UN Women and UNV launch new Young Women Leaders Initiative

Originally published on UNV.org

UN Women, in partnership with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, is excited to introduce the UN Women “Young Women Leaders” (YWL) initiative. The YWL initiative will engage a diverse cohort of young women from the Global South who are committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment and to the mission and work of the United Nations. It will also allow the sharing of experiences among young leaders from diverse backgrounds across UN Women and further enhance diversity in UN Women’s personnel.

As part of the Young Women Leaders initiative, UN Women and UNV will recruit the first cohort of 10 young, talented and dedicated women to serve at UN Women’s headquarters as UN Youth Volunteers. While participating in a structured professional development programme, the YWL participants will be mentored by leaders in their respective fields of expertise. They will have the opportunity to contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment and become part of a network of young leaders at UN Women.

"The recent global mobilization for racial justice has shown how systems that perpetuate inequality can be easily disrupted. We are looking to young people to continue disrupting the status quo and to lead the way in building back more equal, unified and resilient societies for all.” — Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of UN Women

UNV will facilitate the recruitment of motivated young women from the Global South who have demonstrated a commitment to gender equality through their academic, extra-curricular, or volunteer activities, and with diverse educational interests, including management, administration, international relations, communication, advocacy, human rights, gender studies or international development.

"Diversity is also about opportunities and this is an important first step to increasing UN Women’s professional outreach.” — Muthoni Muriu, Senior Advisor on Diversity, Inclusion and Shared Leadership

One in five UN Volunteers currently serving with UN Women are youth, building on its commitment to a new generation of gender equality advocates and in line with UN Women’s Generation Equality Initiative. Each of these young volunteers is contributing in their own way, bringing diverse experiences, perspectives, and motivation to make a meaningful contribution.

If you are under the age of 29, a woman from the Global South, and passionate about volunteering for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the leading global institution working on this issue, check out the opportunities and apply at the following link: https://www.unv.org/calls/USAR000088-8509.

Women with disabilities, LGBTQI, gender non-conforming individuals, and other groups are especially encouraged to apply.