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 Japan Liaison Office (JLO) was established in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo in April 2015. The Office works on extending policy dialogue by holding lectures, public events, and building strategic partnerships. In particular, the JLO performs its work through targeted outreach to various actors, including the government, parliaments, private enterprises, academics, NGOs, media and other organizations to keep them informed of UN Women’s work and role with regard to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

A prospective intern will assist in the planning and implementation of the Office’s communications, advocacy, and outreach strategies to increase the understanding and awareness of UN Women by its stakeholders such as the media, policy makers, private sector, students, academia and the public.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Communications and Advocacy Consultant of the JLO, the main responsibilities of the Intern will be to assist the work of the JLO especially focusing on the following:

• Support JLO in building public and private sector partnerships with a focus on HeForShe campaign and WPS (Women, Peace and Security);
• Assist the coordination with private, public, and academic entities in performing JLO’s advocacy activities;
• Assist the preparation for communication campaign/event in the lead up to the 10th anniversary of HeForShe’s establishment in Japan;
• Assist in outreach/communications activities including the creation of SNS content and website news stories etc;
• Monitor trends and issues which would impact gender equality and women’s empowerment in Japan and identify key opportunities for UN Women and JLO;
• Assist in the preparation and coordination of various JLO-led events;
• Help field inquiries from students, companies and general publics;
• Assist in research, logistical and operational support and provide other assistance, as identified.
• Other assignment as required.

Learning Objectives:

The internship offers the intern the opportunity to acquire direct exposure to UN Women’s work. It is designed to provide practical experience in various aspects of multilateral technical cooperation in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment, but also complements other international studies.

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 Competencies:

• Plan, develop and execute public-facing events;
• Collaborate with diverse external stakeholders;
• Ability to translate between English and Japanese and vice versa;
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (i.e. MS Word, Excel, Power Point);
• Social media and web design knowledge, including tools and programs, are desirable;
• Attention to detail, sound judgement and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Ability to work in a team;
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• University studies in one of the following disciplines: gender, human rights, development, communications, journalism, public policy, international relations, social studies or other relevant subjects is required.
• Meet one of the following:

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 Japanese 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. https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
• 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.