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:
In Bangladesh, UN Women has been assisting Rohingya refugee women since 2015. UN Women has been working with UNHCR to promote women’s leadership and address gender inequalities in the two Rohingya refugee camps that existed before 25 August 2017. UN Women and UNHCR supported women’s participation and empowerment in the camps through the formation of Women’s Support Groups (WSGs), skills training and the establishment of a community-based shelter to protect GBV survivors. In October 2017, UN Women established a sub-office to deliver on a broader set of refugee response activities in Cox’s Bazar, including coordination of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working group, and gender-responsive service delivery targeting the most vulnerable and hard to reach refugee women and girls. UN Women has also been at the forefront within the UN system in Bangladesh in working towards supporting accountability for atrocities committed by Myanmar forces, particularly sexual violence against women and girls.
Duties and Responsibilities
The intern will assist the Cox’s Bazar sub-office team with its responsibilities relating to the coordination of humanitarian assistance.
Specifically, the intern will:
- Support the office in implementation of project activities (e.g. preparation of trainings, workshops or advocacy actions; drafting letters and other documents);
- Draft and share meeting minutes from staff meetings, Gender in Humanitarian Action Working group and other humanitarian coordination mechanisms meetings and any other meetings participated, as required
- Support UN Women staff in drafting web articles on project activities, concept notes and any other related documents.
- Assist UN Women staff in various research and fundraising tasks relating to humanitarian assistance, women’s empowerment, and the women, peace and security agenda;
- Support donor reporting and partnership management for the team’s global programmes;
- Support UN Women Office in communication with partners and media-related work;
- Support the team’s knowledge management efforts;
- and assist UN Women staff in various admin tasks as required by the Head of Sub-Office.
Learning objectives:
- Increase understanding of UN Women’s work and the UN system;
- Increase knowledge and understanding of issues related to gender;
- Build and develop professional relationships with UN Women colleagues and colleagues from other UN agencies;
- Develop project management, communication, donor engagement, administration and organisation skills.
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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf
Functional Competencies:
- Strong academic background in international development, humanitarian assistance or peace and security;
- Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
- Ability to write clearly and concisely;
- Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
- Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines in a high-pressure environment;
- Excellent communication skills.
- Knowledge and understanding of post-conflict contexts, especially as related to women and gender issues.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- The intern must have studies in law, gender studies, international relations, human rights, development studies or related field 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 interes;
- Selected applicants must provide a resume/CV, two letters of recommendation, proof of health insurance and school enrollment, copy of passport, and copy of visa (if applicable)
Living condition:
Cox's bazar is a coastal district of Chittagong division in Bangladesh. This city is surrounded by Chittagong Division in south-eastern Bangladesh, beside 'Myanmar (Burma)' and alongside the beach of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian ocean, having unbroken 120 Kilometre golden sand beach. It is one of the most-visited domestic tourist destinations in Bangladesh. The climate of Bangladesh is mostly determined by its location in the tropical monsoon region: high temperature, heavy rainfall, generally excessive humidity, and distinct seasonal variations. The climate of Cox's bazar is mostly similar to the rest of the country. It is further characterised by the location in the coastal area. Historically, Bangladesh has been a safe country for internationals, but a series of security incidents in autumn 2015 have led to increased security measures for UN international staff. Cox’s Bazar is currently a hardship duty station due to the humanitarian crisis, and the intern should be prepared for limitations in freedom of movement on foot, by public transport, and to certain locations.
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:
- 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 defined in (a) or (b) above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.
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 positions in the professional and above category in UN WOMEN 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.