UN Women, Ending Violence against Women and Girls Intern, Dakar, Senegal.

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 Senegal is one of the 10 country offices of the UN Women West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO). Based in Dakar, the office works closely with the Government of Senegal, civil society organizations (CSOs), other United Nations agencies, and the private sector to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in Senegal.

In line with UN Women Senegal’s Strategic Note 2025–2028, the office focuses on the following thematic priorities: Governance, women’s leadership, and political participation; Women’s economic empowerment; Ending violence against women and girls (EVAW); Women, peace, security, and humanitarian action.

In addition to these thematic priorities, within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024–2028, UN Women Senegal plays a leading coordination role within the United Nations Country Team in Senegal on gender mainstreaming and gender equality-related issues.

In the area of Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW), UN Women Senegal partners with a wide range of stakeholders, including government institutions, the United Nations system, civil society organizations, women’s and youth organizations, community-based actors, and the private sector to promote the prevention and response mechanisms to violence against women and girls; access to quality multi-sectoral services for survivors, including psycho-social support, legal assistance and protection services and the development and implementation of gender-responsive laws, policies, strategies, and awareness-raising initiatives aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.

The EVAW Team of UN Women’s Senegal Office is looking to recruit an intern to support the unit’s work.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

The intern will report to UN Women’s EVAW coordinator and is expected to work alongside and support the EVAW team with the following tasks:

• Assist in Identifying and map psychologists, psycho-social workers, institutions, and organizations working in the field of psycho-social support for survivors in Senegal;
• Develop and maintain a database of experts and potential partners;
• Identify existing tools, protocols, and practices used in psycho-social support services;
• Assist in Drafting technical sheets, guidance notes, and reference materials related to psycho-social support and contribute to the development and documentation of practical tools for field teams;
• Participate in EVAW activities, meetings, workshops, and related events;
• Provide operational and coordination support on activities required.

Learning goals include:

• Enhance knowledge of stakeholder mapping and partnership-building within the psycho-social and mental health sector in Senegal.
• Enhance knowledge on the policy, programmatic, and operational aspects of working at UN Women
• Better understanding of psycho-social approaches and protection mechanisms implemented in reception and care centers;
• Develop research, analytical, and reporting skills related to psycho-social support initiatives;
• Develop skills in targeted written communication for different audiences

Work as a team member in a multicultural setting and develop professional relationships with UN Women colleagues and colleagues from other UN agencies.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Good knowledge of protection and psycho-social support issues;
• Excellent analytical skills on gender and development including the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods;
• Excellent drafting skills in English and French;
• Strong computer skills (i.e., MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Zoom);
• Interest in the work of UN Women and in the ideals of the UN Charter;
• Energetic self-starter with multi-tasking abilities and discipline with deadlines;
• Ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes a willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

University studies in one of the following disciplines: Psychology; Social Work; Sociology; Social Sciences; gender and development or any other related psycho-social discipline.

Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or 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;

• Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);
• 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.

Experience:

• Having experience in gender studies-related issues is a plus.
• Having experience and knowledge of development issues in Senegal.
• Knowledge of the SDGs, especially SDG 5, is a plus.

Languages:

• Excellent communication skill (written and oral) in both French and English is required

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.

Statements :

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.