Organization profile
Every year, millions of people around the world go missing as a result of conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, irregular migration, and other causes.
The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) is an intergovernmental organization with its Headquarters situated in The Hague, the Netherlands. ICMP’s endeavors to secure the cooperation of governments and other authorities in locating persons who go missing as a result of armed conflicts, human rights abuses, natural and man-made disasters, and other involuntary reasons, and assists them in doing so. ICMP works globally, with field programs across the world. To learn more about ICMP click here.
Internship Setting
The Legal Unit is situated at ICMP’s Headquarters and is led by the Head of Legal Unit. One aspect of the Legal Unit’s work is to prepare legal instruments defining ICMP’s status, cooperation, and operational arrangements with States, international and other organizations, and any other institutional partners in line with ICMP’s legal status and policy framework. The Legal Unit is also responsible for drafting proposals, reports, publications, strategy papers, official submissions, and other documents to strengthen and further implement ICMP’s mandate, functions, and legal status globally.
The recently launched ICMP Project “LegalVox” falls under the auspices of the Legal Unit. This project is led by the Legal Advisor (Ukraine) – Project Lead, under the supervision of the Head of Legal Unit and Principal Legal Advisor. LegalVox is designed to promote justice, uphold rights, and foster inclusion for families of the missing by providing clear procedural guidelines and answers to their questions, based on verified, reliable information from official sources. Initially focused on Ukraine, LegalVox gathers legal questions directly from families of the missing and provides answers and practical guidance via ICMP’s digital channels, including Telegram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Main duties and responsibilities
The selected Legal Intern (LegalVox Ukraine) will assist the Legal Advisor (Ukraine) – Project Lead in achieving the LegalVox Ukraine’s goals by carrying out certain tasks under the supervision of the Legal Advisor (Ukraine) – Project Lead:
- Process legal questions from families of the missing received by LegalVox Ukraine;
- Conduct in-depth legal research and analysis on relevant questions, and draft written responses (reports) on the same;
- Prepare concept notes identifying areas where ICMP can assist governments and other authorities in finding the missing;
- Attend information sessions and other meetings with families of the missing as prepare minutes of meetings;
- Assist with other tasks depending on LegalVox Ukraine’s needs; and
- Assist the Legal Unit with its tasks as and when necessary.
REQUIREMENTS
Candidates for this internship must:
- have a first-level university degree (bachelor) in law, international relations, or a related field;
- be proficient in English and Ukrainian, both oral and written;
- have experience working with Microsoft applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
- have experience in report drafting (e.g. minutes of meetings);
- possess strong legal research and analysis skills;
- be capable of working independently, with a strong sense of initiative and responsibility;
- be able to adapt to a multicultural and multilingual working environment, and interact positively with colleagues regardless of culture, nationality, or gender;
- be capable of carrying out tasks with attention to detail and with tight deadlines; and
- have excellent organizational and communication skills.
Prior experience of working in Ukrainian law enforcement agencies or in courts would be considered an advantage.
BEFORE APPLYING FOR THIS INTERNSHIP PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
Starting date and duration: As soon as possible. The internship is available for a period of 2 (two) to 6 (six) months.
Minimum age: The intern should be at least 19 (nineteen) years of age at the date of application.
Working hours: This is a full-time remote position (40 hours/per week; Monday to Friday). As agreed with their supervisor (Project Lead), the intern must provide written notice in case of illness or other unavoidable circumstances that prevent them from observing these working hours.
Insurance: Interns are responsible for obtaining valid medical insurance coverage and providing proof of the same to ICMP prior to the start of the internship placement.
Conduct and confidentiality: Interns are required to sign and abide by the ICMP Ethical Code of Conduct. ICMP has the authority to terminate any internship due to unsatisfactory performance or conduct.
REMUNERATION: This is an unpaid internship.
ICMP is not in a position to provide the intern with office equipment for remote work arrangements.
VN end date: 16 April 2026
ICMP is committed to maintaining an environment of mutual respect, where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants. ICMP believes that diversity and inclusion among our staff are critical to our success as a global organization, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented individuals from a thoroughly diverse range of candidates. ICMP is proud to be part of the International Gender Champions network.
There should be no expectation of employment by the International Commission on Missing Persons upon completion of the internship.
We kindly ask that applicants review the position details carefully to ensure their skills and experience align with the role before submitting their applications.