Protection Intern (Fellowship)

Deadline for ApplicationsJanuary 21, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)A (least hardship)

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeFellow

Target Start Date2026-02-02

Terms of ReferenceUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship with the Protection Unit at UNHCR Brazil.

Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions.

Internship Location: Brasília, Brazil (with possibility to work remotely)

Duration (length of internship): 5 months

Contract Type: Internship (Full-time)

Organizational context
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is an organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting the rights, and ensuring a dignified future for people who have been forced to leave their homes and communities due to war, armed conflict, persecution, or serious violations of human rights. Present in 135 countries, UNHCR works together with national and local authorities, civil society organizations and the private sector to ensure that all refugees, internally displaced persons, and stateless persons find security and support to rebuild their lives.

Brazil hosts over 790,000 refugees and other people in need of international protection who enjoy the same rights and access to public services as nationals. They also enjoy freedom of movement and can choose their place of residence. The national legislation does not impose restrictions on refugees and asylum-seekers as to access to documentation, the right to work or engage in income-generating activities, or access to education. However, despite progress, there are practical challenges hindering their access to rights and services, and obstacles preventing refugees from fully contributing to the Brazilian economy due to the limited capacity of local service-providers or status-specific barriers.

Since 2018, Brazil has been actively supporting Venezuelan refugees and migrants through Operation Welcome, a federal initiative that provides high standards of assistance and protection. This operation, with significant contributions from UNHCR, focuses on reception and documentation, shelter and humanitarian assistance, and internal voluntary relocation. By May 2025, over 148,000 Venezuelans had been relocated to around 1,000 municipalities across Brazil.

Indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable refugees and migrants from Venezuela. With the loss of their traditional livelihoods, over 12,800 indigenous peoples from Venezuela currently living in Brazil suffer high rates of food insecurity, have children out of school, and experience more discrimination than the rest of the Venezuelan population. Additionally, language barriers, limited schooling and income-generation opportunities significantly affect their socio-economic inclusion. Their sustainable transition out of emergency shelters and the promotion of their self-reliance, respecting of their socio-cultural patterns present challenges that require tailored interventions.

Brazil also saw an increase in the number of people of different nationalities (other than Venezuelans) entering the country, especially Afghan refugees in São Paulo. Since the establishment of the humanitarian visa policy for Afghans in 2021, over 13,100 visas were authorized and over 12,000 Afghans entered Brazil as of May 2025. In April 2025 the Ministry of Justice launched a community sponsorship program to receive, and support the integration of, Afghan refugees with the active support of UNHCR and other partners organizations.

Moreover, some 35,000 Cubans are registered in Brazil, more than half of them residing in Parana, Paraiba, Roraima and São Paulo, representing the biggest asylum seekers caseload in Brazil (in contrast, only 21,000 Venezuelans are still pending a decision over their asylum claim).

In 2024, Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil faced unprecedented heavy rainfall and extreme weather conditions lasting several weeks. The ensuing floods devastated the entire region, affecting nearly 96 per cent of the state and affecting at least 43,000 refugees and people in need of international protection. At the outbreak of the emergency, and in response to the request for assistance from the Government of Brazil, UNHCR immediately mobilized to support people affected by the climate disaster catering for their most urgent needs and helping rebuilding communities.

Finally, Brazil offers legal stay arrangements for several other nationalities, including Syrians, Haitians, and Ukrainians. Particularly, some 90,000 Haitians with international protection needs are residing in Brazil with different legal statuses. In June 2023, the Government of Brazil launched the “Action Plan for Strengthening the Protection and Local Integration of the Haitian Population in Brazil’’. Elaborated with the support of UNHCR, the Plan intends to benefit both Haitians already residing in Brazil, to support their stabilization and try to address and prevent risky, secondary movements, as well as those arriving more recently, who need timely access to information, protection, and integration opportunities.

