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.

The Security and Safety Services team at UN Women Headquarters in New York seeks to enlist a full-time intern to support the section in the identification, coordination and educational development of communication strategies within the UN Security Management System. The position will utilize previously developed Strategic Communications Plan, to identify tangible deliverables, and develop an implementation strategy together with communications products, to increase security awareness among UN Women personnel.

The position is located within the UN Women Department of Management and Administration, Office of Security and Safety Services. The Security and Safety Communications Intern will report to the UN Women Regional Security Specialist for Americas and the Caribbean.

In line with the approved UN Women Security and Safety Services Biannual Work Plan (BWP), the Security and Safety Communications Intern will provide direct coordination and support to the development of outputs, whilst also scoping internal UN Women programme delivery security requirements. They will take the lead with security information and coordination requirements and explore how external interactions will benefit gender specific security and safety communication strategies.

The Intern will be responsible for the following:

Coordinate with the wider UN Security Management System (UNSMS) as an integral member of UN Women Security and Safety Services. The focus of which, will be toward facilitating the identification, development and delivery of specific gender orientated security information and coordination platforms.  

• Liaise and coordinate with appropriate units, divisions and sections internally, utilizing all available mediums;
• Liaise and coordinate with the UN Department of Safety and Security and UNSMS partners specializing in security information;
• Support the development of gender orientated security information, coordination and communication materials;
• Support the development of communication campaigns, establishing cohesive and coordinated channels of communication to reach and influence key audiences;
• Create Power Point Presentations;
• Create communication products (flyers, presentations, graphics, videos, multimedia materials);
• Actively participate in the UNSMS Strategic Communications Working Group on behalf of UN Women;
• Liaise and coordinate with appropriate external bodies;
• Liaise and coordinate with all interested parties with regard identified educational materials.

Learning Objectives

The internship programme offers unique learning opportunities for interns, exposing them to the work of the United Nations at HQ level, and enriching their educational experience through practical work in an international organization, with a focus on gender equality.

• Increased understanding of UN Women’s work and the UN system
• Increased understanding of UN Security Management System
• Learning different aspects of safety and security in an international environment
• Increased knowledge of issues related to security management
• Meeting and networking with UN Women colleagues in other units and other UN Security Management System organizations
• Work as a team member in a multicultural setting

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: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Strong communication skills, both oral and written;
• Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Offers new and different options to solve problems;
• Excellent IT skills and capability to prepare presentations;
• Graphic design and video editing skills are an asset;
• Familiarity with gender issues and the UN system is an asset;
• Self-starter; organized; able to multitask and balance multiple responsibilities.

Education:

• University studies in the field of security risk management, criminal justice systems, security information management, international relations or media/communications is desirable, although not essential.
• 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 two-year period of graduation, or Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program which is part of a degree programme 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.

Renumeration:

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.
• Successful candidates 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.