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.

UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on four strategic priorities:

• Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems
• Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy
• All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence
• Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action

UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality, and in all deliberations and agreements linked to the 2030 Agenda. The entity works to position gender equality as fundamental to the Sustainable Development Goals, and a more inclusive world.

Internship Office Background

Established in Seoul in 2022 with support from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea, the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality the Centre seeks to function as a ‘knowledge hub’ to facilitate research, education & training, sharing of innovations and lessons learned, networking, and development of multi-stakeholder partnerships for the achievement of gender equality in the Asia-Pacific region. The Centre aims to contribute to operationalizing normative frameworks on gender equality and the empowerment of women, informing innovative approaches to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”), transforming harmful social norms in the fast-changing and unique social landscape of Asia and the Pacific, and forging partnerships across sectors. In 2023, the Centre will implement a full-scale programme with various partnerships building activities, as well as research, policy dialogue, and gender training activities.

The Centre has organized cornerstone events through its external relations team to establish the foundation of partnerships. These events include, but are not limited to:

1) “International Women’s Day celebration”, which brought together over 100 diplomats and international development experts from nearly 60 countries, including approximately 30 ambassadors and heads of international organizations based in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Read more.

2) “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” Campaign, where the stock exchange in the ROK dedicated its opening bell-ringing ceremony to promoting gender equality in the technology and innovation sector. Read more.

3) “The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Workshop for Korea” which served as a platform for over 60 private sector representatives to discuss challenges, share success stories, and learn from each other’s experiences in advancing gender equality. Read more.

4) “The Korea Peacekeeping Forum for Women’s Empowerment” co-hosted with the Ministry of the National Defense of the Republic of Korea, bringing together high and middle ranking military officials, diplomats, and UN staff, affirming the critical importance of the women, peace, and security agenda and promotion of gender equality in UN peacekeeping operations. Read more.

5) “The 1st Seoul Gender Equality Dialogue: Breaking Gender Barriers for a Better Future of Key Industries” which emphasized the critical need to address the under-representation of women in key industries such as infrastructure, technology, and finance. The corporate leaders from global companies gathered to discuss how to break gender barriers and create corporate policies that enable women to join, thrive in such sectors. Read more.

6) The forum “Engaging Men for Ending Gender-Based Violence” hosted on the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, a global international campaign to raise awareness and call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. Read more.

The internship will offer multi-faceted experience of deepening one’s knowledge on various gender issues and building the professional experience with practical skills with related communications, partnership development, and events organization for UN WOMEN, along with exposure to an international and regional network of UN WOMEN’s work. It will support organizing following events and activities in particular:

1. Cultivating partnerships with the private sector by hosting conferences and targeted networking opportunities
2. Engaging with government stakeholders to advance the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda by hosting regional meetings
3. Organizing key events for UN Women, such as the celebration of International Women’s Day
4. Promoting UN Women’s initiatives and campaigns, such as the HeForShe Campaign.
5. Strategizing the promotion of UN Women by collaborating with National Goodwill Ambassadors

The internship will provide exciting communication, collaboration, and networking opportunities with Korean government and non-government institutions, as well as with overseas UN WOMEN offices and their national partners in various countries in the Asia-Pacific Region. The internship will help refine the communications and writing skills in the field of international development with women’s empowerment and gender equality at heart. This internship experience will strengthen the candidate’s core skills for any career in the international development sector and beyond in the future.

Duties and Responsibilities

Assist Partnerships, and Communications work

• Supporting the organization of outreach and representation meetings, webinars and various events in Korea;
• Supporting communications work through social media postings, web content production, media outreach, and other public information work;
• Supporting the production of visual advocacy materials (e.g. videos, newsletters, brochures, reporting documents, knowledge products, promotional items);
• Supporting the production of various outreach, communications, and reporting materials (e.g. pitch decks, advocacy materials) and knowledge products for the Centre’s engagement;
• Design, write, edit, and/or proofread various working documents, knowledge & communication products, and correspondences;
• Performing liaison support as necessary in the day-to-day office operation.
• Supporting procurement operations for each event.
• Engaging in relevant external events to gather insights and idea for future programs, while establishing valuable networks and relationships.
• Establishing clear lines of communication with various stakeholders including those in the public and private sectors.

Learning Elements:

After completing this internship, the Intern will have:

• Increased understanding of UN Women’s work and the UN system;
• Increased substantive knowledge of gender equality work in Korea and in the Asia Pacific Region;
• Increased knowledge related to programme implementation, documentation and management;
• Increased work experience in communications and public information for the international development sector, under the leadership of senior professionals offering mentorship in this area;
• Increased pool of professional contacts through networking with UN Women colleagues and other UN colleagues throughout the UN System;
• Experience of working 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 Competency

• Research, writing, and organizational skills;
• Ability to work with different actors, including through remote contact;
• Ability to produce high-quality deliverables in a timely manner;
• Ability to take initiatives, ask questions, and contribute substantively;
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and Power Point.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing (in English), in a clear and concise manner;
• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards other.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• The intern must have studies in international development, gender studies, social sciences, or other subject relevant to this position, at the university level.
  • Meet one of the followings:

a)           Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);

b)           Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);

c)           Be enrolled in a mandatory national service programme of which the internship may form a part;

d)           Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within two-years of graduation.

Language

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English and Korean are required;

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 (https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/P_11_form_UNwomen%20-JUL%202021.docx) with Resume and Cover Letter for application.
• Interested candidates are invited to submit electronic applications via the job announcement page on https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_jobs.cfm, not later than 28 December 2023.
• Due to the high volume of applications received, we can ONLY contact successful candidates.
• Successful candidate will be required to provide a recommendation letter from the previous employer or supervisor, 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).

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.

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.)

*The UNDP application system allows only one attachment. If you submit your application through the UNDP application system, please combine all the required documents in one file before uploading on the job site. Applicants with incomplete submission will not be considered.*