Mission and objectives

Established in December 1950, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect and assist refugees and other persons of concern. In the UK, UNHCR provides guidance on refugee and statelessness law and policy to the UK government, legal practitioners, non-governmental organizations and others. We are involved in coordinating UNHCR’s engagement with the Home Office to deliver protection to persons of concern through its resettlement programmes. The Office is also focused on working with the UK authorities to strengthen the integration of refugees in the UK. The Office’s work includes intervening in court proceedings, which are precedent-setting for the international protection of refugees, engagement with parliamentary bodies, including with respect to the development of legislation affecting persons of concern to UNHCR, and providing training on a range of issues to those working with asylum-seekers, refugees and stateless persons.

Context

The External Relations (ER) team is responsible for the external communications of the UK office and for policy advocacy in line with UNHCR’s mandate. Communications actions include interviews with the broadcast and print press, public briefings and events, social media, and developing original media content. As well as this, the ER team is the focal point for internal communications within the organisation, liaising between colleagues in the headquarters, regional bureau and rest of the world. The daily news roundup is vital in helping keep the ER team up to date on developments relevant to our mandate, so that communications actions, both internal and external, are timely and effective. This task will in turn contribute to Reducing Inequalities through facilitating effective communications and advocacy that seeks to promote the inclusion of asylum-seekers, refugees and stateless persons in the UK, as well as through other protection and development objectives.

Task Description

We are looking for one Volunteer to assist the ER team by keeping the team, the office and our wider network of colleagues up to date on the latest developments in the British media on topics relevant to our work in the UK. The main task to be undertaken by the Online Volunteer is the preparation of a daily news roundup to be sent out to colleagues, including to senior management colleagues. Topics of relevance include: UK reception & asylum news, news about relevant legislation, developments in international refugee-related issues, and other individual topics that will be explained in a detailed brief. The newsletter will need to be prepared and sent before 8.30am London time (GMT/BST), Monday-Friday. The Volunteer will be trained by the External Relations Associate and gain proficiency in using media monitoring software and CRM software. As well as this, a deepened understanding of refugee-related issues in the UK and beyond, as well as how UNHCR implements its mandate in countries such as the UK, will be gained. The start date for the assignment is 10 November 2024. The Volunteer will need to be available for a couple of hours the week before for training.

Competencies and values

Living conditions and remarks