UN WOMEN Jobs - 65698- Policy oriented research and knowledge management

Policy oriented research and knowledge management on Women’s Political Participation

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

01-Jun-2016

Application Deadline :

15-May-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UN Women 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.

Unit/ Project Background:

The Policy Division develops and implements UN Women’s program of work in analysis, research and knowledge management, and counts approximately 70 staff. This work provides the evidence base for the advice and guidance UN Women provides to intergovernmental processes, the UN System, and to UN Women’s staff working at the country and regional level on issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It identifies emerging issues and trends, and develops and proposes new strategies for achieving the agreed goals through innovative approaches and lessons learned about what works in practice.

Policy Division staff are organised by thematic clusters, among which is the Leadership and Governance Section, which includes 15-20 staff members. Under the supervision of the Policy Advisor (Political Participation) a leadership and political participation team (of three) supports UN Women’s work in this area, mandated at its inception, and framed under Impact 1 of the Entity’s Strategic Plan 2014-17 “Women lead and participate in all areas of decision-making”, recognizing the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes.

To implement the SDGs and the 2030 agenda, UN Women has designed a Flagship Programme on Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership. It is designed to achieve SDG Target 5.5: to “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.” Within this framework UN Women is seeking to bolster its policy and knowledge capacities to assist Country Offices to deliver on Agenda 2030 through: i) providing targeted policy guidance and advisory services on women’s political participation at global, regional and country levels; ii) generate knowledge through practical research, and tools development for country implementation; iii) Continue and expand partnerships across the UN System, and with donors, international organizations and civil society groups, to promote women’s electoral and political participation and leadership, including by coordinating within the UN System to mainstream gender concerns into electoral assistance policies and approaches; and iv) directly support programme activities to promote women’s electoral and political participation and leadership in over 70 countries through seed funding and technical assistance

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Political Participation Advisor, the Intern will support ongoing research initiatives aimed to develop knowledge products for policy and programme guidance on key niche areas on women’s political participation including on: i) violence against women in elections, ii) Women’s Situation Rooms; iii) women's political participation at local level.

Specifically, the Intern is expected to undertake the following tasks:

Assist with the review of country case studies on Women’s Situation Rooms
Assist with the preparation of an expert meeting of practitioners and researchers in the field of women’s participation at the local level;
Provide support to other activities in the Women’s Political Participation area as required.

Learning Objectives:

The unit to which the Intern is assigned will be responsible for providing adequate learning opportunities and exposure to a wide range of the Leadership and Governance Section’s work – policy and programme advice, creation of knowledge products, organization of workshops, and partnerships with leading institutions in relevant areas of interest.

The Intern will be introduced to the larger range of policy work done by various sections in the Policy Division of UN Women and the various policy documents prepared by the governance teams in headquarters and in the regions.

An orientation briefing by the Human Resources Learning team will provide the Intern with a better understanding of the operations and organizational structure of UN Women in headquarters.

The Intern will also be provided with networking and broader learning opportunities through Brown Bag Lunches, and Learn seminars

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards other.

Conflict Management:

Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge on gender equality and political participation;
Academic and research experience of working on gender and politics;
Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds;
Ability to produce well-written policy and research documents; and
Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
Strong written and oral communication skills in English. Knowledge of another UN working language is an advantage.
Keen interest in inclusive participation issues and gender equality

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

The Intern must have studies in Political Science, Gender, Human Rights International Relations or related field or other similar subject at the university level.

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.

Language:

Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English are required; Working knowledge of another UN language a distinct advantage

Interns are not financially remunerated by UN Women.

Application Information:

UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.
Selected applicants must provide the internship application, two letters of recommendation, proof of health insurance and school enrollment, passport, and visa (if 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