Intern, Democratic Governance and Gender Unit

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Archived vacancy details

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Issued by: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Vacancy number: VNODIC00737
Vacancy type: Intern
Field of expertise: Democratization
Duty station: Warsaw
Date of issue: 15 January 2019
Deadline for application: 30 January 2019 - 23:59 Central European Time (CET/CEST)

Background:

		The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the principal institution of the OSCE responsible for the human dimension. ODIHR is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and the rule of law. ODIHR's assistance projects and other activities are implemented in participating States in accordance with ODIHR's mandate. The Office’s Democratization Department implements activities in the following thematic areas: rule of law, democratic governance and gender, migration and freedom of movement, and legislative support. The ODIHR implements targeted assistance programmes facilitating and enhancing participating states’ compliance with OSCE commitments to the development of democratic structures. With regards to democratization, the Office has been entrusted with a specific democratic institution-building mandate, in line with human dimension commitments outlined in the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document, which states that “vigorous democracy depends on the existence as an integral part of national life of democratic values and practices as well as an extensive range of democratic institutions.” In addition, OSCE participating States have recognized that the equal and meaningful participation of women and men in political and public life is necessary for the effective functioning of a democratic society. The commitments of the OSCE participating States to gender equality have been highlighted in the 2004 OSCE Gender Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality, in which the importance of women’s participation in public and political life is specifically emphasized. The 2004 OSCE Gender Action Plan tasks ODIHR to “assist participating States in promoting women’s political participation” and “assist participating States in developing effective measures to bring about the equal participation of women in democratic processes and in developing good practices for their implementation”. Furthermore, the OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 7/09 on Women’s Participation in Political and Public Life calls on participating States to “consider providing for specific measures to achieve the goal of gender balance in all legislative, judicial and executive bodies” and “possible legislative measures” which would facilitate a more balanced participation of women and men, in particular in decision-making. To this end, the ODIHR Democratic Governance and Gender Unit implements a number of projects to strengthen political participation of women and build gender sensitive democratic institutions, including parliaments and political parties. ODIHR Democratic Governance and Gender Unit (DGGU) is looking to recruit an Intern for a 6 months’ period starting in March 2019 to support the Unit in implementing the aforementioned programmatic activities related to gender issues.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

		The Intern will provide assistance to ODIHR’s DGGU staff by supporting the organization and implementation of project activities, drafting reports, engaging in project research, liaising and communicating with project stakeholders, and performing other relevant tasks as assigned. Under the overall supervision of the Chief of the Democratic Governance and Gender Unit, the Intern will perform the following tasks: General: Providing research support, as appropriate, to capture current political, legislative and electoral developments in the OSCE region related to the implementation of programmatic activities; Providing supporting contributions to drafting, peer reviewing, proofreading and finalizing upcoming DGGU reports and publications; Supporting DGGU in its regular liaison with project partners and stakeholders in participating States, including representatives of civil society and government, to support the implementation of project activities and related follow up; Supporting the staff of DGGU in the substantive and logistical organization and co-ordination of programmatic activities, including study visits, conferences, roundtables, and meetings. Project-specific: The Intern will support the Unit’s project activities on women’s political participation by: Conducting background research and contributing to the preparation, and translation, if necessary, of concept notes, presentations, talking points, and briefing papers on women’s political participation in the OSCE region; Supporting the implementation of the programme on Increased participation of women in politics in the OSCE region and the gender component of the project on Promoting Democratization and Human Rights in Belarus. The Intern will support project activities targeting parliaments in the OSCE region by: Providing assistance in substantive and logistical organization of various high-level events on gender sensitive parliaments.

Necessary Qualifications:

		Students in the final year of higher education (university or other accredited institution) at graduate or postgraduate level or recent graduates or postgraduates, i.e. within two years of graduation; in law, international affairs, public administration, political or social sciences, gender studies or other related field; The upper age limit for applicants is 30 years; Applicants should be from an OSCE participating State; Fluency in written and oral English is essential. Fluency of Russian is highly desirable; Knowledge of democratic governance processes and gender equality, particularly the participation of women and/or youth in politics is desired; Excellent organizational and inter-personal skills, and the ability to liaise with a variety of governmental, non-governmental and ODIHR stakeholders; Excellent analytical, research and drafting skills; Experience with organizing trainings will be considered an asset; Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people and teams of different national and cultural backgrounds is required.

Required competencies:

		Core values Commitment: Actively contributes to achieving organizational goals Diversity: Respects others and values their diverse perspectives and contributions Integrity: Acts in a manner consistent with the Organization’s core values and organizational principles Accountability: Takes responsibility for own action and delegated work Core competencies Communication: Actively works to achieve clear and transparent communication with colleagues and with stakeholders of the Organization Collaboration: Works effectively with others on common goals and fosters a positive, trust-based working environment Planning: Works towards the achievement of goals in a structured and measured manner Analysis and decision-making: Analyses available information, draws well-founded conclusions and takes appropriate decisions Initiative-taking: Proposes and initiates new ideas, activities and projects Flexibility: Responds positively and effectively to changing circumstances Managerial competencies (for positions with managerial responsibilities) Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, builds trust and creates an enabling environment Strategic thinking: Identifies goals that advance the organizational agenda and develops plans for achieving them Managing performance: Helps to maximize team performance by providing active feedback and skill development opportunities

Remuneration Package:

		The OSCE is not in a position to pay any remuneration or cover any expenses incurred by the intern during his/her stay nor reimburse travel expenses. Some compensation towards the cost of living may be offered to interns who do not reside in the place of assignment, subject to availability of funds. The selected intern may participate in the group health insurance scheme at his/her own expense, but the OSCE will cover life and accident/disability insurance. If the intern opts to arrange his/her own medical coverage, he/she shall provide evidence of medical coverage for the duty station he/she applies to, and for any eventual duty trip destinations. The internship does not constitute a commitment to future employment with the OSCE.

How To Apply:

		If you meet the above requirements and wish to apply for this internship opportunity, please use the OSCE's online application link found under http://jobs.osce.org/. Please mention your availability dates in the cover letter. Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see http://www.osce.org/states. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, or offer an internship with modified terms of reference or a different duration. The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization. Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.