Coordination Intern

Description

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.

UN Women’s UN System Coordination Division (UNSCD), leads and supports UN Women’s Coordination Mandate across the UN system, including UN Women internal coordination, to ensure that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are central to the UN’s policies, programs, and results. 

Its role amplifies impact and increases efficiency by positioning gender equality as a catalyst for sustainable development, peace, humanitarian action and human rights, following the principles of non-discrimination and intersectionality and helping to translate global commitments into action across UN entities and at country level. 

Through this role, the Division supports country and regional offices, UNCTs, and UN agencies in aligning their efforts with gender equality and women’s empowerment priorities, by providing standards, technical guidance, capacity-development, tools and data, promoting accountability and convening multistakeholder partnerships that bring together governments, civil society, the private sector, and the UN system to co-create solutions and drive collective action.

Under the direct supervision of the UNSCD Deputy Director, the Coordination Intern will support the general management and coordination of the UNSCD.

Description of Responsibilities

Provide technical and operational support to strategic planning and corporate coordination processes, including:

• Support the development, consolidation and monitoring of UNSCD annual workplan, results frameworks and strategic planning documents;
• Contribute to the preparation of strategic notes, concept notes and internal planning documents supporting the Deputy Director and UNSCD senior management;
• Support the integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment priorities into UN system-wide processes, common approaches and inter-agency frameworks;
• Assist in the preparation of briefing notes, background papers and presentations for senior leadership engagements, inter-agency meetings and external events.

Provide technical and operational support to UN system and inter-agency coordination efforts:

• Support the compilation, analysis and maintenance of up-to-date information related to UN system coordination mechanisms, technical bodies and inter-agency processes relevant to UNSCD;
• Assist in coordination and follow-up related to UNCD activities on coordination across the UN system;
• Provide substantive and logistical support to the organization of high-level inter-agency meetings, events or processes (e.g. CSW-related coordination, UN system consultations).
• Provide technical support to the Secretariat of the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP);

Provide technical and logistical support to UNCSD coordination and partnerships efforts:

• Support UNSCD’s engagement with internal and external stakeholders, including UN entities, Member States, civil society, academia and other partners, to strengthen system-wide coordination on gender equality;
• Assist in organizing and documenting coordination meetings, consultations and briefings convened by UNSCD, including preparation of agendas, background notes, summaries and action points;
• Support internal coordination across UN Women divisions and offices in relation to UNSCD mandates and deliverables.
• Contribute to advocacy, communications and resource mobilization efforts by supporting background research, proposal inputs and stakeholder outreach.

Learning Objectives

•    Increased understanding of UN Women’s coordination mandate and the functioning of the UN system.
•    Enhanced knowledge of system-wide gender equality frameworks, accountability mechanisms and UN reform processes.
•    Strengthened skills in strategic planning, coordination, stakeholder engagement and partnership-building.
•    Improved research, analytical, drafting and meeting management skills in a multilateral environment.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Possesses substantive knowledge in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment, human rights and sustainable development. 
• Demonstrated ability to develop and use systems and processes in order to achieve results. 
• Strong communication skills (oral and written) and ability to synthesize information in a highly compelling manner. 
• Ability to be a self-starter with demonstrated ability to work independently ant take initiative, handle documents with confidentiality and develop strong institutional relations.

Qualifications

Education:

• University studies in one of the following disciplines: gender issues, political affairs, international relations or other relevant subjects is required.  

Meet one of the following: 

1. Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); 
2. Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); 
3. Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a two-year period of graduation; or 
4. 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:

• Fluency in English is 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:

Due to the high volume of applications received, UN Women 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). 
 

Statements :

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.