UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is engaged in the work of saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for refugees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. And as a UN agency with a global mandate and universal name recognition, it's a very competitive place to land a job with.

In her conversation with François Kernin, ANU student Jess Honan learns about what it takes to work for the UNHCR, and some of the sacrifices you have to make if you want to fulfil this dream.

Jess Honan is in the fourth year of a Bachelor of Law (Hons), Bachelor of Arts, and Diploma of Languages at the Australian National University. She's majoring in French, minoring in human rights, Arabic, and German. She was awarded the National Council of Women Queensland Young Women Thinking Globally bursary in 2019 and was the Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year (Tablelands Regional Council) in 2016. She's currently a Research Assistant with the Human Security Centre.

François Kernin is a Protection Officer with the UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. He works on issues related to asylum and migration, smuggling and trafficking, and protection at sea. Prior to this, François was Regional Durable Solutions Officer with UNHCR Regional Office in Amman, Jordan, focusing on the Syrian Crisis, where he supported regional coordination efforts and provided legal and operational advice on issues related to access to asylum and voluntary repatriation. Previously, he worked with OCHA in the Philippines, and with UNHCR in Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Lebanon. During these experiences, he led and coordinated activities aimed at addressing the needs of refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless persons in contexts of natural disasters and armed conflicts. François Kernin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Arts in International Relations from Sciences Po Grenoble, and a Masters in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.

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Music: "Found You" by Atch
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Instagram: www.instagram.com/atchmusic

Future Self is a production of the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences. It’s produced by Evana Ho.

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