International Commission of Jurists
About
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is an international human rights NGO. It is a standing group of
60 renowned jurists, and is committed to work towards the
improvement of international human rights conditions for the world’s diverse legal systems. The ICJ provides advocacy and policy work to support lawyers and judges when it comes to upholding human rights and the rule of law.
What kind of work?
Staff of the ICJ work to connect with regional programs and national initiatives. They utilise the research output of the Commission to contribute to policy-making.
Legal advisers of the ICJ address a broad range of questions
across international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Other roles in the Commission comprise areas such as finance and administration.
Location
Switzerland (Headquarters), Branch Offices in Thailand, Guatemala, South Africa, Nepal, Belgium and Tunisia.
Student Opportunities
The ICJ offers an immersive internship program for
postgraduate students. Participation in such a programme offers interns the opportunity:
- To gain practical experience of human rights legal and advocacy work at the international level;
- To gain a better understanding of the ICJ’ goals and objectives and of how a Human Rights NGO is organised;
to gain exposure to the practical functioning of the United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms based in Geneva;
- To gain valuable experience of working in a professional office environment;
- To help interns in career development. For many the
ICJ interns are integrated into the ICJ’s staff and become part of a team of junior support staff who participate and
contribute to staff meetings, discussions and briefing sessions, research human rights issues, draft papers and
reports, maintain information databases, and provide
support to other ICJ activities. The interns will also have
the opportunity to attend lectures, and other events related to human rights held in Geneva. More info:
https://www.icj.org/about/internships/
Graduate Opportunities
Recent graduates are encouraged to apply to the ICJ internship program, as the program is designed especially for their ease of entry into the diplomatic and international law space.
Other vacancies can be found here: https://www.icj.org/about/jobs/
Fun Fact / Recent Project Pillars
The ICJ boasts a very prominent reputation built on several pillars, including:
- Intergovernmental cooperation to improve countries’ human rights records,
- Balance of diplomacy, capacity building and constructive criticism,
- Working for access to justice for victims, survivors and
human rights defenders, particularly from marginalised communities, and
- Guiding, training and protecting judges and lawyers worldwide.
experience of an internship with the ICJ has established
a life long commitment and career in the international human rights field.
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