My name is Abdel Dicko, I am a fourth-year student pursuing a Joint Honours degree in Political Science and African Studies. The foci of my undergraduate studies have been at the nexus of international relations, African politics, human rights and global governance. My academic, professional and life experiences have nurtured in me a profound passion for—and commitment to—human rights advocacy and to finding solutions to the plight of marginalized communities throughout the world. As I enter my final semester of studies this fall 2020, I aspire to pursue graduate studies in this field with the long-term objective of having a career in the field of international human rights and diplomacy. Obtaining an internship closely related to my future academic and career ambitions was a major objective for me this year. I am immensely grateful to the Arts Internship Office for providing me with the opportunity to work as Protection Intern for the Montreal branch office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), despite the unprecedented and unfortunate circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UNHCR is the world’s leading organization with the mandate of protecting and providing life-saving assistance to individuals forced to flee their homes due to violence, conflict and persecution. Since its establishment by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1950, the UNHCR has helped to provide durable solutions to the plight of millions of refugees, displaced persons and stateless people worldwide. The global agency has offices and dedicated personnel working in 135 countries around the world—from a metropolis like Montreal to remote and often dangerous war-torn cities around the world. UNHCR has had an official presence in Canada since 1976 and has worked in four key areas: protection, durable solutions, communications and fundraising. The team I worked with this summer, the protection unit, works to ensure that individuals fleeing violence, persecution, war or disaster in their homes have the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in Canada. Canada has a long tradition of welcoming refugees; the protection unit constantly monitors the situation in the country and works with governments and civil society to strengthen Canada’s asylum system in order to promote the highest standards of protection for refugees and asylum-seekers who enter the country in various ways.
With the office being situated at a walking distance from my place of residence, I am grateful to have had the privilege of conducting my internship in person—with strict physical distancing and other public health measures observed in my office space. As a protection intern, my tasks included: conducting daily media reviews of Canadian news pertaining to refugees and asylum seekers, providing weekly border situation reports by analyzing official statistics sent from the Canadian Border Services Agency, updating a special COVID-19 factsheet to help asylum-seekers keep up with government policy changes caused by the pandemic, drafting speeches, and making literature reviews on matters pertaining to international refugee law. As a Black Canadian, working during what has been a highly emotional and distressing summer for Black communities worldwide, I was also glad to have been given a safe space to express my thoughts and feelings with fellow colleagues. Initiating important conversations regarding racial justice and anti-racism within UNHCR Canada was one thing, but I was even happier to see such conversations leading to tangible actions being taken to meaningfully meet the moment.
Working for a United Nations agency has been an aspiration of mine for a very long time. I must say that this very first work experience within the UN system—working to protect the rights of some of the world’s most vulnerable people, during a global pandemic, at a time when rising xenophobia, populism and racism threaten to increase the hardships faced by the more than 79.5 million people (1% of humanity) currently displaced throughout the world—has been an extremely eye-opening experience. This internship with the UNHCR Canada has reaffirmed my conviction that protecting the world’s most vulnerable populations, such as asylum-seekers, refugees and stateless persons, requires an active effort to bridge the gap from ignorance to empathy through advocacy and education. My experience has also made me discern many problematic aspects inherent to the highly politicized nature and rigid structure of international organizations and agencies.
Overall, I feel very privileged and I am truly grateful to have benefited from such a formative internship experience during such an uncertain summer when many fellow students saw their employment plans cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my immediate supervisor, Denise Otis, and the entire staff at UNHCR Canada, who warmly welcomed me within their family this summer. I am also very grateful to the McGill Arts Internship Office for providing me, and other members of the McGill student body, with internship opportunities which uphold McGill’s edge as a university that prioritizes the future career success of its student body. Last but certainly not least, I would also like to send my sincerest thanks to the late Mr. Allan Hodgson, whom, through the generous provision of the Allan A. Hodgson Arts Internship Award that I received, made this memorable summer internship experience possible. Merci; Asante sana.
