Witness Support Intern

Duties and Responsibilities

The position of Witness Support Intern is located in the Operational Support Section (OSS) of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism 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 (IIIM). The OSS is responsible for ensuring that the safety and wellbeing of victims and witnesses is not adversely affected due to their cooperation with the Mechanism. The Witness Support Intern will work under the supervision of the Witness Support Officer (WSO), assisting with evaluation of current staff support and witness support services and explore ways to introduce new service opportunities. Bringing on board a dedicated intern focused on psychosocial support to witnesses is essential for the IIIM. This addition will enhance our ongoing initiatives and contribute to the quality of psychosocial services provided to beneficiaries. Simultaneously, the intern will gain valuable hands-on experience in the field of clinical and forensic psychology, honing skills that are highly transferable to future career endeavours.

The duties of the Witness Support Intern include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting research on best practices of psychosocial support to witnesses.
• Reviewing and updating the Cultural Expressions of Distress Guide
• Reviewing and updating the Facilitating with Care Guide
• Supporting the translation of the psychosocial evaluation toolkit into Arabic language
• Drafting meeting minutes

At the end of the programme, the intern will prepare a paper on a topic associated to witness support, will update the Cultural Expressions of Distress Guide and will translate the psychosocial evaluation toolkit into Arabic language.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).

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. Interested candidates must be pursuing or pursued their degree in areas related to this Job Opening - e.g. Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology or a related branch of psychology or other related field of study.

In addition:

• Applicants must have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.
• Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable.
• A demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural background and beliefs, which includes a willingness to understand and be tolerant of different opinions and views is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic are required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.

Additional Information

A complete online application including all of the documents listed below is required. Please note that documents may only be in English, and that incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

• Two (2) letters of recommendation.
• Copies of university/law studies transcripts (including courses taken and grades received).
• A sample of the applicant's written work in English preferably in a field relevant to the work of the IIIM and no longer than ten pages.
• A cover letter setting out motivation of the candidate and dates of availability.

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. There should be no expectation of employment by the United Nations or the IIIM upon completion of the internship. Fulfilment of the responsibilities of this position may necessitate engagement with material and/or information that may be distressing.