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 India Country Office, based in New Delhi, India, works to accelerate the advancement of gender equality and the empowerment of women through the strengthening of strategic partnerships, technical and policy advisory services and advocacy with governmental, inter-governmental and civil society partners. In addition, UN Women India CO is charged with leading and coordinating the UN system’s work on gender equality, including through ensuring accountability for results.

UN Women India Country Office invites nominations from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) actively working in the field of gender equality, women’s rights, and empowerment to apply for travel grants to participate in the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), scheduled for March 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Note:  UN Women shall support up to 5 participants under this grant. This is a travel grant only. The grantees will be expected to work with UN Women for next year in Beijing+ 30 discussions basis the learning from CSW69 participation. (until December’25)

Purpose of the Grant:  This travel grant aims to support the participation of Indian civil society representatives in the global dialogue on gender equality, providing an opportunity to:

1. Share innovative practices and grassroots experiences that promote women’s empowerment.
2. Engage in key discussions and advocacy on gender-responsive policies and contribute to international frameworks for women and girls’ rights in all their diversities.
3. Network with global leaders, activists, and policymakers.

Application for travel grant deadline: 15 January 2025

Notification of selected participants: 30 January 25, 2025

Application for registration to attend CSW69: 24 January 2025

CSW69 Session: March 2025.

Grant Coverage: The travel grant will cover:

• Round-trip Economy class airfare to New York (in accordance with UN Women travel policy)
• Accommodation – The participants will be expected to arrange their own accommodation. UN Women will reimburse the hotels within approved budget range rates as per the organization’s travel policy.
• A modest daily allowance for meals and local transportation.

Expected Deliverables:

• Contribute to UN Women’s on-going programme under the Beijing+30 Review.
• Work with the office for next year on Beijing+ 30 discussions basis the learning from CSW69 participation. (until December’25)
• Organize an experience sharing session/ brown bag, where the grantees will be expected to share their experiences and how CSW participation process unfolds with the aspiring participants for next year’s CSW.
• Help local networks connect and tap into global networks through 2-3 intergenerational/ cross-regional dialogues on feminist development and foreign policy spaces.
• To provide a learning and networking experience.
• Produce a strategy paper on CSO engagement in global normative frameworks, including CEDAW and Beijing 30+ and beyond (1500 words) and a presentation on practical steps to understand CSW participation process for aspiring first time participants.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The applicant must represent a registered Civil Society Organisation (CSO) working on issues related to gender equality and women’s rights.
• The CSO must be based in India and have a proven track record of working with marginalised women and communities.
• Preference will be given to applications from youth-led or women-led organisations, prioritising those working with/ representing marginalized communities.
• The applicant must have previous experience in advocacy, policy engagement, or grassroots mobilization in the field of women’s rights.

Disclaimer: ⁠Applicants with US visa will be given preference (Kindly share the copy of the visa, if already available). UN Women will support the visa application process by providing an official letter of invitation, if needed. Please note that UN Women cannot guarantee issuance of visas.

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:

Not Applicable

Application Process and Selection Criteria

The application will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance of the organization’s work to CSW69’s thematic focus.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality and empowerment of women, especially marginalized groups.
• The potential impact of participation on local and national gender advocacy.
• Ability to advocate with national government on the Beijing 30+ and CSW agenda.

Interested applicants are required to submit:

1. A cover letter explaining how participation in CSW69 aligns with the organization’s goals and ongoing projects.
2. Nomination letter from the Head of the organisation/ CSO
3. A detailed proposal (max 1000 words) outlining
   • The organization’s key achievements in promoting gender equality.
   • Expected outcomes from attending CSW69 and how the organisation plans to utilize this opportunity to advance gender justice.
4. Proof of registration as a non-profit entity.
5. CVs or profiles of the participants who will represent the organisation.

Please annex the answers to the below questions along with your cover letter, CV and proposal.

Section 1: Personal Information

Name:

Organisation:

Country:

Email:

Valid USA Visa (Y/ N):

Section 2: Participation in CSW’69

1. Are you affiliated to an ECOSOC accredited organization? (This is not a qualifying criteria)
2. Have you been invited to speak at any CSO side event or government sponsored side event at CSW 69 in 2025? If yes, please provide details

Section 3: Association with UN Women 

1. Have you received support from UN Women in the last five years, to participate in any intergovernmental meetings? If yes, please provide details
2. Has your organization received any funding support from UN Women in the last one year?

Section 4: Experience of advocacy work

1. Please describe briefly how your work (individual/organizational) relates to the priority and/or review theme for CSW69 addresses issues of intersectionality.
2. Do you have any experience of engaging with UN advocacy processes? If so, please describe briefly.
3. How would you contribute towards advocacy efforts in your respective country/region prior to as well as following CSW69?
4. Are you currently associated with any global/regional advocacy/lobby groups?
5. How would you contribute towards advancing UN Women’s mandate at the national/regional/global levels?
6. Please share any other thoughts on how you would contribute and what you intend to learn from the process.

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.)

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements