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 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.
The UN Women Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) located in Cairo, supports programmes broadening the scope of women’s citizenship, leadership and political participation, especially in countries affected by crisis and undergoing transition. This is essential to meeting women and girls needs in crisis, and ensuring that transitions are both fully inclusive and democratic, and respond to the needs and priorities of women and girls. Additionally, and as part of broader momentum for reform across the Arab States, and towards institutionalizing gender in governance, ROAS assists efforts to make national plans and budgets fully supportive of gender equality commitments. Economic empowerment is another critical concern, therefore, ROAS engages with regional partners and civil society to advance policies and programmes that bolster women’s opportunities in this arena. Ending violence against women is another critical component of UN Women ROAS by supporting the adoption of national policy frameworks, reforming laws discriminating against women, establishing comprehensive prevention and protection services, and raising awareness of strategies to combat violence.
Duties and Responsibilities
Description of Responsibilities & Learning Objectives:
Under the guidance and supervision of the Advisor, Peace, Security and Humanitarian Action, the intern will provide the support to the following key tasks in the areas of peace, security and humanitarian action. ?A work plan with achievements for the duration of the Internship and learning opportunities will be agreed upon commencement of the internship.
Tasks and Responsibilities: -
- Produce research briefs, policy memos, draft publications, draft programme documents, review the work of partners, produce talking points, produce meeting minutes, etc.
- Compile secondary data on women’s rights/gender equality across the region as it relates to humanitarian action and women, peace and security;
- Develop advocacy tools including on issues of women, peace and security and humanitarian action.
- Support the roll out of strategic communications including documenting lessons learned from partners, engaging in social media, updating UN Women’s website and Facebook page, etc.
- Support monitoring missions of partners’ work.
- Provide support in event management and administration, as needed; and,
- Engage in policy research on women’s rights and gender equality in crisis settings.?
Learning Elements:-?
- Increased understanding of UN Women’s work and the UN system;
- Learning different aspects of peace, security and humanitarian action in an international environment;
- Meeting and networking with UN Women colleagues in other units;
- Work as a team member in a multicultural setting (Among others).
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:
- Excellent computer and research skills: Microsoft Office (Word Processing, Excel, PowerPoint) Microsoft project and info graphic creation distinct advantage;
- Good computer typing skills.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- The intern should be pursuing/have completed academic studies in business management, public administration, gender studies, international development, international relations, social sciences or other similar subject at post graduate level;
- Be enrolled in a post graduate school programme/or recently graduated (second university degree, or equivalent);
- 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 Arabic or French is a distinct advantage.
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 graduation certificate or university senior year enrollment, passport, and visa (if applicable).
UN Women Internship Policy:
- Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:
- 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 (as (b) above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within one year.
- 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, proof of school enrollment, a scanned copy of his/her passport, two letters of recommendation, and application.