International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Internship

Organisation profile

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established by the United Nations in 1993 to deal with serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991.

In harmony with the purpose of its founding resolution, the ICTY's mission is:

1. to bring to justice persons allegedly responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law
2. to render justice to the victims
3. to deter further crimes
4. to contribute to the restoration of peace by holding accountable persons responsible for serious violations  of international humanitarian law.

The Internship Programme of the ICTY offers undergraduate students who are in their final stages of education the possibility to enhance their professional training in the unique environment of an international court.  In addition to participating in the day-to-day activities, interns are invited to attend lectures, and other activities which all have particular relevance to the work of the Tribunal.

Interns will be assigned to one of the three Trial Chambers or the Appeals Chamber of the ICTY.  The Chambers handle the pre-trial stage, trials, appellate proceedings and proceedings pertaining to the exercise of the primacy of the Tribunal. Interns attached to Chambers are responsible for assisting the Judges and Senior Legal Officers of that Chamber.  Their tasks include, but are not limited to:

• performing legal research and preparing memoranda;
• assisting with and drafting legal documents;
• assisting with the management of documentary evidence;
• observing court proceedings and participating in analysis and discussions.

For more information about the ICTY, please visit their website: http://www.icty.org/

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, interns must be in the later stages of their law degree (or have already completed an undergraduate degree).

Interns must also be willing to submit the full ICTY Regular Internship application (which includes submitting 2 written references, a sample of your written work in a field related to the work of the tribunal, among other things). The full details of what is required as part of this application are available at http://www.icty.org/sid/127 . PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT submit the full ICTY Regular Internship application with your Castan Centre application. Only the student selected by the Castan Centre will need to complete the full ICTY Regular Internship application.

Please click here for the eligibility criteria.

Selection Criteria

The following selection criteria will be taken into account by the Castan Centre in choosing the intern and applicants are advised to directly address each criterion in the personal statement.

• A demonstrated interest in human rights as shown through your practical or academic experiences;
• Particular interest in the work currently being undertaken by the ICTY;
• Strong academic record, in particular marks received in human rights and other relevant subjects;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Application process

This internship is part of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law's Global Internship Program.  For full details of the application process, go to the Global Internship homepage.

Please note, this internship will start in the beginning January and must commence for at least three months, with the ICTY preferring the intern to stay for 6 months.

If you wish to apply for the ICTY, please note that clearly in your coverletter as the application form does not have a box for the ICTY on it. Please attempt to note on the application form that you are applying for the ICTY (you should have room in the 'mobile phone number' section to add  "ICTY").

Equity grants

The Student Mobility Fund (SMF) has been developed to provide financial assistance for faculty internship programs to those students who can demonstrate financial hardship. 

Contact information

If you would like further information about this internship please contact:

Forms

Global Internship Application Form

Other Useful information

Accommodation and cost of living hints
Past intern report - Megan Barnett, 2007
ICTY Website