Stories from the Field: “The very best feeling is when you can make a difference”

Why did you choose to join UNHCR?

“I have always wanted to work within the humanitarian field, and the wave of refugees that came to Europe in 2015 made me move in that direction. The refugee issue was high on the European agenda then. In times like these, it is easy to forget that countries that are much less developed than Sweden, and that have much less capacity to receive and integrate refugees, are actually the countries that receive the most. I wanted to help where the need is greatest, and that was my motivation to move outside Sweden and start working for an international organization.

After I graduated, I worked for the Swedish Migration Agency for a few years. During that time, I applied for different position at UNHCR through Sida, and eventually I got a position as a UN Volunteer. Sida’s program has been incredibly important to me. Applying for UNHCR positions is highly competitive, and Sida’s programs helps Swedes get our foot through the door.

Since I have roots in the Middle East, it was natural to apply to that region, and I got a position at the UNHCR country office in Jordan where I worked with resettlement and complementary pathways for refugees for three years. Now I have a position in the same field at the regional office for the Middle East and North Africa, which is also located in Amman.”

How would you describe your work?

“I am based in Amman, but we cover 19 countries in total, including countries like Syria, Iraq, and Libya, so I travel a lot to support our various country offices. You get a completely different overview of the situation at the regional office. When I worked in the country office, I did interviews with the refugees and worked with internal processes in a different way, but now it’s more policy review and advocacy work.

Since my current role means that I focus on legal pathways to education, work, and family reunification for refugees, I work a lot with our colleagues in, for example, EU member states, the United States, and Canada to expand the opportunity for refugees to be able to go and study or work in these countries or to simply be reunited with their families. Some countries have really embraced this work and opened-up, such as Canada, and now we see that there is a huge interest within the EU.

I am also working with the Nordic and Baltic countries more and more, and we believe that there are great opportunities to open-up complementary pathways that could lead to quite rapid integration of refugees in Sweden.

What is cool about my job is that I get to be part of changing the narrative around refugees as only vulnerable. This is true to some extent, but the refugee population is broad. Some are university graduates and have qualities that allow one to offer them work or training opportunities in a third country based on their credentials. Of course, this must be done in parallel with the humanitarian pathways, such as resettlement, but I think we can listen more to the needs and aspirations of refugees to guide our work.

In Syria, for example, we are in the 13th year of the crisis, so an entire generation that has grown up on the run has been offered educational opportunities in large parts of the region, with support from, among others, UNHCR and our partners scholarship programs. One can then look at how to connect the aid that, for example, countries like Sweden provides, which enables the education, with potentially filling the gaps in the labor market in the same country.

So, to a great degree, it is about creating relationships with other actors, such as civil society and academic institutions. The goal is for refugees to be able to take part in various opportunities themselves, whether it is for work or education. We do not want UNHCR to lead all the work, we want the refugees to be the driving force, but we must create the processes that enable this, in cooperation with other actors too.”

Participating in a reception organized by the Swedish Embassy in Amman for refugees who have been accepted for resettlement to Sweden.

Can you share some of your best experiences from working for UNHCR?

“The best feeling is when you make a difference, whether you are creating tangible results for an individual or a family, or that you succeed in the negotiations so that they create a program that benefits someone in the future.

One example is when I met an Iraqi family, who had been in Jordan for just over eight years. Without giving away too much about their situation, it was really a situation that gave me chills. It is so hard to grasp that people who have not been involved in the war at all, people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, have suffered in a way no one should ever have suffer.

What was fascinating was that if you meet the family, you would have never been able to guess that they had gone through all the suffering. They had such a positive approach to life and so much hope for the future. I interviewed them for an opportunity to go to Italy through a program where they would get visa on humanitarian grounds, they travel to Italy to seek asylum, and once registered, they are paired with local welcome guides who help them for two or three years to become integrated.

Such stories really give you perspective on how resilient people are. To be part of a process that provides refugees with the chance to rebuild their lives is an indescribable feeling.”

What are some of the most difficult experiences you have had working for UNHCR?

“I often feel that both I personally and we as an organization are not enough, especially when you know how great the need is. It is a little overwhelming. Whether on an individual level or from a larger perspective, we do not have access to resources and solutions to ensure that it is enough for everyone.

There are large numbers of people in the Middle East and North Africa who need resettlement, but with the quotas offered by the countries receiving quota refugees, we only reach four to five percent of them.

If I look at it from my perspective, and if you look specifically at Syria, that crisis has received a lot of attention over the last 10 years or so, but now you see changed political priorities, while the needs in our region are still increasing.

Look at Lebanon, for example, where over a million refugees live. The state has basically collapsed, there is a financial crisis, but the international community is starting to shift its focus, so it could easily become a forgotten situation, which I find quite difficult. I think we need to improve the long-term plan in cooperation with the international community, but that is of course easier said than done given that our response often takes place in unpredictable crisis situations.

Lastly, it’s hard not to be at home. You miss a lot that happens in the lives of loved ones. It is a price you have to choose whether you want to pay or not, but so far the positives have outweighed the negatives, which is why I’m still here.”

”Stories from the Field” is an interview series providing insight into the daily lives of some of our Nordic and Baltic colleagues, working for the organization all over the world.  Read our previous interviews here. 

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is present in 135 countries and territories around the world, helping men, women and children who have been forced to flee from their homes due to war, violence and persecution. Our headquarters are located in Geneva in Switzerland, but the vast majority of our employees work in the field and in the places in the world where the majority of the world’s refugees are situated.

Learn more about UNHCR’s work here.