International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals

Legal Intern

Duty station: Arusha
UN system: Related Organization
Level: I-1
Category: Internship
Job family: Legal Affairs
Posted: May 20, 2026
Closes: Jun 04, 2026 closed Source: 03:59, Jun 04, 2026 UTC (timezone not specified)

About this role

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) seeks a Legal Intern to support the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) in Arusha, Tanzania for a duration of 3-6 months. The intern will assist with legal research, factual analysis, drafting, and litigation support. Responsibilities include cite-checking, compiling materials, and providing legal assistance related to war crimes prosecutions, policy development, and enforcement of sentences. The role requires strong legal research and writing skills, ability to handle confidential information, and proficiency in standard software applications. The internship is unpaid and the candidate must cover all travel, visa, and living expenses.

Key requirements

Enrolled in final academic year of law degree or completed law degree
Fluency in English
Good drafting and oral communication skills

Nice to have

Previous legal experience
Experience in legal research
Working knowledge of French and Kinyarwanda

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Requirements at a glance

Distilled by AI from the posting

Min. experience: Interns are not required to have professional work experience.
Required degree: Candidates must be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a law university-degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent) or a graduate-school programme (Master's degree or equivalent, or higher).
Languages: English

Work Location

Arusha, Tanzania

Expected duration

3-6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Setting and Reporting: The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), Arusha Branch provides legal counsel on a broad range of issues related to the ongoing functions of the Mechanism, including assistance to national authorities prosecuting war crimes cases, policy development, capacity building, enforcement of convicted persons’ sentences and requests for early release, witness protection, post-conviction litigation such as contempt or review proceedings. Responsibilities Duties may include conducting legal research and factual analysis, drafting assistance and other litigation-related support such as cite-checking, as well as compiling and collating materials.

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 law university-degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent) (b) Law students enrolled in, or have completed, a 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. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required. Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PH.D. Programme. Good drafting and oral communication skills as well as experience in dealing with sensitive or confidential information are required. Applicants must be computer literate in standard software applications. Previous legal experience is desirable. Applicants’ ability to prepare and draft legal documents and conduct legal research is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the Mechanism. Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of French and Kinyarwanda is desirable.

Additional Information

Applicants are strictly required to submit the following documents via the attachments in this Inspira application: (i) Two (2) letters of recommendation; (ii) copies of law degree transcripts (including courses taken and grades received); (iii) 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; and (iv) the 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 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.

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