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: UN Women has been active in Kosovo since 1999 (then still as UNIFEM). UN Women in Kosovo supports local partners’ efforts that focus on implementation of UNSCR 1325, increasing women’s participation in decision-making, promoting the use of gender perspectives in policy development, strengthening the protection of women affected by conflict, reinforcing the capacities at local and central levels to counter gender-based and domestic violence, amplifying calls for accountability and advancing the status of women in post-conflict settings. 

UN Women maintains a large presence throughout the Europe and Central Asia region, covering 14 countries with programme presence in Kosovo (under UN Security Council Resolution 1244), Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan and Turkey; country offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazhakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Ukraine. “Implementing norms, changing minds” is a UN Women regional programme, which aims at ending gender-based discrimination and violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey, with a particular focus on the most disadvantaged groups of women. The adoption and full implementation of frameworks aligned with international normative standards – including those standards outlined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Istanbul Convention and the European Union acquis communautaire – are essential for addressing gender-based discrimination and violence against women. The programme will strengthen women’s organizations capacity to hold governments to account, advocate for effective implementation, and monitor prevention of and response to violence against women. Beyond the full implementation of legislative frameworks, the programme also addresses structural causes of gender inequality – and one of its most pervasive expressions, violence against women – through a transformation of gender discriminatory stereotypes, perceptions and beliefs. Lastly, protection, prevention and response to violence against women is closely interlinked with the availability of and access to comprehensive, multi-sectoral services for survivors of violence.  

Under direct supervision of the Technical Project Analyst, the intern supports the implementation of the UN Women Projects with special focus on the Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) project.

Duties and Responsibilities

The intern will undertake the following tasks:

  • Support the office in implementation of project activities, with a focus on EVAW-related activities, (e.g. preparation of trainings, workshops or advocacy actions; drafting letters and other documents );
  • Support UN Women Office in communication with partners especially CSOs, EU and other international organizations;
  • Support the UN Women Office in awareness raising on gender equality and violence against women, and in organizing and events/activities related to 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (November 25 – December 10),  especially activities related to UN Secretary Generals campaign UNITE to EVAW; and  other UN Advocacy days where UN Women has a leading role, such as Anniversary of UNSCR 1325 (October 31), and International Women’s Days (March 8) especially in the field of online communication via social media and post-activity/event follow-up reporting;
  • Support UN Women office in drafting web articles on project activities, concept notes and any other related documents
  • Draft and share meeting minutes from staff meetings, Security and Gender Group meetings and any other meetings participated in, as required;
  • Assist UN Women staff in various research and fundraising tasks, with a focus on EVAW;
  • Assist UN Women staff in various admin tasks as they arise;

Learning objectives:

  • Increase understanding of UN Women’s mandate and work and the UN system.
  • Increase knowledge and understanding of issues related to communication and awareness raising as well as gender equality and women’s empowerment, with a focus on EWAV;
  • Build and develop professional relationships with UN Women colleagues and colleagues from other UN agencies.
  • Develop drafting, project management and evaluation skills.  

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles: 

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

  • Programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
  • Knowledge of Results Based Management;
  • Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings; 
  • Good knowledge of technical area;
  • Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail;
  • Excellent communication and advocacy skills; ability to mobilize interest and support with a wide range of audiences;
  • Deep knowledge of development policy and women’s rights, use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), media relations, information culture and practices;
  • Operational experience within or in-depth study of the current social, economic, political, security and conflict dynamics of South East Europe and/or Kosovo.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • The intern must be pursuing / have pursued studies in social science, political studies, development studies, politics, gender/women studies, journalism, communication studies 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; knowledge of any local language (Albanian/Serbian) is an asset.
  • 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) 

Application Instructions:

  • Click on the "Apply now" button.
  • Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. You can type in, or paste your short Resume into the last box.
  • Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. On the next page, you will be asked to upload your Resume.
  • System will only allow one attachment. All docs (CV; internship application, two letters of recoomendations, proof of health insurance and schhool enrollment, copy of passport and visa (if applicable) should be included as one attachment).

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

UN Women Internship Policy:

1) Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

(a)    Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
(b)    Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); 
(c)    Have graduated with a university degree (as (a) or (b) above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within one year.

2) UN Women internship programme does not provide a salary or remuneration for the internship; 
3) All the expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring Government or institution; 
4) UN Women accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship; 
5) The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed; 
6) Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any position in UN WOMEN in the professional or above categories during the period of the internship or for six months immediately following the expiration date of internship; 
7) 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.