Asylum and Refugee Law - Legal Research

Volunteering

Overview

Conduct legal research on asylum and refugee law

You have:

• Education or experience in legal research, or other relevant field
• Familiarity with refugee or humanitarian work
• Professional integrity and commitment to core humanitarian principles
• Excellent drafting skills; analytical skills; experience in data analysis

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, over 2.1 million refugees from Ukraine have entered Bulgaria. As of mid-December 2023, the Government of Bulgaria has granted Temporary Protection to more than 173,400 refugees fleeing Ukraine, with the majority being women and children. An estimated 52,000 Ukrainian refugees remain within the country as of mid-December 2023. Additionally, Bulgaria, as an external EU border, plays a strategic role in refugee protection within Europe.

In 2022, Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees (SAR) registered over 20,400 asylum seekers, primarily from Syria and Afghanistan. As of the end of October 2023, more than 19,000 asylum applications have been received by SAR, surpassing the numbers for the same period last year. SAR operates six reception centers for the registration, Refugee Status Determination procedures, and accommodation of asylum seekers. Amid an increase in arrivals of Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers since 2022, UNHCR supports Bulgaria's Government to ensure policies and legislation align with international and EU standards. UNHCR promotes a comprehensive refugee response grounded in a multi-stakeholder, whole-of-society approach.

UNHCR supports government-led efforts to provide key protection, including legal assistance, information on services, education, and psychosocial support. UNHCR's priority protection interventions include access to territory and asylum procedures, inclusion of refugees in essential services, Child Protection, Gender-Based Violence response, support to persons with specific needs, and mitigation of risks related to trafficking and other forms of abuse and exploitation.

Selected candidates with assist UNHCR with specific legal research tasks concerning Bulgaria’s protection and inclusion regime concerning asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons as well as relevant legal and policy matters and good practices, and the impact of diverse regulations in the EU Member States on refugee protection and inclusion / integration. The volunteers will be provided with resources and training to conduct such research, and will receive feedback from UNHCR experts.

We expect the selected online volunteer(s) to start with this task. 1. February-March 2024 2. May-June 2024

• Conducting legal research on issues relating to refugee protection and the law relevant to stateless persons (related to the remaining reservations to the 1954 Convention) and humanitarian response with regards to Temporary Protection regime
• Conducting legal research on questions formulated by UNHCR experts, relevant to Bulgaria’s protection and inclusion/integration systems concerning asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons
• Conducting research on legal practices in refugee protection and relevant legal and policy matters and good practices, and the impact of diverse regulations in the EU Member States on refugee protection and inclusion / integration

Education or experience in legal research, or other relevant field Familiarity with refugee or humanitarian work Professional integrity and commitment to core humanitarian principles Excellent drafting skills; analytical skills; experience in data analysis

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org