Background

UN Women – the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, strives to eradicate discrimination against women and girls. It champions the equal participation of women and men in all aspects of development, human rights, humanitarian efforts, peace, and security, as envisioned in the United Nations Charter.

In 2022, UN Women embarked on a critical initiative to support Afghan women affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly those in the diaspora within the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. This initiative aimed to provide a safe space for these women to engage in dialogue, build and maintain relationships, and collaborate on strategies to protect and advance gender equality. The focus was on empowering Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs), Women Peacebuilders (WPBs), women leaders, civil society, and a new generation of peace activists to leverage regional and global support and shape any future governance configuration in Afghanistan. UN Women’s ECARO conducted a comprehensive needs assessment to identify the capacities, solutions, and advocacy needs of Afghan WHRDs, WPBs, and young activists. This assessment was pivotal in understanding how to utilize regional and national policy and human rights institutions to promote solidarity for Afghan women’s rights and enhance their participation in peace processes. The findings from the needs assessment in the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan revealed critical issues, obstacles, and gaps in gender equality, women’s rights, and inclusive peace. These insights informed action planning to address the identified priorities and challenges. Afghan women participants also articulated their needs for capacity development and strengthening to tackle these challenges effectively.

Moving forward, this initiative will center on creating and facilitating safe and inclusive spaces for Afghan women, both within the country and in exile, to engage directly with international and regional decision-makers. This engagement aims to foster network- and alliance-building with women peacebuilders from other countries, strengthen coordination among key stakeholders, and collect and showcase gender-sensitive data to influence decision-makers in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

From April to 31 August 2024, UN Women is dedicated to prioritizing the creation of safe virtual and in-person spaces that foster the coming together of Afghan and Central Asian WPBs and WHRDs; and bolster advocacy initiatives that amplify the priorities of Afghan WHRDs, thereby informing and shaping policy decisions at the regional level by the international community. For this purpose, UN Women CO in the Kyrgyz Republic is seeking an intern from the Afghan refugee community in the Kyrgyz Republic to support the smooth implementation of the 4-month initiative in a frame of the UN Women global programme on “Enhancing Afghan Women’s Leadership for Sustainable Peace”. The programme is aimed at enhancing women leadership and participation and providing gender-responsive services to female refugees and the affected host communities in the wake of the crisis in neighboring Afghanistan.

Goals and Objectives

The main goal of this assignment is to support UN Women’s broader goal of enhancing women’s leadership and participation and building capacity of women and girls from diverse groups in gaining valuable work experience and skills that contribute to their personal and professional development. An intern from the Afghan refugee community would bring a unique perspective and understanding of the challenges and needs of the community, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the results achieved within the project on promoting social and economic integration of Afghan refugees in the Kyrgyz Republic. The internship will also enhance employability and build a professional network for Afghan refugee participants and foster professional skill development in diverse and multicultural environment and prepare them for successful transitions into the workforce.

Duration: The internship will last for about four months, commencing on 20th May and concluding on 31st August 2024.

Reporting: The intern will report directly to the Programme Coordinator and will also work closely with other team members, UNHCHR, and its legal and social partners to amplify advocacy efforts for Afghan women and girls empowerment.

Location: The internship will be based in Bishkek with potential field visits to project target areas and refugee communities.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Update the mapping of networks and CSOs representing Afghan women and girls in the Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asia.
• Assist in organizing regular exchanges and dialogues between Afghan women activists and WHRDs within and outside the country to prepare the inputs/messages for the regional/global events
• Assist in strategizing the role and level of engagement of in-country Afghan women. Define issues/ specific groups of Afghan women who will participate in the events.
• Support the leveraging of the Central Asian Women’s Leaders Caucus (CAWLC) chaired by the Kyrgyz Republic in 2024 to integrate Afghan women’s perspectives into regional dialogues.
• Support Afghan WPBs/WHRDs based in Central Asia in the development of the Biejing+30 review submission, communicating their inputs to the final recommendations.
• Facilitate Afghan WPBs/WHRDs’ contributions to the regional dialogue on COMPACT on WPS-HA, Peace Week in the Kyrgyz Republic and other relevant regional processes and events.
• Document the contributions and outcomes of the Afghan WPBs/WHRDs’ participation in the above-mentioned events.
• Conduct a series of online discussions with Afghan female students (in CA) in exile on the findings of ACO Quarterly WPS consultations.
• Design communication strategies to disseminate findings from UN Women-led needs assessment.
• Prepare publications/briefs/leaflets to present the results of CA discussions on the situation of Women in Afghanistan. Support in producing human interest stories portraying positive image of Afghan refugees to prevent hate speech and xenophobia
• Utilize creative methods, such as art tools, to amplify the voices of Afghan women activists.
• Any other tasks assigned by the Programme Coordinator.

Learning Objectives for the Internship

• Learn to plan, implement, and manage initiatives aimed at creating and facilitating safe spaces for dialogue on sensitive issues at various international and regional dialogue platforms with a focus on Afghan women activists, WPBs, and WHRDs.
• Learn to work effectively within a team and build networks with other organizations and UN agencies working in the field of forced displacement.
• Understand both national and international policies and regulations related to refugees and their integration within host communities.
• Enhance communication skills, particularly in the context of working with diverse communities and stakeholders.
• Develop skills in strategic planning for the inclusion of Afghan WPBs/WHRDs in regional processes.
• Enhance capacity in preparing advocacy materials and briefs for policy influence.
• Gain practical experience in a UN agency, understand its workings, and develop professional skills relevant to the humanitarian sector, peacebuilding and security.
• Enhance knowledge on UN Women’s mandate, core objectives and values, policies and regulations.
• Gain hands-on experience and develop practical skills relevant to the field of project management and enhance their employability and increase their chances of securing future employment.
• Build a valuable professional network, which can be beneficial for the career advancement.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity and ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural environment.
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication skills
• 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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to work effectively in a team environment, willingness to collaborate and contribute to a shared goal;
• Capability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders to manage event conceptualization and logistics, from planning to execution;
• Ability to conduct research/studies and to prepare reports, briefs, and other documents that reflect research outcomes;
• Proficiency in using digital tools for communication, collaboration, and information management on different social media platforms

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University studies in one of the following disciplines: International Relations, Social Science, Development Studies, Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance, Peacebuilding and Security, Gender studies, Public Administration, Political Science, Business Administration, Management & Operations, 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:

• Proficiency (written and oral) in English;
• Working knowledge of another UN language or local language is an advantage.

Remuneration:

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.)