Civil Society Division Gender and Human Rights Intern

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

Background

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security.

In this role as the global voice and advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women, UN Women must deliver to an ambitious agenda as a center of excellence on knowledge, partnerships, advocacy, and social mobilization, as well as a convener, thought leader and champion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the Fourth UN World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), the international blueprint for gender equality and women’s empowerment. In that context, UN Women convened the Generation Equality Forum (GEF), a global gathering for gender equality, co-chaired by France and Mexico, with the leadership and partnership of civil society. Building on the Beijing+25 national and regional reviews and CSW64, the Forum generated a set of strategic commitments and actions that would galvanize the advancement of the gender equality agenda over the next five years.

In view of the crucial contribution of civil society organizations in the advancement of gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s rights, the role of civil society, and the women’s movement as partners is seen as fundamental in the full realization of the Beijing+25 agenda. UN Women’s unique and critical role in engaging civil society and partnership building with women’s organizations as stakeholders, to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment will be key drivers in helping UN Women achieve its strategic goals and fulfill its organizational mandate, both for the Forum’s outcomes, as well as the new Strategic Plan.

Under the general guidance and direction of the Deputy of the Civil Society Division, the intern will be responsible for supporting the strengthening of partnerships with civil society organizations for the Beijing+25 agenda, with a focus on the intersection of gender justice and human rights.

Duties and Responsibilities

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Civil Society Division Deputy Director, the intern shall perform the following assignments, which may vary in accordance with the priorities of the Division:

• Support the mapping and analysis of Women Human Rights Defender (WHRD) organisations/networks/collectives, including those with a focus on youth.
• Support the development and management of a database of WHRD to support organisations/networks/collectives, including youth and girl organizations.
• Support the engagement of UN Women with partner organisations (UN and civil society), by organizing meetings and discussions on supporting WHRDs at the country level.
• Conduct research on the work of expanding civic space at the country, regional, and global level, in support of our work on the Executive Committee’s mandated Task Force on Civic Space.
• Organize a series of webinars on different topics related to gender justice and human rights.
• Assist in preparing meeting notes, briefing notes, and talking points for the Division’s Director and other UN Women senior representatives

Learning Opportunities

• Increased understanding of UN Women’s work related to global normative processes and public policies.
• Gained knowledge about NGOs working on gender issues and the global Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 that will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet.
• Familiarity with the role of the Civil Society Division of UN Women, the issues it covers, and its collaboration and relationship to other parts of the United Nations system.
• Familiarity with the functions of the Commission on the Status of Women and its intergovernmental outcomes, including a set of concrete recommendations for governments, intergovernmental bodies and other institutions, civil society actors, and other relevant stakeholders, to be implemented at the international, national, regional and local levels.

Competencies

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Good knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues.
• Ability to think logically and work with great attention to detail.
• Ability to interact effectively with partners/stakeholders.
• At least one year of academic research.
• Understanding of gender equality and women's empowerment.
• Familiarity with civil society organizations and international institutions.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely.
• Ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong knowledge of virtual meeting software (Zoom, Teams, etc.), as well as excellent skills in using Microsoft Office package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and social media applications.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications

Education:

• University studies in one of the following disciplines: communications, human rights, gender studies, political or social sciences, law, public relations, journalism, public administration, conference, and event management is required.
• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation, or Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program which is part of a degree programme and undertake the internship as part of the program requirements.

Language:

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English are required;
• Working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

Remuneration:

Interns who are not in receipt of financial support from other sources such as universities or other institutions will receive a stipend from UN Women to partially subsidize their basic living costs for the duration of the internship.

Application Information:

• All applicants must submit a completed and signed P.11 form with their application.
• Due to the high volume of applications received, we can ONLY contact successful candidates.
• The successful candidate will be required to provide proof of enrollment in a valid health insurance plan at the duty station of the internship, proof of school enrollment or degree, a scanned copy of their passport/national ID, and a copy of a valid visa (as applicable).

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.