UNHCR Brazil consists of 1 country office in Brasília, 1 sub-office in Boa Vista, 2 field offices in Manaus and São Paulo, 3 field units in Bélem, Pacaraima and Porte Alegre. The Protection Unit plays a vital role to uphold the rights and safety of refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, and other people of concern through legal protection, advocacy, and ensuring access to asylum and basic rights. The unit also supports resettlement and complementary pathways, helping individuals relocate through resettlement or legal alternatives like education and work visas. In addition, the unit promotes community-based protection (CBP) by involving communities in decision-making and ensures communication with communities (CwC) and accountability to affected populations (AAP) through accessible information and feedback channels. Special attention is given to the protection of indigenous peoples in Brazil, ensuring culturally respectful and inclusive support.

An internship with the Protection Unit in Brazil will offer a unique opportunity to apply academic knowledge in a real-world humanitarian setting, gain insight into international protection work, and build practical skills in legal analysis, community engagement, and human rights advocacy—while contributing meaningfully to the lives of refugees and other forcibly displaced people.

The position
The Protection Intern is a member of the Protection Unit at the Country Office and will reports to the Associate Protection Officer.

The Protection Intern supports the protection unit in providing quality, timely and effective protection responses to refugees. The incumbent supports the effective implementation of accountability of affected population (AAP) by assisting the management of UNHCR Brazil’s HELP Website and two-way communication tool through the provision of general information on available assistance and services and case referrals to relevant staff members/units. S/he may also assist occasionally in face-to-face counselling.

In addition, the Protection Intern supports the operation in positioning UNHCR’s mandate and strategic agenda in the topics related to climate change and forced displacement. The incumbent assists researching and drafting policy briefs, background papers, and advocacy materials to support impactful climate action in Brazil. The intern also helps monitor relevant developments in national and regional climate policy, ensuring that the voices and needs of displaced communities are reflected in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The incumbent also provides functional and administrative support to the protection unit on different protection-related interventions, including liaison, correspondence, monitoring, case management and reporting activities.

Duties and responsibilities
• Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policies, standards and codes of conduct.
• Observe and respect protection-related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Remain abreast of all information and updates on assistance and services to refugees.
• Support the management of UNHCR Brazil’s HELP Platform to contribute to the organization’s accountability of affected population (AAP).
• Support compiling and reporting on trends emerging from UNHCR Brazil’s HELP Platform.
• Support the compilation of information, resources and data related to climate-related disasters and its intersection to forced displacement.
• Support the preparation of concept notes, briefings, project proposals and presentations on topics related to climate change, sustainable development, and their connection with UNHCR’s mandate and strategic agenda.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum qualifications required
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO1; and
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR2.
• Candidates with previous UNHCR Internship experience must not have exceeded the maximum total cumulative full-time internship duration of eight (8) months.

Desirable qualifications and skills
• Knowledge of International Refugee Law, Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law.
• Good understanding of forced displacement, mixed-movements, and development settings.
• Good understanding of climate change narrative and initiatives geared towards mitigation of impacts.
• Knowledge of English is mandatory, while knowledge of Portuguese and\\or other UN official languages is desirable.
• Strong analytical and writing skills is mandatory, while excellent communication and relationship-building skills is an asset.

Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Thursday and 9 am to 2:30 pm, Friday (37.5 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the Protection team in Brasília, Brazil, although remote collaboration can be also possible.

UNHCR will not provide an allowance for this internship, so the selected candidate will need to present a proof of funding from the sponsoring institution.

The internship will last 5 months.

Obligations
Acquiring and renewing current visas, residence permits including all associated costs, obtaining medical certification and compliance with taxation requirements (if applicable), are the responsibility of the intern.

The selected candidate will need to provide UNHCR with a proof of funding from the sponsoring institution (if applicable), health insurance coverage applicable to the assigned internship location and a certificate of good health from a qualified medical practitioner certifying their fitness for work, as well as travel.

In the event the candidate is not able to produce the required certificate, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme.

Allowance and Travel: The Sponsoring Institution shall provide non-reimbursable financial support in the form of a stipend/scholarship/allowance/etc. for the period of internship with UNHCR.

Travel expenses to and from the internship location shall be the responsibility of the respective sponsoring institution. UNHCR is not responsible for any renumeration for the intern during the internship period.

If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form.
There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases.

Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process.

Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request.

All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.

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.

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.

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Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance

RemoteNo