Protection Associate - Swiss UN Volunteer Associate Programme
Benin, Littoral, Cotonou
Nonprofit/Community/Social Services/International Cooperation
Other
Date of last update: 2026-07-20 (Expiry date: 2026-08-17)
Job description
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The compatibility is only an indication and should not discourage you from applying if you think your profile matches. It is also not taken into consideration for recruitment.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation working to save lives, protect rights and build a better future for refugees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. They work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find refuge from violence, persecution, war or disaster at home. UNHCR also works to end statelessness for millions of people worldwide without a nationality.
UNHCR Burundi supports refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people by improving access to asylum procedures, protection services, and assistance. The programme focuses on registration and documentation, strengthening local protection structures, and promoting community-based protection, particularly in northern regions affected by insecurity.
As Protection Associate you support UNHCR as follows:
- Monitor protection risks and ensure compliance with UNHCR policies, legal frameworks, and standards.
- Provide protection assistance, case management, counselling, and support with documentation for persons of concern.
- Support refugee status determination, eligibility assessments, and prevention of statelessness.
- Contribute to protection strategies, including child protection, GBV response, education, and durable solutions.
- Strengthen protection services through data management, monitoring, and collaboration with authorities and partners.;
- Etc.
Part of the UN Volunteer Associate Programme "Swiss Talent at the United Nations", this position is sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Social Security
- You will be serving on a UN volunteer contract. Your UN health insurance and travel will be covered and you will be receiving a living allowance to cover for your living costs in the duty station. Find more information in the UNV "Unified Conditions of Service" and the UNV "Entitlement calculator".
- Because of the volunteering and international nature of your contract, you may not be entitled to unemployment insurance upon your return to Switzerland, nor will any contributions to your national social security (AHV/AVS) be made from the living allowance you will be receiving. Soliswiss, our partner and expert will be available to advise on your individual social security situation.
Please find the full job description here:
More information
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Vacancies: 1
Working hours (%): 80-100% / 100%
80-100% / 100%Type of contract: Volunteer
Duration: 12 months
Education level: Master's degree
Macro-area: Sub-Saharan Africa
Level of experience: Junior Professional, 1 to 3 years
Area of work Definition: Democracy, Governance, Human Rights, Law, Public Administration
Area of work: Political Affairs, Conflict and Peacekeeping
Type of organisation: Multilateral Organisations
Join date: February 2027
Skills required
For the programme:
- Swiss nationality;
- Master's degree;
- Ideally 12 months of relevant professional experience (min. 3 months - max. 24 months);
- Max. 28 years old at the date of application;
- Excellent command of English and 2 official Swiss languages (one active = C1/C2, one passive = A2/B1);
- Proven interest in joining the international cooperation sector.
For this position:
- Master's degree in law, human rights, political science or any relevant related field;
- Demonstrated interest and/or experience (ideally one year) in human rights' law and Refugee, Internally Displaced People (IDP), and statelessness persons protection;
- Experience in interviewing and reporting;
- Fluency in French.
Please find more details in the full job description.
We are committed to gender balance and encourage applications from qualified individuals of all genders. We also welcome applications from people with different gender identities and from people with different backgrounds, including sexual orientation, disability, cultural or religious background. We value an inclusive working environment that promotes equal opportunities and a non-discriminatory culture.
Important details regarding your application
Make sure your profile on cinfoPoste is complete and up to date:
- Motivation letter in English (not more than 3500 characters, to be inserted in the pop-up window when you click on 'apply')
- CV in English incl the exact length and the % of your employments
- Work certificates, diplomas and university credentials (as PDF) uploaded under the section "documents" in your login area
Find useful tips and resources related to UN applications on the cinfo website and read this article.
Application deadline: 17 August 2026
First round of interviews carried out by cinfo: between 09 and 18 September 2026
Final selection: made by the host organisation based on cinfo's recommendation and a second interview with them. Selected candidates will be informed towards the end of October 2026.
Onboarding and training: The onboarding process will start after the selection. Selected candidates will have to attend mandatory predeparture training in January 2027.
Entry on duty: Departure is possible after the mandatory training. The final departure date will be discussed after the selection and depends on several factors.
Are you interested in the programme "Swiss Talent at the United Nations"? Do you have specific questions about the process and how to apply? Join us on Zoom during our Live Q&A sessions on Thursday, 23 July at 12:15pm or Tuesday, 11 August at 5:30pm. More information about the sessions via this link.
Any questions? Contact Michal Habegger, cinfo's Recruitment Specialists, recruitment@cinfo.ch
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