Visiting Professional - Victims Participation and Reparation Section (Funded by the EC Grant)

24405 | Registry

Due to the volume of applications received, only successful applicants will be contacted by the Court.

Required documents for this application

Please note that you will need to have the following information ready in order to complete your application:

• A completed “Duties and Responsibilities Form” (refer to step 1 on your eRecruitment Profile page).
• Motivation letter (maximum of 400 words).
• One reference letter. 

Remuneration

This position is funded through a grant made available by the European Commission (EC Grant), whereby the Court will provide the selected candidates with a monthly remuneration of €1,500 (with a mandatory deduction for emergency health insurance) as well as some financial help for travel purposes for candidates who are not based in the Netherlands at the time of the recruitment. Please note that (i) costs associated with Visas are the responsibility of the selected candidate, (ii) due to the nature of the assignment, visiting professionals cannot bring their families with them.

Contract Duration

The Visiting Professionals funded by the EC Grant are required to work full time for a period of six months (dates to be agreed before the placement begins). 

Background

The EC Grant aims to provide professional opportunities at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for legal representatives and/or other legal professionals from countries under investigation (situation countries), countries under preliminary examination, or States Parties to the Rome Statute that are on the list of developing regions of the United Nation's Statistics Division.

Preference will be given to female candidates from non-represented or under-represented States. The list can be found here

The Opportunity

The ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. The Court is participating in a global fight to end impunity, and through international criminal justice aims to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes and to help prevent these crimes from happening again. You can contribute to this cause by joining the ICC.

Participants in this programme will gain first-hand experience and knowledge of the ICC and its procedures. This will allow participants to develop their legal skills and knowledge of the Rome Statute system, and subsequently to impart lessons learned and best practices to their home organizations. Witnessing the functioning of the only permanent international criminal court will enable participants to contribute to the development of national capacities in their home countries to investigate and prosecute crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC. On completion of their placement, participants will also submit a short report detailing their experiences and activities.

Organizational Context

The Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS) facilitates victims’ participation and reparations before the ICC. Amongst its main tasks, the VPRS informs victims of their rights before the ICC, assists them in filling in application forms for participation in the proceedings and/or for reparations, and assists the Judges with the preliminary processing and analysis of victims’ applications whenever required. The VPRS is also responsible for organizing the common legal representation of victims whenever needed. The VPRS establishes systems both in the field and at Headquarters in The Hague to manage and process information received from victims, to file such information in the relevant judicial proceedings together with reports for Chambers and to respond to any instructions that may be issued by Chambers relating to participating victims or their applications throughout the proceedings.  To this end, its activities include, inter alia: selection and training of intermediaries and elaboration and dissemination of key messages in the field, in close collaboration with the field and other relevant ICC offices; processing of victims’ applications ( which involves registration, data entry, legal assessment and redactions ); preparing filings for the transmission of victims’ applications to the parties and to Chambers; legally analyzing information received from or concerning victims; preparing reports on participation and/or on reparations issues before Chambers, upon request or on a proprio motu basis; organizing common legal representation for victims and preparing reports thereon; and facilitating victims’ interaction with their legal representatives. In addition, the VPRS responds to orders from Chambers, requests from the legal representatives of victims, requests for input from other Sections of the Registry and cooperates with / renders assistance to the Trust Fund for Victims whenever necessary, particularly on matters relating to reparations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Field Coordinator, the candidate would assist the VPRS with the following tasks:

• Carry out research and assist in the drafting of mapping reports; this entails the analysis of the relevant local context of a given ICC Situation, and identification of groups of potential victims entitled to participate in proceedings and/or request reparations;  
• Assist in the mapping and identification of: (i) individuals and organizations that may be intermediaries of victims (including non-governmental organizations, community or religious organizations, local authorities, etc.); and (ii) international agencies with a field presence which may cooperate with the Registry in relation to victim participation and reparations;  
• Assist in the identification of needs of intermediaries in terms of support and training, and help prepare training and related activities to respond to these needs; 
• Prepare summaries of relevant reports and documents;
•  Attend meetings, lectures etc when requested and prepare minutes;
•  Conduct other tasks as needed, including occasional assignments for one of the other units of the Section as appropriate.

 
Essential Qualifications 

Education:

All candidates must have a university degree in law. Candidates are expected to have a very good record of academic performance.

Experience:

Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years professional experience working in governmental, non-governmental or inter-governmental organizations, national jurisdictions, and broader civil societies; or individuals who have practiced as judges, investigating magistrates, prosecutors or lawyers in a field relevant to the work of the Court; or have engaged in extensive academic research, writing or teaching in any of the disciplines relevant to the legal work of the Court.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Field experience and/or knowledge and understanding of the countries or region in which the Court operates is desirable;
• Strong analytical and drafting skills;
• Able to adapt to a multicultural and multilingual working environment;
• Possesses strong teamwork skills (listens, consults and communicates proactively);
• Has acquired a good standard of computer skills (including Microsoft Office applications);
• Experience to manage sensitive is an asset;
• Other important qualities are discretion, reliability, intellectual rigor, precision, perseverance, creativity, co-operative spirit and integrity.

Knowledge of Languages:

Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, French or English, is required. Working knowledge of the other is considered an asset. Proficiency in Spanish is desirable. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Chinese and Russian) is an asset.