Intern to support engagement with Afghan women and girls refugees in Tajikistan

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.

The UN Women office in Tajikistan is dedicated to advancing gender equality and empowering women through strategic support to the Government, civil society, and other key players, fostering the development and implementation of innovative strategies. The office supports the efforts of local partners and UN entities to implement gender equality commitments in compliance with international standards, the UN human rights conventions, resolutions, and agreements ratified by the Republic of Tajikistan. By offering robust and coherent expertise and technical guidance, the office amplifies gender equality initiatives within national and UN frameworks. It also builds vital partnerships with civil society and stakeholders, reinforcing collaborative efforts towards gender-focused programming and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals as outlined in the 2030 Agenda.

Focusing on five strategic priorities, UN Women Programme Office in Tajikistan is implementing a wide range of projects focused on strengthening global norms and standards, increasing women’s leadership and political participation, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, engagement of women in all aspects of peace and security processes and Humanitarian Action.

For the purpose of providing valuable opportunities for Afghan refugees to enhance their hands-on experience and skills and gain exposure to real-world work environments, UN Women in Tajikistan is seeking an intern to support the smooth implementation of the of the 5-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. It involves ensuring that all refugee women and girls, irrespective of their sex, age, nationality, ability, or status, have access to relevant, high-quality capacity building and livelihood support, and that their distinct needs, priorities, and capacities are taken into account and taken care of. 

    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 Tajikistan. 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 three months, commencing on 20th May and concluding on 31st August 2024.

Reporting: The intern will report directly to the Country Programme Manager and will also work closely with other team members and partners.

Location: The internship will be based in Dushanbe 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 Tajikistan and ECA region.
• Assist to organize/conduct the series of discussion with Afghan female activists to prepare the inputs/messages to the regional/global events.
• Assist to strategize 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 CSO partners in achieving their expected results on economic resilience and social integration of refugees and host community women and girls.
• Ensure that the interventions of the CSO partners focus on providing essential livelihood, psychological, legal, reproductive and health services for refugees from Afghanistan to address their basic needs.
• Assist in the preparation of the interim reports and presentations related to the projects on promoting social and economic integration of Afghan refugees in Tajikistan.
• Assist in monitoring and evaluating the projects on promoting social and economic integration of Afghan refugees in line with UN rules and regulations.
• Provide technical support to the CSO partners to facilitate the achievement of expected results.
• Facilitate in promoting communication and visibility of the mentioned projects.
• Manage the collection of stories and lessons learnt related to the projects and develop knowledge management products.
• Pay monitoring visits to projects target sites to ensure they are implemented in accordance with the agreed plan and that they fulfil planned objectives.
• Any other tasks assigned by the Country Programme Manager.

 Learning Objectives for the Internship

• Learn to plan, implement, and evaluate projects aimed at promoting the social and economic integration of Afghan refugees.
• 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.
• Learn strategies to advocate for the rights and needs of Afghan refugees.
• 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

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Functional Competencies:

• Work and drive progress both in teams and independently;
• Have an analytical and methodological mindset;
• Understand the nature of development programme work and what development results are;
• Be a self-starter and work in a structured and organized way;
• Advanced user in Excel and/or other data handling and statistical programmes.

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:

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English and Tajik 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 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.)