Thaís Penalber

Experience

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  Office of the State Attorney (Tax Division)

  Sept 2011 - Dec 2011

  Legal Intern (Tax Law)

  • Worked under the direct supervision of an Attorney General (Tax Division) and provided support during court sessions.• Drafted legal documents for tax execution procedures. • Conducted research on tax law jurisprudence.

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  The Comfort Inn at Vail Beaver Creek

  Dec 2011 - Mar 2012

  Front Desk Agent

  • Worked as a front desk agent during a work exchange program. • Checked guests in/out, answered and made phone calls and worked on cashier operations. • Managed guests' files and assisted them with their queries and requests.

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  Lima & Falcão Law Firm

  Apr 2012 - Sept 2012

  Legal Intern (Consumer Law)

  • Wrote consumer law petitions. • Accompanied lawyers in courts sessions. • Reported on the course of lawsuits after visiting registries.

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  Bahia State Secretariat of the Environment

  Sept 2012 - Dec 2012

  Legal Intern (Environmental Law)

  • Conducted research on federal and state environmental legislation and policies. • Drafted comparative analyses among legislation of other Brazilian States during reforms to ensure consistency.

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  State Government Bank of Bahia (Desenbahia)

  Jan 2013 - Aug 2013

  Legal Intern (Business Law)

  • Conducted legal research on civil and business law. • Drafted reports and public loan contracts to support local businesses in becoming more competitive in the market.

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  Federal Justice of Bahia Appeals Court

  May 2013 - Aug 2013

  Legal Intern (Social Security Law)

  • Under the direct supervision of a federal judge, I managed a caseload of more than 100 vulnerable applicants in need of financial benefits, e.g. by conducting legal research, analysing evidence and drafting decisions for individual cases.

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  Federal Justice of Bahia Appeals Court

  Mar 2014 - Aug 2014

  Legal Intern (Social Security Law)

  • Under the direct supervision of a federal judge, I managed a caseload of more than 100 vulnerable applicants in need of financial benefits, e.g. by conducting legal research, analysing evidence and drafting decisions for individual cases.

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  UNHCR

  Jan 2015 - Apr 2015

  Legal Intern (RSD, Caribbean Protection Unit)

  • Drafted refugee status determination (RSD) assessments and responses to RSD appeals on a daily basis.• Conducted in-depth country of origin information (COI) research and monitored human rights situations in countries of asylum in order to draft durable solutions referrals.• Managed complex case workload including those concerning serious human rights violations, persecution by non-State actors, claims related to military service, gender-related persecution, as well as cases of exclusion from refugee status which required me to identify flaws and false information in asylum applications.• Worked on time-sensitive RSD assessments to prevent deportations in emergency situations.• Analysed RSD interview notes and supporting documents in English, Spanish and Portuguese.• Represented UNHCR in external events and helped organising workshops to disseminate RSD information amongst government authorities and NGOs.• Drafted official correspondence to government and NGO partners based in countries of concern.• Registered and updated asylum-seekers’ information on the ProGres database, and prepared refugee certificates.• Coordinated the peer review of RSD assessments amongst interns.• Received training on: RSD Learning Programme; identification and protection of vulnerable groups such as stateless refugees, unaccompanied minors and internally displaced persons (IDPs); interviewing and credibility assessment; and on working with victims who have PTSD. Show less

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  Universidade Federal da Bahia

  Mar 2016 - Dec 2018

  • Founded the first team of the Federal University of Bahia to compete in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition (Jessup). • Co-founded the Federal University of Bahia’s first centre for the selection and mentoring of moot court teams, which have there since ranked amongst top national teams for the world’s largest moot court competition (Jessup).• Mentored law students in developing legal strategies and conducting in-depth research on complex international law issues. • Prepared students for written and oral submissions by thoroughly reviewing their written memorials and assisting them to prepare oral arguments.• Organised international human rights and refugee law events to raise funds for the Centre's activities, and delivered presentations in these events for both the Centre's members and the general public.• Organised and oversaw the Centre's selection processes. Show less

