Intern – Sustainable Development / CSW68

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.

The Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (PPID) develops and implements UN Women’s programme of work across its normative, coordination, and operational triple mandate and provides policy advice, guidance and technical support to intergovernmental processes, the UN system, and UN Women regional and country offices, among other partners and stakeholders. The Division is organized in thematic sections, which undertake policy research; analyse data on country, regional and global trends; and propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards as well as for UN Women’s policy advocacy and global programme strategies.

Economic empowerment is one of the priority areas of UN Women. UN Women works with governments and partners to promote women’s economic empowerment and increase their access to economic opportunities and outcomes, especially for those who are most excluded. The Sustainable Development team in Economic Empowerment is undertaking a signature initiative on women's climate action and green/blue economies and is responsible for substantive preparations for the review theme that will be considered in the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), which will take place in March 2024. CSW is the principle global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The review theme for CSW68 will be Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-third session).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Policy Specialist – Sustainable Development, the intern shall perform the following assignments, which may vary in accordance with the priorities of the Section:

• Support the development of policy briefs, guidance notes, and research papers on sustainable development and women’s climate action and green/blue economies;
• Conduct bibliographical searches and literature reviews on relevant issues pertaining to the sustainable development portfolio;
• Support in the preparations leading to the CSW68, including in the organization of interactive dialogues, expert panels and side events;
• Provide general support to the Economic Empowerment Section, as needed.

Learning objectives

• Increased understanding of intergovernmental processes and negotiations related to the Commission of the Status of Women;
• Increased understanding of UN Women’s mandate and internal processes;
• Increased knowledge about the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda;
• Increased knowledge of women’s climate action and green/blue economies;
• Experience of being a team member in a multicultural setting.

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:

• Strong knowledge of gender equality, women's rights, sustainable development (including climate change and environmental issues);
• Ability to think logically and work with great attention to detail;
• Skilled in researching/conducting literature reviews;
• Ability to write well, 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.); and
• Excellent skills in using Microsoft Office package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• University studies in one of the following disciplines:  gender/women's studies, human rights, economics, international development, environmental studies or other relevant subject is required.
• Meet one of the following:
• a) Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);
• b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);
• c) Be enrolled in a mandatory national service programme of which the internship may form a part;
• d) Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within two-years of graduation.

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, UN Women 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). This internship may be full-time or part-time over the six-month period, to be determined in consultation with the successful candidate.

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.)