Background
The European Union and the United Nations launched the Spotlight Initiative in September 2017. This global partnership, with €500 million of dedicated funding, is aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, as well as harmful practices. It follows a transformative and evidence-based approach, addressing unequal power relations between men and women and focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment. In line with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Initiative follows a human rights-based approach and takes into consideration the specific needs of women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and uphold the principle of “leaving no one behind”. This work is embedded in the broader normative framework of the sustainable development goals and builds on decades of work, existing initiatives, and accelerated momentum.
The Spotlight Initiative seeks to intensify the focus and accelerate progress on eliminating violence against women and girls, as well as harmful practices, through “dedicated large-scale resources, comprehensive design and focus, and evidence-based programmatic theory of change”.
The Spotlight Initiative aims to support transformative change on the ground to end violence against women and girls globally. The Initiative covers five regions, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. The Initiative adopts a comprehensive approach to violence, implementing interventions under 6 outcome areas: legislation and policies; strengthening institutions; violence prevention; the provision of available, accessible, and acceptable quality services; quality and reliable data collection, and the support of the women’s movement and relevant civil society organizations.
The Spotlight Initiative intends to work closely with women’s movements and relevant human rights-based civil society organizations (CSOs) on the design and implementation of the Initiative and its Country and Regional Programmes in a mutually supportive and reinforcing way and wishes to be accountable to survivors of violence, women’s and feminist movements, and human rights civil society organizations, deploying and building upon their vast knowledge and experience, developed at community, national, regional and global levels. To this end, the Initiative has established Civil Society Reference Groups (RGs) at national, regional, and global levels as institutional mechanisms to harness civil society expertise to strengthen the Initiative’s effectiveness and accountability to the women’s movement.
The Initiative is supported by a Secretariat to ensure coherence, alignment, quality, and strong technical support for a program of this size with regional specificities. The Spotlight Secretariat’s technical unit is specifically accountable for the technical quality and coherence of the Initiative.
The Civil Society Support Intern
Under the guidance and direction of the Technical Unit of the Secretariat and the Global Reference Group (GRG), the Intern is responsible for supporting the GRG Monitoring and Advocacy Coordinator in the following work areas:
- Establishment of a coordination mechanism with regional and national Reference Groups;
- Undertaking collective and solidarity advocacy to key decision-makers;
- Coordinating civil society monitoring of Spotlight Initiative implementation.
Tasks under each of these work areas have been delineated in the GRG Workplan, and GRG members have been asked to self-nominate working groups to progress them. The role of the Intern will be one of project support of each work area (i.e. to ensure streamlined communications between working groups, the GRG, and other Reference Groups, and to keep track of tasks, deliverables, and timelines) as well as technical support to selected tasks (such as drafting strategic and operational documents and collecting and incorporating inputs).
Duties and Responsibilities
- Support the implementation of a communications approach/mechanism that streamlines and manages email flow between working groups, the Secretariat, other Reference Group members, and the GRG;
- Review the GRG TORs and Workplan and develop a realistic work plan for this role that includes project support, and technical support to the three work areas outlined above. This would include:
- With the working group for the establishment of a coordination mechanism with regional and national Reference Groups: drafting of a proposal for a coordination platform and guidelines for collaboration; collection and incorporation of inputs on the proposal; contracting of any technical support, and; establishment and operationalization of the platform;
- In close consultation with the working group on advocacy: drafting of a proactive collective advocacy plan; collection and incorporation of inputs on the plan; approval and implementation;
- With the same working group: assess the feasibility of establishing a responsive advocacy mechanism (potentially including a civil society-led, independent inquiry and problem-solving function) and take forward as agreed;
- With the monitoring working group: support implementation of the GRG monitoring plan (which exists in draft form), including collating data and assessing the potential to develop and release an annual report card.
- Support the GRG to keep track of progress on their work plan and manage/troubleshoot emerging issues as required.
Learning opportunities include within the areas of monitoring, reporting, advocacy, and coordination.
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.
Functional Competencies:
- Organizational skills, including determining priorities and urgency in a practical way, using goals to guide actions, securing an agreement with stakeholders, creating and implementing detailed project plans.
- Project management skills: identifying and prioritizing tasks, planning ahead and developing schedules, communicating with all relevant stakeholders, anticipating and adjusting for potential barriers and problems.
- Relationship management skills, including the ability to develop and maintain strong collaborations with individuals and groups and respectfully build consensus among competing stakeholder priorities.
- Excellent writing skills, including the ability to produce a range of different kinds of high-quality written materials and translate complex information into plain language and actionable strategies.
- Critical thinking and research skills in sourcing, distilling, and providing information, guidance, and advice to stakeholders and decision-makers.
- Attention to detail and adherence to internal and external approvals processes.
- A persevering style and ability to troubleshoot, problem-solve and work productively with limited supervision.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- University studies in one of the following disciplines: Human Rights, Social Sciences, International Development, Gender/Women’s Studies, Public Policy, or other relevant subjects is required.
- Be enrolled in a graduate school program (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (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, or Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program which is part of a degree program and undertake the internship as part of the program requirements.
Language:
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English are required;
- Working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.
Remuneration:
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 applicants must submit a completed and signed P.11 form with their application.
- Due to the high volume of applications received, we 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).
- A selected candidate unable to report to the advertised duty station due to the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may be approved to undertake this internship remotely.
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.