Legal Internship, Office of the Registrar at United Nations

Legal Intern, Office of the Registrar at United Nations August, 2024

United Nations (UN)

Internship 

Arusha

Work Location: ARUSHA

Expected duration: 6 months. 1 September 2024

Duties and Responsibilities

• Org. Setting and Reporting The Office of the Registrar (“OR”) of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (“Mechanism”) invites applications for legal internships starting 1 September 2024 to 28 February 2025 in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.
• The above job opening will be valid for fifteen days. The Mechanism was established by the Security Council of the United Nations in 2010 to carry out a number of essential functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (“ICTR”) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (“ICTY”), after the completion of their respective mandates.
• In carrying out its ad hoc and continuous functions, the Mechanism maintains the legacies of these two pioneering international criminal tribunals and strives to reflect best practices in the field of international criminal justice.
• The Registry, operating from both branches of the Mechanism, located in The Hague, The Netherlands, and in Arusha, the United Republic of Tanzania, provides administrative, legal, policy and diplomatic support services.
• The Registry’s main duties include the provision of administrative services to the Mechanism, including court support services for Chambers, the Office of the Prosecutor and the Defence
• Managing the United Nations Detention Unit in the Hague Branch of the Mechanism; the supervision of the enforcement of sentences; monitoring of cases referred to national courts; preservation of and access to ICTR, ICTY and Mechanism archives; the protection of victims and witnesses; and assistance to national jurisdictions. The advertised position is located in the OR, Registry, Arusha branch, and under the direct supervision of the Internship Coordinator, a legal officer within the OR.
• The OR provides legal, policy and diplomatic support to the Registrar in relation to the various functions, and further provides legal advice and support to all sections and units of the Registry including those related to administrative services.
• While the interns will mainly work in the OR at the Arusha branch, they may also provide support to Registry sections and units including the Mechanism Archives, Judicial Operations, and Records section and the Witness Support and Protection Unit.
• An internship with the Mechanism’s Registry is full-time and unpaid. The working hours for interns are Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Overtime may be required to meet deadlines for specific projects. Interested candidates may visit the Mechanism website’s internship page at https://www.irmct.org/en/recruitment/internship/internship-programme to obtain general information

Qualifications/special skills

Candidates must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

(i) law students who are enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of their first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent); or

(ii) law students enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree (Master Degree) or equivalent, or higher).

Applicants must be computer literate in standard software applications.

No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.

Previous legal experience is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the Mechanism.
• Fluency in English and French (both oral and written) is required.

Additional Information

• Assessment No assessment is required for this position. Short-listed candidates may be contacted by the hiring team directly if further information is needed during the review of their application.
• Special Notice Please note internships are unpaid.
• Mechanism interns are responsible for all internship-related expenses that they incur.
• Interns must therefore be able to cover their costs of travel, insurance, accommodation, as well as living expenses during the internship period.
• The United Nations accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship.
• Therefore, upon award of an internship, interns are responsible for securing adequate insurance coverage and are required to sign and return a statement confirming their understanding and acceptance of these conditions of service.
• Interns must keep confidential any and all unpublished information obtained during the course of the internship and not publish any reports or papers based on such information except with the explicit written authorization of the Chief of Human Resources of the Mechanism.
• Interns are bound by the same duties and obligations as staff members, and the information to which an intern has access in the course of the internship must not be divulged to external parties.
• Each prospective intern must sign the Acceptance and Undertaking Form to indicate their understanding and acceptance of this stipulation.
• The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect.
• The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities.
• Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.
• There should be no expectation of employment by the United Nations or the Mechanism upon completion of the internship. ALL of the documents listed below are required.
• Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Due to the number of applications, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Interested applicants must attach ALL of the following documents to the email internshipoffice@un.org :

1. A cover letter, including an available start and end date for the internship;

2. Two letters of recommendation preferably from academic or professional referees;

3. Copies of university/law studies transcripts, or enrolment (including courses taken and grades received); and

4. A writing sample preferably in a field relevant to the work of the Mechanism and not longer than ten pages.

HOW TO APPLY:

All applications must be submitted through the United Nations Inspira portal. The Mechanism is not able to accept applications for this vacancy via email. External applicants may go to https://careers.un.org/home?language=en United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, Inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the Inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in Inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY