UN Women launches program for aspiring globaldev leaders

UN Women is hoping to support women's rights advocates from the global south in launching its international development careers through a new professional development program. The initiative is motivated by ongoing discussions around diversity and representation at UN Women, said Irena Sabados, a human resources specialist at the agency and focal point for the program. The events of the last year also prompted considerations around access to career opportunities at the agency and what barriers exist, especially for young people, she added. Through the Young Women Leaders Initiative, launched in partnership with UN Volunteers, 10 young advocates will receive a monthly living allowance and have their insurance, travel, and relocation costs covered while completing one-year placements across a range of departments and roles at UN Women. With travel still restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the successful candidates will start the program remotely but, ideally, will be able to make it to the agency’s headquarters in New York later in the year. “The hope is that this becomes a launching pad for their career,” Sabados said, and that the experience will allow these young women to build confidence and see themselves as future leaders in the UN system. The program is designed to equip them with stronger leadership skills and a better understanding of how multilateral organizations work, she explained. In addition to their day-to-day supervisor, candidates will be assigned a mentor and receive professional coaching on topics such as job applications and preparing for competency-based interviews. Women under the age of 29 who are from countries in the global south and are committed to gender equality can apply to the program through the UNV platform which, as with all U.N. applications, requires information on the candidate’s education and work history. However, Sabados stressed that those without previous internship or paid experience should not be put off from applying. She encouraged candidates not to overlook achievements from school or extracurricular activities and instead “recognize how those skills can translate to being successful UN colleagues, whether [that’s through] good communication skills … innovative thinking or taking initiative.” The agency is looking for young people who are driven in their area of work, emotionally intelligent, and innovative in thinking about how to remove barriers to equality, Sabados said. The current deadline for applications is Jan. 25. For successful candidates, the onboarding process will begin remotely from March, depending on their availability. Find out more and apply.