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 (previously UNIFEM) has been supporting strengthening democratic governance and promoting and protecting women’s human rights in Kosovo and the Western Balkans since 2000. UN Women together with other UN agencies and international partners has been providing technical assistance to partners in Kosovo in conflict resolution and prevention mostly by supporting inter-ethnic dialogue among women’s groups, focusing mainly on elimination of gender based violence as a common platform to bring women from the majority Albanian and the minority Serb communities together. UN Women also chairs the Security and Gender Group (SGG) which consist of representatives of international organizations present in Kosovo, as well as government institutions and women’s civil society organizations. The aim of the group is to ensure coordination and collaboration on gender and security issues. Under the joint UN Women /EU project on gender sensitive transitional justice, UN Women continues to support various transitional justice mechanisms and efforts in Kosovo. UN Women is currently also implementing Joint Project of United Nations Kosovo Team (UNKT) on Gender-Based Violence in four municipalities in Northern Kosovo and supports Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace and Security in South-Eastern Europe (http://www.rwlsee.org/).

UN Women is also leading activities to mark international advocacy days, such as the 8th of March (International Women’s Days, anniversary of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (October 31) and campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (online campaign of year 2015: http://www.16-days .com/)

Duties and Responsibilities

Under direct supervision of the Head of Office, the intern supports the implementation of the communication strategy of the UN Women overall programme to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public. Intern also supports various activities of other staff members.

The intern will undertake the following tasks:

  • Support the office in outreach and communication related work for UN Women Kosovo Office in cooperation with UN Women staff; 
  • 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), 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;
  • Support administration of UN Women Facebook page (16 Days – No Violence,  https://www.facebook.com/16DaysNoViolence) and Twitter account (@16days_ks, https://twitter.com/16days_ks) and prepare regular posts on relevant topics;
  • Support activities related to Kosovo’s #HeForShe Campaign;
  • Drafts meeting minutes from staff meetings and other meetings as required;
  • Assist UN Women staff in various research tasks related to transitional justice and gender equality;
  • Supports UN Women staff in implementing the UNW Project on Transitional Justice; 
  • Support UN Women activities related to the Sustainable Developemnt Goals (SDGs), with a special emphasis on SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and other activities related to the Common Development Plan (CDP) 2016-2020;
  • Assist the staff on implementation of various activities related to UN Women projects (e.g. preparation of trainings, workshops or advocacy actions; drafting letters and other documents).

Learning objectives:

  • Increase understanding of UN Women’s work and the UN system.
  • Increase knowledge and understanding of issues related to communication and awareness raising as well as gender and security.
  • Build and develop professional relationships with UN Women colleagues and colleagues from other UN agencies.
  • Work as a team member in a multicultural setting.
  • Develop 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;

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).

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • The intern must have 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.

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 (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 post 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

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.