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.

The UN Women Rwanda Country Office (CO) Strategic Note (2026–2029), aligned with NST II, the UNSDCF 2025–2029, and the UN Women Strategic Plan 2026–2029, advances a refocused country presence centered on upstream policy influence, evidence-based advocacy, catalytic programming, and strengthened UN system coordination to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). Leveraging UN Women’s triple mandate, normative, coordination, and operational, the CO plays a central coordination and advocacy role across national development processes and multi-stakeholder partnerships, strengthening inter-agency collaboration, supporting government-led gender integration in policies, plans, and budgets, and advancing strategic engagement with development partners, civil society, the private sector, and academia. The CO also promotes high-level advocacy, visibility, and accountability for GEWE commitments while facilitating knowledge exchange and positioning gender equality as a cross-cutting development priority. 

To fully operationalize the Strategic Note, the UN Women Rwanda Country Office will roll out targeted communication, outreach and advocacy initiatives to articulate its new positioning, demonstrate its value addition, and deepen partner engagement. It will capitalize on GEWE campaigns and key moments to foster dialogue and collaboration with diverse stakeholders. In addition, the Office will position itself as a trusted knowledge and learning hub by strengthening knowledge management and strategic storytelling. It will produce and disseminate high-quality, evidence-based knowledge products, including reports, briefs, and advocacy materials, to shape policy discourse, influence decision-making, and elevate visibility of results. The Office will also leverage strategic partnerships and platforms to amplify key messages and scale impact. In parallel, it will actively promote South–South cooperation and cross-country learning, facilitating the exchange and adaptation of promising GEWE practices across contexts. 

Through these efforts, the Office will enhance its visibility, credibility, and influence as a leader in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

In this framework, the Country Office proposes to engage a Partnership and Outreach Intern who will be responsible for providing partnership, visibility, and advocacy support as part of the Communication Team of the Country Office. The intern will contribute to the implementation of the office partnership, communication and visibility plan and more broadly support the implementation of the Country Office Annual Work Plan (2026), to strengthen strategic partnerships, visibility, and advocacy for GEWE.

The intern will work in close collaboration with Programme, Operations, and technical teams in the Rwanda Country Office, as well as UN Women teams at the East and Southern Africa Regional Office and relevant units across the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Support Strategic Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

• Conduct research and mapping of existing and potential partners, including development partners, private sector entities, foundations, academia, youth organizations, and civil society organizations.
• Maintain and update stakeholder databases and partnership tracking tools.
• Support the preparation of partnership profiles, briefing notes, stakeholder analyses, and engagement plans.
• Assist in organizing partnership meetings, consultations, missions, and high-level events.
• Prepare meeting minutes and follow up on agreed action points.

2. Support Resource Mobilization Efforts

• Assist in identifying funding opportunities and donor priorities.
• Contribute to the preparation of concept notes, donor briefs, presentations, and partnership proposals.
• Assist in maintaining records of donor engagements and funding opportunities.

3. Support Outreach, Advocacy and Visibility

• Support the implementation of outreach and advocacy initiatives aligned with UN Women Rwanda's Strategic Note.
• Assist in developing communication and visibility materials, including success stories, newsletters, presentations, social media content, and event materials.
• Support donor visibility initiatives and processes     

4. Knowledge Management and Reporting

• Support the collection, organization, and analysis of partnership and outreach information.
• Support documentation of lessons learned, good practices, and impact stories.
• Maintain organized electronic filing systems for partnership and outreach activities.

5. Other Responsibilities

• Provide logistical and administrative support for meetings, workshops, conferences, and missions.
• Undertake additional assignments related to partnerships, outreach, advocacy, and communications as required

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 research and analytical skills, preferably demonstrated through academic work or research assignments 
• Strong writing skills with the ability to draft clear and concise notes, emails, and summaries
• Ability to support event organization and coordination, including logistics and documentation 
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize work, and meet deadlines in a structured environment 
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in multicultural teams 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with digital communication tools and platforms

Qualifications

Education:

• University studies in one of the following disciplines: International Relations, Development Studies, Public Policy, Political Science, Communications, Gender Studies, Economics, Business Administration, Social Sciences or other relevant subjects is required. 

  Meet one of the following: 

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); 
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); 
• Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation; 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. 

Language:

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English are required; 
• Working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

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.