Internship – Immediate Office of the Registrar

23538 Registry

Due to the volume of applications received, only successful applicants will be contacted by the Court. 

Please note that we offer the flexibility for interns to start at their convenience therefore, the closing date of the vacancy announcement is at the end of the year. Recruitment is taking place throughout the whole year on an ongoing basis.

Required Documents for This Application
 

Please note that you will need to have the following information ready in order to complete your application:

• A completed “Duties and Responsibilities Form” (refer to step 1 on your eRecruitment Profile page).
• Motivation letter (maximum of 400 words).
• Two reference letters (one academic).
• Scanned copies of university degrees and/or diplomas.
• Scanned copies of official academic transcripts that state your courses, results and completion date.
• One short essay on a subject relevant to the work of the Court (maximum of 750 words, single spaced, type written).

Contract Duration
 

Interns are required to work full time for a period between three and six months (to be agreed to prior to commencement). Internship placements shall not be extended beyond six months.

The Opportunity

The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, tries individual charges with the gravest crimes of concerns to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression. The Court is participating in the global fight to end impunity, and through international criminal justice, the Court aims to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes and to help prevent the crimes from happening again. You can contribute to this cause by joining the ICC.

Organisational Context

The Registry, headed by the Registrar, is responsible for the non-judicial aspects of the administration and servicing of the Court, without prejudice to the functions and powers of the Prosecutor. This includes providing management and judicial support services to the Court, as well as those aspects of external relations and field operations falling within the purview of the Registry. Accordingly, the Registry is composed of three Divisions: 1) Division of Management Services, 2) Division of Judicial Services, and 3) Division of External Relations. Each Division is headed by a Director, and the three Directors support the Registrar through the Registry Management Team (RMT) in ensuring that the Registry fulfils its tasks effectively and efficiently. The Registry’s Legal Office (RLO) is directly under the authority of the Registrar. 

The Immediate Office of the Registrar (IOR) supports the Registrar in setting the Registry’s strategic objectives, overseeing inter-organ relations as well as in enhancing internal communication and driving the development of Court-wide policies. The IOR also acts as the operational focal point for the Registry’s Divisions, providing practical support to the Registrar with a view to ensuring, in a coordinated and effective manner, the overall managerial oversight and control of the Registry. Given that the Registry is the largest and, in terms of its functions, most diverse organ of the Court, managerial and oversight functions present one of the main challenges. In this regard, the IOR plays a key role in virtually all fields of the Registry’s operations. At the same time, through the Registrar’s representational role, the IOR aims at widening the support for and the understanding of the mandate of the Registry and of the Court in the international arena. 

In addition, among other projects but relevant for this VA, the IOR is overseeing, within the Registry, the implementation of the recommendations stemming from the Workshop on the Geographical Representation and Gender Balance (GRGB). A Workshop on GRGB was held on 31 October and 1 November 2023, to assess the current situation and to identify strategies and concrete proactive measures to significantly enhance GRGB in a comprehensive, systemic, and sustainable manner. The findings from the Workshop are expected to eventually lead to, after internal and external consultations, the adoption and implementation of a new legal and policy framework for geographical representation and gender balance for the International Criminal Court, thus ensuring an effective and lasting impact. 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct background research on a wide variety of matters to support the work of the Registrar;
• Draft minutes of Registry, Hague Working Group, inter-Organ and other meetings;
• Draft letters, speaking points, speeches and other documents for the Registrar;
• Assist in drafting legal and policy memoranda, reports and analyses on assigned topics;
• Assist in updating and producing content for the IOR intranet site;
• Perform any other duties as required.

Required Qualifications

Education:

The candidate should have an academic background in political science, law, management, journalism/public information, or a related field.

Experience:

Internship placements focus on candidates in the early stages of their professional careers. Practical experience is not an essential prerequisite for selection. Should there be a practical experience that is relevant to the work of the Court, it may be considered an asset. However, such working experience should not exceed 3 (three) years.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Able to adapt to multicultural and multilingual working environments.
• Possesses strong teamwork skills (listens, consults and communicates proactively).
• Has acquired a good standard of computer skills (including Microsoft Office applications).

Knowledge of Languages:

Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, French or English, is required. Working knowledge of the other is considered an asset. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish) is an asset.

Other criteria:

It is the Court’s objective to have diversity and gender balance. And in line with the ICC’s efforts to improve geographical representation among staff, nationals of non-represented and under-represented countries at the ICC are encouraged to apply. The list can be found here.

Remuneration

Please note that internship and visiting professional placements at the ICC are unfunded. The ICC is not able to provide participants in the Internship and Visiting Professional Programme with any remuneration, nor is it possible to provide reimbursement for expenses incurred prior, during or after the internship or visiting professional placement.

Applicants must therefore be able to support themselves for the entire duration of their internship or visiting professional placement.