  • Co-founder (Center for International Competitions) and Coach (Jessup Moot Court Competition)

    Mar 2014 - Dec 2018

  • English Teacher

    Mar 2016 - Jun 2016
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  CCPR - Centre for Civil and Political Rights

  May 2017 - Aug 2017

  Legal Intern (International Human Rights Law)

  • Provided legal and technical NGO capacity building to enhance their engagement in UN Human Rights Committee (HR Committee) procedures with the aim of translating it into concerted action in their implementation of HR Committee recommendations at the national level.• Supported and reported on HR Committee sessions, having drafted articles on their outcomes for publication on the CCPR Centre website and disseminated information through social media and newsletters.• Drafted case law briefs on the HR Committee’s jurisprudence for the CCPR Centre online database.• Conducted legal research on countries under review or follow-up processes before the HR Committee.• Drafted articles about the review of State reports and the main outcomes of the HR Committee’s sessions for publication on the CCPR Centre website.• Made arrangements for CCPR Centre staff going on missions. Show less

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  UNHCR

  Oct 2017 - Jul 2018

  Reporting Associate

  • Provided research and secretariat support to the UNHCR Governance Service and the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework Task Team.• Assisted to prepare various meetings in the consultative process leading to the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and other conferences such as the High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges, the Executive Committee Session, Standing Committee Meetings as well as GCR Thematic Discussions and Formal Consultations.• Reviewed over 60 written contributions from States and other stakeholders which contained proposals for the GCR.• Liaised with governmental and diplomatic authorities, UNHCR field offices, international organisations, civil society and academics invited to those conferences, and coordinated travel and accommodation for funded participants.• Drafted official correspondence and meeting documentation for the High Commissioner’s Executive Office.• Reviewed and updated content of selected UNHCR web pages.• Coordinated travel and accommodation arrangements for funded participants. Show less

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  IOM - UN Migration

  Jul 2018 - now

  •Support interstate cooperation on migration governance by leading knowledge management and sharing on migration policies, best practices and challenges.•Manage the Network on Children and Youth, a community of practice that promotes cross-regional collaboration, having delivered 15+ in-person and online multistakeholder conferences.•Undertake policy and legal research and analysis, including on issues pertaining to migrant and refugee children and youth (e.g. family reunification, best interests of the child, asylum, integration, returns and guardianship).•Monitor and collect information from various sources to stay abreast of developments and priorities across the IGC portfolios: admission, control and enforcement, asylum and refugees, country of origin information, immigration, integration and technology.•Support strategic priorities by assisting six IGC Working Groups to deliver their programme and through an environmental scan of migration organisations that I developed to identify partnership opportunities.•Daily liaise with government officials, international organisations, civil society and academics to coordinate participation in and contributions to meetings.•Conceptualise and draft documents for internal and external use (e.g. policy questionnaires and reports, talking points, conference agendas), drawing on analytical and relationship-building skills to identify States’ priorities.•Manage the programme of meetings between IGC experts and the UN Network on Migration, contributing to IOM’s and States’ engagement on migration-policy dialogues in support of their priorities.•Enhanced financial and administrative controls by developing the IGC Administrative Guidelines, driving greater assurance on IGC funds and reducing corporate risk, as illustrated by positive audit outcomes.•Support work planning, having formulated reporting tools to monitor, evaluate and communicate results of IGC activities to senior management.•Recruit and supervise interns. Show less

  • Policy Officer

    Aug 2024 - now

  • Programme Officer - Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC)

    Sept 2022 - now

  • Associate Support Officer - Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration,Asylum and Refugees (IGC)

    Sept 2019 - Sept 2022

  • Consultant - Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC)

    Jan 2019 - Aug 2019

  • Intern - Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC)

    Jul 2018 - Dec 2018