Internet Resources Intern (Publication for roster purposes)

Duties and Responsibilities

The International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) was established to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011. This internship is located within the Information Systems Management Section. This is a Generic Job Opening (GJO) used to build a pool of qualified candidates and will be used to fill internship vacancies between 1 August 2026 and 31 July 2027. The objectives of the internship are to:

• Support with tasks related to internet research.
• Research methodologies and synthesize relevant literature related to issues of interest.
• Assist with tasks relating to information governance, data analysis, and script development.

The intern will be responsible for supporting ISMS on issues of information management, and in particular, internet research. Tasks will include:

• Conducting targeted open-source research and analysis.
• Researching and summarising political, economic, social, technological, and legal issues related to the current Syrian situation.
• Assisting with frameworks and processes related to information governance, data analysis, and script development.
• Compiling any relevant research and analysis into a final presentation for the IIIM.

The intern will also be responsible for the following:

• Completing assigned tasks in a timely and accurate manner.
• Meeting deadlines and responding to instructions promptly.
• Maintaining confidentiality of all records and information accessed during the internship.
• Working independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrating professionalism and respect for colleagues and stakeholders.

The intern will be responsible for producing a final presentation, for the sole use of the IIIM, which details the intern's research and analysis.

Qualifications/special skills

Competency: No prior experience necessary. However, we seek candidates with relevant coursework in international relations, journalism, law, international politics, information governance, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, information security, privacy law, data protection, digital forensics, data science, engineering, software engineering, or a closely related field of study. We are open to a broad range of educational/ project/ volunteering/ research experience backgrounds.

Skills: Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Academic Qualifications: The applicant must also: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent);

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of French and/or Arabic is an advantage

Additional Information

SPECIAL NOTICE: 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 Head of the IIIM. 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.

There should be no expectation of employment by the United Nations or the IIIM upon completion of the internship.

All internship recruitment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits interns 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.

A person who is the child or sibling of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. An applicant who bears to a staff member any other family relationship may be engaged as an intern, provided that he or she shall not be assigned to the same work unit of the staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of the staff member.

Fulfilment of the responsibilities of this position may necessitate engagement with material and/or information that may be distressing.