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's regional representation for East and Southern Africa (ESA) is comprised of 12 Country Offices (COs), one programme presence (Somalia), and support to 11 UN Country Teams (UNCTs) where UN Women is a non-resident agency (NRA). All are coordinated and supported by the Regional Office (RO) in Kenya. ESA is a complex and diverse region comprised of sub-regions ranging from countries with weak governance prone to crises that cross borders, while other sub-regions represent middle-income countries that are relatively stable.

At significant element of the ESARO's strategy is an enhanced localization of Generation Equality. Generation Equality is the world's leading effort to unlock political will and accelerate investment and implementation on gender equality. It recognizes that a bold, whole of society approach is needed to disrupt entrenched and rising global gender inequality, underscored by intensified ambition, investment and accountability. The initiative brings together organizations from every part of society to catalyze progress, advocate for change and take bold actions together.

In line with the UN Women Project Document for Phase II of Generation Equality, UN Women will ensure multi-stakeholder demand-driven action across the six regions where it is represented through Regional Offices. The Regional Offices will also support and guide project implementation at the country level.

Reporting to the Regional Project Coordination Specialist, the intern will provide comprehensive programme and administrative support for the activities under Generation Equality, as well as for partners (commitment makers, Action Coalition leaders, and Country Offices).

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Assist the Regional Project Coordination Specialist in managing and implementing programmes.
  • Assist in conducting research, mapping, and compile information
  • Draft reports, talking points, and website articles and develop social media content.
  • Assist in curating and coordinating events and webinars.
  • Provide support related to procurement processes.
  • Support administrative tasks as required.

Learning Goals:

  • Gain enhanced understanding of gender equality and women's empowerment.
  • Develop skills in communications and events management.
  • Enhance knowledge of the programmatic and operational aspects of working at UN 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:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies:

  • Demonstrable knowledge of gender equality issues
  • Ability to develop content, including for website and social media
  • Knowledge of graphic software such as Canva, Mailchimp, and/or Adobe Illustrator preferred;
  • Strong IT skills, including the use of MS PowerPoint, Excel, Teams and SharePoint.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

  • University studies in one of the following disciplines: communications, journalism, gender studies, social science, 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 two-year period of graduation.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

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 applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc

    Please note that the system will only allow one attachment and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

  • 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).  

Notes:

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.