Project: Strengthening National Protection Capacity in Libya
Location: remote/home-based, with missions to Libya and Sanremo (Italy)
Contractual modality: 6 months consultancy contract, 1 May – 31 October 2026
Working hours: not applicable, deliverable-based
Deadline for applications: 27 April 2026
Background of the Institute
The International Institute of Humanitarian Law is an independent, non-profit, humanitarian association founded in 1970 in Sanremo, Italy. The Institute organizes training courses in the fields of international humanitarian law, human rights, refugee law, and related issues. It promotes dialogue by organizing international conferences, meetings, and seminars of high-level government officials, scholars, and practitioners.
The mission of the Department of International Refugee Law and Migration Law is to enhance the knowledge and skills of government officials, international organizations, civil society representatives, and academics involved in working with individuals in need of protection, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless individuals, and migrants. Through its capacity-building initiatives and the exchange of experiences, the Department advocates for preserving human rights, thus complementing and augmenting the efforts of various stakeholders in the protection field.
The Institute enjoys a consultative status at ECOSOC, a participatory status at the Council of Europe, and observer status at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ExCom, and with the International Organization for Migration.
The position will support strengthening Libya’s national protection capacity by coordinating capacity-building initiatives, advocacy, and engagement with government officials and relevant protection stakeholders.
Primary duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Director of the Department of International Refugee Law and Migration Law, the consultant will perform the following duties:
- Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Libyan domestic legal framework, as well as applicable international and regional legal instruments, policies, implementation modalities, and practices related to the protection of refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, and stateless persons.
- Support and advise on approaches to maintain and strengthen professional relationships with government officials and relevant stakeholders.
- Promote and explain the role and mandate of the Institute and relevant international agencies, particularly UNHCR, including applicable policies and international protection standards.
- Encourage and support key stakeholders in the development and adoption of a national asylum law, providing technical assistance as required.
- Assist in the analysis of position papers, guidelines, and publications on legal and operational issues.
- Identify target groups for advocacy, awareness-raising, and training activities, and assess their specific training needs.
- Develop training materials and lesson plans, and facilitate training within the Institute’s courses—both online and in-person—covering refugee protection in general and in mixed movement contexts, including topics such as rescue at sea, detention and alternatives to detention, trafficking, smuggling, internal displacement, statelessness, and related human rights standards.
- Coordinate capacity-building activities for Libyan government officials and protection stakeholders in close cooperation with UNHCR’s protection team, including promotion of the Institute’s courses, participant selection, follow-up evaluation, and identification of lessons learned.
- Perform other duties as required by the supervisor.
Qualifications and experience
- Academic background: Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Law.
- Years of experience: Minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience.
- Strong knowledge of international and regional refugee protection legal frameworks, as well as domestic legislation and practices in Libya.
- Strong knowledge of international standards and best practices for the development of national asylum systems.
- Proven experience in engaging and advocating with governments in the Middle East and North Africa region on refugee protection issues.
- Proven experience in developing training modules and facilitating sessions on refugee protection for government officials.
- Good understanding of the United Nations system and respective mandates.
- Language requirements:Fluency in English and Arabic mandatory.
How to apply and selection process
- Please submit your CV and the motivation letter through: https://iihl.peopleforce.io/careers.
- Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews and other relevant assessments.
- The Institute may choose to begin the interview process before the application deadline should suitable candidates be identified.
The Institute is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, irrespective of gender, nationality, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, or other status. Applications of persons with displacement backgrounds are particularly welcome.
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