Witness Support Intern

Organizational Context

The International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) in Geneva, Switzerland, is dedicated to assisting in the investigation and prosecution of serious international crimes in Syria. The Operational Support Section (OSS) ensures the safety and well-being of victims and witnesses cooperating with the Mechanism. This Witness Support Intern role sits within the OSS.

Job Purpose

The Witness Support Intern will assist the Witness Support Officer in evaluating and enhancing current staff and witness support services. This role is crucial for the IIIM's commitment to providing quality psychosocial support to beneficiaries, ensuring their safety and well-being are not compromised by their cooperation. The internship offers valuable hands-on experience in clinical and forensic psychology, developing transferable skills for future career paths. The position is a full-time, unpaid internship for a maximum of six months, based in Geneva, with potential for remote, in-person, or hybrid work modalities.

Responsibilities

Key duties include conducting research on best practices for psychosocial support to witnesses, reviewing and updating essential guides such as the 'Cultural Expressions of Distress Guide' and 'Facilitating with Care Guide.' The intern will also support the translation of the psychosocial evaluation toolkit into Arabic and draft meeting minutes. A significant deliverable at the end of the internship will be a paper on a witness support-related topic, alongside the updated guides and translated toolkit.

Work Experience

Professional work experience is not required for this UN Internship Programme. However, a relevant field of study is mandatory. Desirable experience includes good knowledge of standard software applications (MS Word, PowerPoint, Teams) and the ability to design surveys and polls. Intercultural competence and tolerance are also desirable.

Skills

Research, psychosocial support, guide review and updating, translation (Arabic), minute drafting, knowledge of MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Teams, survey/poll design (desirable), intercultural communication.

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