Brussels Liaison Office Intern / UN Women

The European Union (EU) constitutes a key global player in international development policy and is the largest donor in the sphere of international development aid.  The strategic focus of the office is on policy dialogue, joint advocacy, and joint programming with EU institutions to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. The office additionally supports the Strategic Partnerships Section in partnership building with selected EU MS as well as outreach to civil society, UN agencies based in Brussels and other actors.

Guided by the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the European Union (EU) and UN Women in 2012 and re-committed to in 2016 and 2022, the Brussels Office Team supports, in cooperation with UN Women’s field presence and headquarters, resource mobilization and partnership building with the EU institutions. It leads UN Women’s corporate analysis of developments and trends related to EU institutions. It supports UN Women’s field-based presences on collaboration with European Union Delegations and also engages with the UN Brussels team inter alia on influencing policy development in areas of competence through various policy working groups.

The Intern will support the team in sustaining and expanding UN Women’s partnership with the European Union and other stakeholders, supporting dialogue with the different EU institutions, supporting the implementation of the MoU, as well as supporting on communications and advocacy activities. S/he works closely with other members of UN Women Brussels team.

• Support the monitoring of relevant EU policy developments, particularly in key UN Women priority areas,  as well as the preparation of  policy briefs to share with relevant UN Women colleagues;
• Support the preparation of technical input to policy dialogue and consultations with the EU in collaboration with relevant UN Women colleagues.
• Provide support (organizational, technical, logistical) to the Brussels Office in view of missions to Brussels, meetings and other consultations with the EU, including preparation of briefs and other materials.

 Support to partnership building and resource mobilization support:

• Support the development and management of UN Women’s strategic partnerships and working-level relationships with Brussels-based stakeholders, including the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council, the City of Brussels and key civil society organizations;
• Support UN Women Brussels Office in resource mobilization efforts, including preparing and attending meetings with EU/MS counterparts or other possible partners when needed, etc.

Support to communication and advocacy of the Brussels Office:

• Support the preparation of high-quality briefing materials for missions and/or events;
• Support the visibility of the Liaison Office’s (LO)work as well as the visibility of the donor through communication activities (social media);
• Support the organization of advocacy activities and events with our partners (EU counterparts, civil society, UN agencies etc),  for International Women’s Day, European Humanitarian Forum, UN Women Partners Roundtable and European Development Days

Carry out other support tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Learning Objectives

• Learn about UN Women’ mandate globally and more specifically about the EU-UN Women strategic partnership and ongoing key files.
• Learn about the UN system and its inter-governmental processes, in particular CSW.
• Learn about UN Women strategic advocacy & communications for key events, including IWD, European Humanitarian Forum, UN Women’s Roundtable and European Development Days.

• 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/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Some knowledge and/or strong interest in gender equality and women’s rights issues.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with peers, colleagues;
• Communication skills (including social media management);
• Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes an asset;
• Some knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 software;
• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills;
• Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes an asset;
• Understanding of EU institutions an asset.

• University studies in one of the following disciplines: international relations, social studies, development studies 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 one-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:

• 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, 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).

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.)