Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR has been mandated by the UN General Assembly to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

Working for UNHCRUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR has more than 10'900 staff worldwide, out of which about 87 % are based in the field. UNHCR is active in 130 countries, with staff based in a mixture of regional and branch offices and sub and field offices. Only about 7% of the staff are located in Geneva.

Career Opportunities

UNHCR recruits for staff positions (fixed and temporary appointments) and consultancies on a regular basis. For staff positions, you can either apply for specific vacancies or talent pools. Vacancies and call for talent pools are advertised on UNHCR’s career website. Applications for talent pools are accepted year-round.

More information on how to apply
More information on UNHCR’s talent pools

Opportunities for students and junior professionals

Junior Professional Officer: Junior Professional Officer positions are sponsored by member states interested in investing in young nationals with 2-3 years’ experience from their own or other countries. Applicants interested in pursuing a JPOJunior Professional Officer experience need to regularly consult the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Further information

Internships: Internships at UNHCR are on an on-going basis and are offered throughout the year, depending on the availability of meaningful assignments and the needs and capacity of offices to receive and supervise interns. There is no deadline for sending in applications. Applications must be submitted through UNHCR’s online applications. Since not all offices have access to the central database, it is recommended that, in addition to the online application, requests for internships be also submitted by separate mail with a covering letter to the field/branch office concerned.

Further information

Meet UNHCR Staff