.' It is this feeling of solidarity that makes what I am doing truly worthwhile.
