Stories from the Field: “It’s very rewarding to help people who have lost everything”

An interview with our Finnish colleague Tuuli Karjala in Damascus, Syria.

“Stories from the Field” is an interview series providing insight into the daily lives of some of our Northern European colleagues, working for the organization all over the world.

Why did you choose to work for UNHCR?

"Wanting to work for refugees goes back to my university days. When I was doing my Master’s Degree, it became clear to me that I wanted to work with human rights. However, at that time, I didn’t know yet what type of human rights work I wanted to do. During my master’s studies, I took a course in international refugee law, and the professor had previously worked for UNHCR. On the very last day of the course, she invited us to watch a documentary that was very much focused on the work of UNHCR and the stories of refugees, and that turned out to be a light-bulb moment for me. Seeing the desperation people felt after they were forced to leave everything they knew and loved, made me realise that I wanted to do everything I could to serve these people. I went on to do my PhD in International Refugee Law and joined UNHCR to use my theoretical knowledge to serve refugees in practice."

How do you describe your work?

"I am the head of the refugee status determination (RSD) unit in Syria, which determines whether the asylum-seekers can be granted refugee status and is therefore part of the first-line response. When an asylum-seeker is asking for asylum, the unit first does an in-depth interview, then does a legal analysis of the case, and based on this determines whether the asylum-seeker is considered a refugee under international, regional or national law. RSD is often a vital process in helping refugees realize their rights under international law. If an asylum-seeker is granted refugee status, it is often life-changing for them."