Work Location

The Hague, The Netherlands

Expected duration

6 months from 01 April 2025

Duties and Responsibilities

This in-office internship is for the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) and under the supervision and direction of prosecutors in the Cat. II Team – The Hague Branch. Interns may also be assigned work from other sections, depending on the needs of the Office. The United Nations established the Mechanism to carry out essential functions of the UN ad hoc tribunals following their closure: the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). A Mechanism OTP internship is UNPAID and full-time. Core working hours for interns are Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with one hour of lunch break. Overtime may be required to meet deadlines for specific projects. Cat. II-team legal interns may be asked to provide litigation-related support to attorneys providing assistance to national war-crimes investigators and prosecutors in the former Yugoslavia. Interns may also perform tasks such as cite checking, compiling and collating legal materials. The IRMCT OTP internship is for six months. Please indicate your preferred internship period in your cover letter.

Qualifications/special skills

Candidates for legal internships in the Office of the Prosecutor must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a relevant first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent) (b) law students enrolled in, or have completed, a relevant graduate school programme (second university degree (Master’s Degree) or equivalent, or higher) Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. Previous legal experience is desirable. Applicants must be computer literate in standard software applications. Good drafting and oral communication skills as well as experience in dealing with sensitive or confidential information are required. Please provide a sample of your written work preferably in the field relevant to the work of the Mechanism and no more than 10 pages long to: otpinternshipprogram@un.org Applicants’ knowledge to prepare and draft legal documents and conduct legal research are desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the Mechanism. Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other languages, particularly French and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, is desirable.

Additional Information

Applicants are required to submit the following documents by email to: otpinternshipprogram@un.org 1. Two (2) letters of recommendation; 2. Copies of university/law studies transcripts (including courses taken and grades received); 3. A sample of your written work preferably in a field relevant to the work of the Mechanism and no more than ten (10) pages long. 4. Preference & Availability form. (https://www.irmct.org/en/recruitment/internship/internship-programme/progamme-guidelines) Please note that documents may only be in English or French. Applications without the required or complete documentation received in the OTP Internship Program inbox will not be considered.

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.