United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Trials
Outline of the organisation
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Trials (Mechanism) performs a number of essential functions previously carried out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). In carrying out its multiple functions, the Mechanism maintains the legacies of these two pioneering ad hoc international criminal courts and strives to reflect best practices in the field of international criminal justice.
The United Nations Security Council created the Mechanism on 22 December 2010 as a “small, temporary and efficient structure”. The Mechanism started operating on 1 July 2012 in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, and on 1 July 2013 in The Hague, the Netherlands. The Arusha branch has inherited functions from the ICTR and the Hague branch has inherited functions from the ICTY.
Positions available
The Internship Programme offers professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students who are in their final stages of education the possibility to enhance their professional training in the unique environment of one of the two branches of the Mechanism.
The Internship Programme is open to those candidates who have an educational background in a number of areas, including law, archives and records management, journalism, translation and interpretation, and information technology. In addition to participating in the day-to-day activities, interns are invited to attend lectures and other activities that have particular relevance to the work of the MICT.
The Mechanism has two branches: one in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, which covers functions inherited from the ICTR, Arusha Branch, and one in The Hague, the Netherlands, which covers functions inherited from the ICTY, The Hague Branch. The Arusha Branch additionally has a satellite field office located in Kigali, Rwanda. The Internship Programme assigns interns to each of the three constituent Organs of the MICT at each branch: the Office of the President and Chambers, the Office of the Prosecutor and the Registry.
Duration
Internships generally range from a minimum of three months to a maximum of six months. In exceptional circumstances, internships of a longer or shorter duration may be possible.
Requirements
- A majority of the internship positions available are of a legal nature. Applicants for a legal internship must have a university degree or be in the final stage of their undergraduate studies. If the applicant has already completed a four-year undergraduate university degree before commencing graduate legal studies, he or she must have completed at least one year of graduate legal studies by the time the internship commences.
- Preference is given to law graduates who are acquainted with one or more of the following disciplines: international criminal law, public international law, international humanitarian law, human rights law, criminal law, and criminology.
- Applicants applying for an archives and records management internship must be enrolled in, or have completed, a relevant degree programme. Applicants may indicate a preference for working with physical, digital, or audiovisual archives and records.
- Applicants applying for other non-legal internships must have post-secondary education or training relevant for their desired focus (e.g., journalism, translation and interpretation, information technology, engineering, logistics, or human resources management).
- Applicants must be proficient in English and/or French, both written and oral. Knowledge of other languages – particularly Kinyarwanda or Swahili (if applying to the Arusha branch) or Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (if applying to the Hague branch) – is an asset.
- There is no age restriction for applicants.
Application process
Applicants must indicate which Organ or Organs they wish to apply for. Applications can be made in hard copy or soft copy. Required documentation include:
- a completed application form;
- a cover letter/letter of intent stating the reasons for applying;
- two letters of reference/recommendation;
- copies of university/law studies transcripts (including courses taken and grades received); and
- for legal interns: a written sample of up to ten pages (preferably in a field relevant to the work of the MICT).
Applications that are not submitted in accordance with the requirements above will be regarded as incomplete and will not be considered. MICT will not remind applicants to submit missing documents; all necessary documents must be included in the application package, include letters of recommendation. Please note that the MICT is unable to return any documentation included in the application.
Further information is available here.