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.
UN Women plays a central role in facilitating the effective participation of civil society in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), supporting inclusive engagement across global, regional, and national levels. This includes enabling civil society contributions to preparatory processes, formal and informal CSW engagements, and follow-up actions to strengthen implementation and accountability. CSW71 provides a critical platform to advance global commitments on gender equality and to strengthen implementation of international normative frameworks, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In a context marked by persistent inequalities, shrinking civic space, and evolving global challenges, there is a need to reinforce inclusive and participatory approaches to multilateral processes. Meaningful engagement of civil society—particularly women’s rights organizations and youth-led movements—is essential to ensure that policy discussions and outcomes are informed by diverse perspectives, grounded in lived realities, and responsive to emerging priorities.
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Advocacy and Partnership Specialist, the intern will support UN Women’s efforts to engage civil society organizations in the context of CSW71.
Description of Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Advocacy and Partnership Specialist, the intern will:
- Support the organization of inclusive, intergenerational, and intersectional civil society consultations to inform CSW71 processes and outcomes. This includes logistical arrangements and preparation of supporting documents for the consultations;
- Assist in coordination of meetingswith diverse civil society organizations, including women’s rights organizations, grassroots groups, and youth-led movements, across global, regional, and national levels to contribute to CSW71 preparatory processes;
- Support the implementation of the Civil Society Engagement Strategy for CSW71, including outreach, stakeholder mapping, and coordination of inputs into key processes such as Expert Group Meetings, consultations, and multistakeholder engagements;
- Assist in facilitating civil society participation in formal and informal CSW71 processes, including reviewing and uploading written statements on CSW website, supporting consultation meetings, and advocacy efforts aligned with the priority theme;
- Support preparation of background materials, summaries of civil society inputs, and knowledge products;
- Support the drafting of briefing notes and meeting records by integrating technical inputs and data visualizations based on ongoing engagement activities.
Learning Opportunities
- Increased understanding of UN Women’s work related to global normative processes and public policies.
- Gained knowledge about civil society organizations working on gender issues and the global Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.
- Familiarity with UN Women, the issues it covers, and its collaboration and relationship to other parts of the United Nations system.
- Familiarity with the functions, processes, and impact of the Commission on the Status of Women.
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
Functional Competencies:
- Understanding of gender equality, women’s empowerment, and women's rights issues.
- Ability to think logically and detail oriented.
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment.
- Familiarity with civil society organizations and international institutions.
- Ability to write clearly and concisely.
- Good knowledge and skills using virtual meeting software (Zoom, Teams, etc.), Microsoft Office package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and social media applications such as Instagram and LinkedIn.
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 or other relevant subjects is required.
- Meet one of the following:
- 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 two-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.
Renumeration:
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.
- 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.
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need. If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.