Civil Society Division Youth Intern

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 an ambitious agenda as a center of excellence in 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 took place in Mexico in March 2021 and culminate in Paris in June 2021.

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 and the months leading up to it, including CSW 65.

Under the general guidance and direction of the Deputy of the Civil Society Division, the intern will be responsible for supporting the strengthening of youth engagement including partnerships with civil society organizations for the Beijing+25 agenda, including youth and girl led organizations and activists. 

Duties and Responsibilities

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

Youth Portfolio

• Support the youth outreach to youth and girl organizations/networks/collectives.
• Support the engagement of the National Gender Youth Activists. 
• Manage the adolescent girls and National Gender Youth Activists meetings and meeting notes.
• Managing and updating the database of engaged youth, including youth and girl organizations. 
• Support the implementation and development of a monitoring tool for youth engagement in the Generation Equality Forum.
• Monitor progress on the implementation of the youth plan of action.
• Support preparation for UNGA and CSW67.
• Assist in preparing team meeting notes, Supporting the convening of a series of webinars on different topics related to feminist leadership.
• Support the creation of a database of speakers and database of talking points on youth for the division.

  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 level.

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Strong knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues
• Ability to think logically and work with great attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with partners.
• 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

Education:

• University studies in one of the following disciplines: communications, 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:

1. Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
2. Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent);
3. Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation; or
4. 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.
• 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.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.)