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:

The Intergovernmental Support Division is UN Women’s interface with intergovernmental bodies, including the Executive Board of UN Women, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly. Its functions to:

• Support the smooth functioning of intergovernmental bodies, including: overseeing reporting processes within UN Women and providing guidance to and sharing institutional knowledge with Member States on intergovernmental procedures and working methods;
• Gather information, identify, and explore opportunities to support UN Women to further its agenda and anticipate challenges in its intergovernmental work;
• Drive the process of integration of normative frameworks into UN Women policies, programmes, and coordination for wider-UN action. 

Under the direct supervision and guidance of a Programme Analyst, the Intern will assist the Intergovernmental Support Division with supporting the coverage of some of the meetings of the 73rd session of the General Assembly and some of its Committees, as well as with undertaking preparations and supporting the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), with “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls” and “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development” as priority and review themes respectively.

A work plan with achievements for the duration of the Internship and learning opportunities will be agreed upon.

Duties and Responsibilities

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Take notes and draft minutes of intergovernmental meetings
• Draft analytical summaries of intergovernmental discussions
• Research assigned issues on gender equality and prepare background information
• Assist with organization of meetings
• Carry out other assignments as required
• Ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Learning Elements

• Increased understanding of UN-Women’s work
• Increased understanding of intergovernmental processes and negotiations related to the General Assembly and the Commission of the Status of Women
• Strengthened research and analytical skills
• Experience of being a team member in a multicultural setting.

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles:*

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;

Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards other.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

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:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Package.
• Ability to think logically and work with great attention to detail.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely.
• Ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• The intern must have studies in communications, political or social sciences, law, public relations, journalism, public administration 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);
• Or 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 interest.
• Selected applicants must provide the internship application, two letters of recommendation, proof of health insurance and school enrollment, passport, and visa (if applicable).

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 (b) above) and, if selected, must commence the internship w

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 the professional or 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