Gender and Justice Intern

Jul 30, 2019 | UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau
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Guinea Bissau is a country which is experiencing instability and fragility in many areas and the State is unable to provide the goods and services that the population needs - including justice. In order to strengthen the rule of law in strategic ways that can reduce the destructive impact of instability and fragility, the national authorities have drawn up a National Programme for the Reform of Justice (2015-2019), aimed at in-depth transformation of the justice sector. The United Nations are supporting the implementation of the reform through the UN Joint Programme on Police, Justice and Correction. In this regard UNDP has received funds from the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) to implement the “Placing Women at the centre of Justice Reform in Guinea-Bissau”, which is being implemented by UNDP, UNIOGBIS Gender Affairs Unit and UN WOMEN.

The overall goal of the project is to contribute to peace consolidation, long-term stability, social cohesion and security in Guinea-Bissau by promoting women’s rights and gender equality via placing women at the centre of the ongoing justice reform efforts. The project will:

I. Bring a gender sensitive lens to the revision of the legal framework;

II. Train relevant actors (legislators and justice system operators) on gender issues, and;

III. Develop adequate mechanisms to process individual cases of Guinea Bissau Violence (GBV), violence against women and girls, and gender discrimination (victims’ protection and case management), while

IV. Sensitizing and training women on their human rights and their role on peace and security processes, enabling them to actively participate in the ongoing peace process in Guinea-Bissau. It will contribute to the implementation of Justice Reform Programme, and to the UNIOGBIS mandate, which aims to support the government's efforts to strengthen the rule of law and participatory democracy in order to stabilize Guinea-Bissau.

The position is integrated into United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS)/Gender Affairs Unit and it will support the UNDP/PBF Project “Placing Women at the centre of Justice Reform in Guinea-Bissau”, managed by UNDP at the Bissau Guinean Ministry of Justice.

UNIOGBIS mandate:

Gender Affairs Unit is tasked with advising the Mission to ensure the mainstreaming of gender considerations in all aspects of the peace process, and supporting women and girls to articulate their agenda and take an active role in the stability and peacebuilding processes.

Project management:

The project is led by a Chief Technical Advisor backed by a coordinated committee including the three agencies UNDP, UN Women and Gender Unit/UNIOGBIS. UNDP is also hiring A UNV project officer who will coordinate the implementation of the project. The intern will join the project team, and work closely with project staff from national justice institutions and local authorities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the guidance and supervision of the Chief of Gender Unit and the additional supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor, in close collaboration with project staff and the International UNV, the intern will provide support to the following key tasks in the areas of women’s rights, women’s empowerment and Justice Reform policy and programming. A work plan with achievements for the duration of the Internship and learning opportunities will be agreed upon commencement of the internship. The assignment foresees strong engagement with local civil society actors and women’s groups and visit to field locations.

a. Operational

  • Provide technical and operational support to UNIOGBIS/GU for partnering with women’s civil society organisations and enhancing the technical capacity of social actors to engage with national authorities on key decision-making and implementation processes involving Justice Reform and access to service for women, particularly victims of gender discrimination and survivors of GBV;
  • Assist in organising events, workshops and training activities for legislators, Justice System operators, and political actors on women’s’ rights and access to justice needs in Guinea Bissau.

b. Partnerships, policy, and advocacy efforts

  • Contribute to supporting Gender Unit’s collaboration with relevant Government bodies by working closely with Government counterparts and national partners;
  • Seek and identify additional partnership opportunities, and nurture existing ones, also by preparing briefings and presentations in support of dissemination and mobilization to advance the project goals;
  • Assist to mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN collaborating agencies, and other relevant international and national organizations and donors (NGOS, the EU) to advance and support the project;
  • Assist in establishing strong ties to national programmes, to ensure relevance and sustainability of project results.

c. Facilitate knowledge management and sharing

  • Assist in managing stakeholders’ expectations and participate in communication activities to inform stakeholders of progress and issues;
  • Maintain a data base of project activities and assist project staff in preparing project progress reports;
  • Contribute to monitor and evaluate activities of the project, based on the project Results Framework and following PBF guidelines.

Competencies:

  • Awareness of Gender Issues
  • Accountability and strong reliability
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Proactivity and extremely dynamic
  • Effective Communication
  • Inclusive collaboration and team work
  • Stakeholder engagement and results oriented
  • Adaptable to field conditions
  • Tolerant and flexible
  • Embraces diversity
  • Good organisational and practical skills
  • Capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time;

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

To qualify for the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:

  • Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent(; (c) Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation;
  • Applicants should be pursuing/have completed academic studies in Gender, Law, Human Rights, Protection of Civilians or other similar subject at the university level.
  • Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Experience:

No professional work experience is required for participation in the Internship Programme, however, additional experience will be an asset/desirable:

  • Experience working with civil society organizations, NGO’s and development partners, is desirable.
  • Experience in delivering and/or preparing trainings, including preparing background materials, is an asset.
  • Experience focusing on implementing women’s rights in traditional settings and gender responsive justice mechanisms is an asset.
  • Knowledge of Guinea Bissau and/or Western Africa is desirable.

Language:

The work is basically bilingual and very good working knowledge of Portuguese and English or French, are required. Knowledge of Bissau-Guinean creole will be an advantage.

Learning Elements:

  • Increased understanding of UN Special Political Mission’s work and the UN system.
  • Better understanding of the gender equality and women’s rights dimensions of justice and GBV related issues.
  • Field experience
  • Learning different aspects of project management, implementation, knowledge management and operationalization of results.

Organization Setting and Reporting:

The internship is located in the Gender Affairs Unit/UNIOGBIS, and partly co-located in the Ministry of Justice and UNDP offices, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

The internship is unpaid and full-time. Interns are not staff members of the Organizations and do not represent it in any capacity.

Interns work five days per week (35 hours).

UNIOGBIS will grant:

  • Access to office space, equipment, IT support and any other systems and tools required to complete the objectives of the assignment;
  • Inclusion of the intern in emergency procedures such as evacuations;
  • DSA for official travel, when applicable;

How to apply:

Application Information:

  • Interested candidates should apply by providing their curriculum and a short motivation letter (includes the dates of availability for the internship - start and end date).
  • Interested candidates should fill in Personal History Profile in Inspira or send their CV and a short motivation letter, plus all the other requested documentation, to: (e-mail: touniogbis-recruitment@un.org )
  • UNIOGBIS will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.
  • Selected applicant, before starting the internship must provide the internship application, two letters of recommendation, a proof of school enrolment or any other relevant certificate, a proof of health insurance and a valid passport.

If you are interested in this internship, please send your complete application no later than 12th August 2019.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.