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.

Peace and Security is a key area of UN Women's work. At headquarters, the Peace and Security Section leads on UN system-wide coordination on Women, Peace and Security, provides technical and financial support to the peace and security work of UN Women field offices, and implements a number of global initiatives that range from training women on mediation, peacekeepers on preventing and responding to sexual violence, and experts on investigation and documentation of international crimes, to rapidly deploying gender advisors to commissions of inquiry, peace talks, and post-conflict planning and financing processes, supporting gender-responsive public service delivery, and linking women in the community and grassroots organizations to police and other actors to ensure better protection.

Under the direct supervision and guidance of Nahla Valji, Policy Advisor, Conflict Prevention, Resolution, and National Planning, the intern will assist the Peace and Security team with ensuring follow-up to key commitments under 2122, continued implementation and reporting on existing global programmes, and providing general support to the team. A work plan with achievements for the duration of the Internship and learning opportunities will be agreed upon.

UN Women Internship Policy:
  • UN Women internship programme does not provide a salary or remuneration for the internship;
  • All the expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring Government or institution;
  • UN Women accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
  • The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
  • Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UN WOMEN during the period of the internship or for six months immediately following the expiration date of internship;
  • The intern must provide proof of enrollment in a health insurance plan.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Provide background research on relevant issues on demand, including in preparation for the 2015 global study on women, peace and security;
  • Support the preparation and follow-up for deployments of experts in international investigations of gender-based crimes;
  • Undertake legal analysis on key policy issues of the women, peace and security agenda;
  • Draft, edit, and format the team’s monthly update newsletter;
  • Support content development for the inter-agency website on women, peace and security;
  • Flag relevant new research and publications;
  • Support donor reporting for the team’s global programmes on gender-based violence, security, sector reform, peacebuilding, and governance;
  • Other tasks as required by the Peace and Security Section.

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:
  • Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity;
  • Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
  • Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication;
  • Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.
Functional Competencies:
  • Expertise in women’s human rights and gender equality;
  • Good analytical capacity; solid knowledge in witness and victim protection and data protection; trained in management of data;
  • Ability to speak and write in a clear manner including ability to draft a variety of reports; correspondence using gender-sensitive language;
  • Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail.
  • Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  • Currently enrolled and undertaking graduate studies on gender, development, human rights, international law, or related fields. The candidate must be enrolled for the duration of the internship.
  • Strong academic background in education, learning, staff development, international development or other related field.
Experience:
  • Experience in training event activities and working in an international environment would be an asset.
Language:
  • Fluency in English and one other UN official language.
Conditions:

Interns are not financially remunerated by UN Women. The costs associated must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her own arrangements for travel, accommodation, visa, etc.