IHRP Fellowship Final Report 25 August 2018 UNHCR Bangkok Kristen Kephalas

I would read through the EO’s assessments and write a letter clearly outlining the various points of the claim and the decision made on each. [...] Now, at the end of the summer, I have a much more refined understanding of what makes a refugee in the legal sense and the nuances of the 1951 Refugee Convention. [...] A highlight of my fellowship was the opportunity to do community and protection counselling at the Bangkok Refugee Centre (BRC), a partner of the UNHCR. [...] I have seen the registration process, the first interview, the appeals, the rejections, and the re-openings. [...] I have seen the limits of the UN, but I have also gotten to see my compassionate coworkers work creatively within the institution’s framework in their effort to best serve the PoC population of Bangkok.