Application Deadline: Friday 8 December 2023 12:00 Noon GMT

Are you interested in advocating for women and girls to ensure that they have the best life possible?   

If yes, consider applying to become a United Nations (UN) Representative working on behalf of Soroptimist International (SI) and join the current team of 19 dedicated Soroptimist Representatives.  

Soroptimist International is seeking to recruit three Representatives at the UN, two working with various commissions at UN offices in New York and one working on environment issues at the UN offices in Nairobi. Ideally, you would be currently based in New York or Nairobi – although hybrid working will be considered  

• You can download the UN New York Recruitment pack here.
• You can download the UN Nairobi Recruitment pack here.

SI UN Representatives work to ensure that the advocacy priorities of SI and the voices of  women and girls are shared across coalitions and networks working jointly to present key  messages to decision-makers at the global level.  SI’s advocacy work supports the organisation’s overarching goal to “Educate, Empower and Enable” all women and girls.  SI’s approach to advocacy work at the UN is therefore to address all issues through a human rights and gender lens. 

In relation to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, SI’s advocacy activities primarily focus on achieving the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 5: 

• SDG 4 is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”; and

 

• SDG 5 is to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

 

Working at Your UN Centre 

In general, each of the UN Centres has a focus area of work, such as gender equality, 

environment, food and agriculture, or education, for example. The exception to this is the UN Centre in New York, which serves as the UN’s headquarters and political centre, and addresses these issues collectively.  

All work must align with SI’s Strategic Plan and goals. 

Below is some general information about the focus of work that each UN Centre undertakes relevant to SI’s advocacy work. Each UN Centre has a specific SI workplan that ensures all SI UN Representatives at that Centre are allocated activities to further SI’s advocacy aims on Gender Equality. 

New York  

As the UN’s headquarters and the home of the General Assembly (UNGA), all areas of the UN’s work is discussed in New York. This Centre is also the home of UN Women. The team of SI UN Representatives in New York covers gender equality, sustainable development, financing for development, human trafficking, migration, social development, persons with disabilities, youth, ageing, and peace and security.  

This team of UN Representatives also follows UN processes and functional commissions such as the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Commission on Social Development (CSocD), the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), Open Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) and the UNGA 3rd Committee, which all address issues of direct concern to SI.  

The UN Representatives are also members of the related NGO Committees established under the umbrella of the Conference of NGOs (CoNGO) to facilitate the participation of NGOS with ECOSOC status. Some of the UN Representatives also contribute their expertise to other mechanisms established to promote the ideals of the UN. 

Nairobi 

The UN Office in Nairobi (UNON) focuses on environmental issues, and therefore covers the work of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).  

The umbrella topic of environment is broad and the issues addressed under it are equally so, with the regular consideration of relevant issues, including: the changing climate and its threat to the environment, peoples, and biodiversity, as well as habitat destruction and the exploitation of resources. Also considered are the impact that changes to the environment has on the lives of women and girls who require these resources and spaces to thrive.  

In addition to that listed above, SI’s UN Representatives in Nairobi focus on issues such as rural women, the effects of climate change on women and girls, as well as disaster risk reduction – although the Disaster Risk Reduction Office is located in Geneva. 

How to Apply:

For details on how to apply, please read the appropriate recruitment pack for the position you are interested in.

You can download the UN New York Recruitment pack here.

You can download the UN Nairobi Recruitment pack here.