The Internship Programme assigns interns to each of the three constituent organs of the Tribunal:
• the Registry,
• the Chambers,
• the Office of the Prosecutor.
There are two types of internships: Regular and Restricted Internships.
REGULAR INTERNSHIPS
REGISTRY
The Registry is responsible for providing information to the media and the public, administering the legal aid system of assigning defence counsel to indigent accused, supervising the Detention Unit, managing the courtrooms and maintaining diplomatic contacts with states and their representatives. Operating under the supervision of the Registrar, the Registry continues to adopt innovative approaches to its diverse and increased tasks.
Roles and duties of interns within the Registry include, but are not limited to comprehensive, legal research on matters of public international law, private international law, humanitarian law, criminal law, drafting of legal documents and correspondence, assisting in negotiations and specific projects. Internship positions also exist for those candidates with an educational background in journalism, translation and interpretation, and information technology. Below is a description of the various sections within the Registry where an internship may be completed.
Immediate Office of the Registrar (minimum period of four months)
The Immediate Office of the Registrar provides legal advice to the Registrar on the interpretation and application of legal instruments regarding the tasks and responsibilities of the two parts of the Registry: Administrative Services and Judicial Support Services.
The section maintains contact with United Nations Headquarters, the host country and other member states regarding general cooperation with the Tribunal, enforcement of sentences and assistance to the Tribunal through various contributions. This section also provides legal advice on administrative legal matters and on the internal regulations and rules of the United Nations.
Office for Legal Aid and Detention Matters (minimum period of three months)
The Office for Legal Aid and Detention Matters forms part of the judicial administration of the Tribunal, and is entrusted mainly with matters concerning the legal aid system of the Tribunal and the judicial administration of its detention centre.
The office deals with a variety of challenging legal issues in sensitive areas, in which it is guided by the objective of ensuring the rights of suspects and accused. The work of the lawyers in the office consists mainly of drafting legal memoranda, policies, rule texts and important correspondence. In addition, this office acts as a liaison point between the defence counsel and the Tribunal's Chambers and the Registry.
Court Management and Support Services Section (minimum period of three months)
The Court Management and Support Services Section carries out preparatory and organisational support tasks for the conduct of courtroom hearings.
This includes receiving documents filed during the hearing and handling exhibits, preparing procedural minutes, maintaining and updating the calendar of scheduled hearings, coordinating the schedules and use of courtroom facilities, filing, indexing and distributing all case documents, maintaining the Tribunal's Record Book and managing transcripts of all hearings, involvement with the arrival of accused in The Hague, research activities and elaboration of judicial advice related to issues concerning procedure and the judicial practices of the hearings, and the elaboration of exchanges concluded with other judicial bodies, including the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and more particularly in appeals cases.
Conference and Language Services Section (minimum period of three months)
The Conference and Language Services Section is responsible for providing translation and interpretation services in French, English, Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian and Albanian for all parts of the Tribunal. Interns will be assigned to either the English or French Translation Unit and will be responsible for the translation of legal and non-legal documentation into the appropriate language/s.
Information Technology Support Services (minimum period of three months)
Information Technology Support Services is responsible for the design, deployment, operation and upkeep of the information technology infrastructure at the Tribunal. The Section manages the physical, human and organisational resources required to provide relevant policy, technical standards, user support, communication services, network services, computing services, audio-visual services, training and software development.
Human Resources Section (minimum period of three months)
The Human Resources Section is responsible for managing all personnel issues. The section is divided into two units: the Recruitment, Training and Examination Unit, and the Staff Administration Unit. Interns will be mainly assigned to the Recruitment, Training and Examination Unit.
General Services Section (preferred period of six months)
The General Services Section is responsible for managing all office buildings and providing general maintenance and services. The section also manages the functions of postal services, stores and supply, property control of inventory, transportation, reprographics, travel and visa & entitlement. Interns can be assigned to various units, allowing exposure to a broad range of activities.
Procurement Section (preferred period of six months)
The Procurement Section is responsible for all purchasing and contracting for the provision of goods and services for the operation of the organisation. Interns would be assigned to the purchasing or contracting unit.
Fundraising/Chief Administration Office
ICTY is looking for an intern who would be interested in working in the area of fund-raising and project proposal development. The intern would work directly with the professional staff and would be responsible for identifying potential funding sources for ICTY projects related to Outreach, Archiving, and IT development.
As many aspects of the ICTY are of relevance to NGOs, national governments, international law associations, and international human rights specialists, the ICTY is developing non-core projects that may be of interest to a wide body of clients. The intern would be responsible for identifying possible funding and philanthropic organisations, making initial contacts with those organisations, developing standardised or tailored project proposals, coordinating with donors, and assisting with the funding. The intern may also be called to assist the Budget Section in monitoring the status of projects in terms of expenditures, forecast and donor reporting.
Communications Service
The Communications Service has two main components: Media / Outreach / Web (MOW) and Library / Publications / Tribunet / Visits (LPTV)
Media / Outreach / Web (preferred period of three months):
These are three separate but interdependent units and internships are offered in all areas.
The Media office manages media relations, which include informing media through press release, press briefings and coordinating interviews; monitoring media coverage of the Tribunal and making practical arrangements with regards to media facilities. Applicants with a background in journalism or public relations would be preferred for this unit.
The Outreach programme is dedicated to communicating the work and relevance of the Tribunal to the peoples of the former Yugoslavia. The activities of the Outreach programme are firmly focused on the region and it actively engages with local legal communities, non-governmental organisations, media, educational institutions, victims’ associations, women’s groups, truth and reconciliation commissions, other professional bodies and the general public. A legal background is not specifically required; applicants with media or human rights backgrounds would certainly be considered.
The Web Unit operates and maintains the ICTY website in English, French, Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian and Albanian; this includes access to public information materials and legal documents (e.g. Case Information Sheets, fact sheets on ICTY Proceedings etc.), as well as web-casting of court proceedings. An applicant would need to have the necessary technical background to apply for internships in this area. Knowledge of Bosnia/Croatian/Serbian is a specific asset for applicants to any of the areas in this section.
Library / Publications / Tribunet / Visits (preferred period of six months):
This section’s work is also divided into four units.
The library provides research services to ICTY staff and interns, using numerous online databases and maintaining an up-to-date collection of books, loose leafs and journals on international criminal law, human rights, international humanitarian law, criminal codes of many countries and books on the former Yugoslavia in English, French and BCS languages.
The unit handling publications produces brochures, leaflets and other public relations material, as well as being responsible for the production and dissemination of legal information material regarding the judicial activities of the Tribunal. This includes drafting summaries of procedural developments and court filings; preparing general information material on the Tribunal, its mandate, structure and functioning; distributing, as widely as possible, the legal materials made public by the Tribunal; editing the Tribunal's law reports and maintaining a documentation centre. A legal background is required from applicants to this area.
The Tribunet is an internal news service for staff, highlighting information of particular interest to Tribunal employees. Information provided by this service is gathered from a number of news sources and it would be beneficial if applicants to this area had a media background.
LPTV is also responsible for the majority of public visits to the Tribunal, which, in the last year, involved the coordination of more than 5,000 visitors.
Resident Audit Office (minimum period of three months)
The Resident Audit Office is responsible for providing a continuous on-site audit coverage of the Tribunal with a view to assessing (i) the adequacy and effectiveness of risk assessment processes, internal controls and governance (ii) compliance with the established rules, regulations, policies and procedures; and (iii) the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the operations of the Tribunal.
Responsibilities of the intern include providing audit support, office administration support and any other duties as assigned by the Chief Resident Auditor.
Internship applicants should be currently enrolled in an undergraduate/graduate school with specialisation in accounting, finance or management. Fluency in oral and written English is a requirement.
CHAMBERS (minimum period of three months)
The judicial activity of Chambers comprises pre-trial stage, trials, appellate proceedings and proceedings pertaining to the exercise of the primacy of the Tribunal. Chambers also engage in regulatory activities to improve procedures for ensuring that trials are both fair and expeditious. Such regulatory activities include amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Evidence and other Tribunal Rules, Regulations and Directives.
Interns attached to Chambers are generally assigned to a specific Chamber and are responsible for assisting the judges and senior legal officers of that Chamber. This includes, but is not limited to, performing legal research and preparing memoranda, assisting with and drafting legal documents, obtaining research materials, assisting with the management of documentary evidence, observing court proceedings and participating in analysis and discussions. Candidates for legal internships in Chambers are required to be, at a minimum, in their final year of law school/ university.
OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR
The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) investigates and prosecutes persons suspected of the planning, implementation and execution of the most serious violations of international humanitarian law that have occurred in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991.
In the Trial Section, duties of legal interns include, but are not limited to, assisting trial attorneys with preparing examinations in chief and cross examinations, proofing witnesses, researching and drafting of parts of motions, pre-trial, and final briefs, and classifying and preparing evidence for trial. Interns may also perform research on comparative and international criminal law issues, prepare agenda or draft discussion papers for legal meetings and draft the corresponding minutes, draft legal correspondence, and perform other litigation-related tasks.
In the Appeals Section, legal interns assist OTP appeals counsel in conducting legal and factual research and drafting memoranda on issues of international humanitarian law and international and comparative criminal law and procedure, finalizing appellate filings, and preparing for hearings before the Appeals Chamber. It is particularly useful for interns to have legal training or experience in international criminal or humanitarian law.
In the Immediate Office of the Prosecutor, interns will have the opportunity to work closely with OTP management, including the Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor. Interns assist with a broad range of projects, including: support on legal issues for the Trial and Appeals Sections; case-related matters of cross-cutting significance to the OTP; speeches, reports and other materials for the Prosecutor; communications with the diplomatic and NGO communities; and legacy matters. French or Dutch language skills are considered an asset.
Legal interns will be assigned to work in a section of the OTP according to the needs of the office, but candidates should express any preference for the Trial Section, Appeals Section or Immediate Office of the Prosecutor in their applications. Candidates for legal internships in the OTP are required to be, at a minimum, in their final year of university legal studies. If the candidate 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.
In addition, the OTP also accepts non-legal interns to work in the Leadership Research and Military Analysis Teams.
Leadership Research (minimum period of three to four months)
The Leadership Research Team does research and analysis on various facets of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, including historical background, political structures, demographic changes and use of media. Interns undertake directed research in one of these areas. Applicants with a university degree in a relevant field and at least a working knowledge of Bosnian / Croatian/ Serbian or Albanian are preferred.
Military Analysis Team
Military Analysis provides investigations and prosecution cases with the military dimension of integrated events, personalities, organisations and crimes under scrutiny. The military analyst will examine de jure and de facto issues relating to crimes, prosecution targets and events, and will provide analysis from the most preliminary stages of an investigation or assessment, right through to the presentation in court of such analyses by the analyst for the prosecution. Elements of criminal analysis procedures are utilised in military analysis work tasks.
An analysis intern participates in the research and assembling of information, evaluating its worth and integrating it into the evidential development of the broader case, working under the direction of a senior team analyst. The individual would be expected to be already engaged in a military/analysis-based bachelor’s degree, or be a law student but with former military background of relevance.
RESTRICTED INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
In addition to the Regular Internship Programme, the Tribunal also accepts a limited number of interns under a Restricted Internship Programme with the Office of the Prosecutor. Interns under the Restricted Internship Programme are accepted under specific conditions for a duration of two to three months. Preference is given to those who can stay three months.
The Restricted Internship Programme is open to applicants in their second year of studies and beyond. Accordingly, the level of work is more suitable for those who are not yet in the final stages of their degree programme.
Conditions for the Restricted Internship Programme
- The Restricted Internship Programme is open to applicants at least in their second year of studies. It is not necessary to be in the final stages of the degree programme.
- Applications from first year university students will not be accepted.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
- Applicants must be proficient in English and/or French, both written and oral. Knowledge of other languages, particularly Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian, is an asset.
- Candidates must make a choice when applying for an ICTY internship: one cannot apply for a Regular Internship and a Restricted Internship at the same time.
For additional information regarding application procedures and requirements, see the
Internship Programme Guidelines and
FAQs.
