WILPF Women, Peace and Security Fellowship 2021/2022 for young Professionals

Application Deadline: May 24th 2021

The Women, Peace and Security Programme of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) offers fellowships for the period of 4-6 months through our New York City UN office. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this opportunity is remote for the foreseeable future.

The fellow will work closely with WILPF staff on monitoring, research and communications support on Women, Peace and Security issues in New York. The fellow will monitor Security Council debates and UN events, research and draft policy analysis, and support programme communications (including email and social media). 

This competitive fellowship is primarily aimed at individuals early in their careers who are interested in women, peace and security issues related to disarmament and women’s human rights. The experience offers an opportunity to research and write about women, peace and conflict issues and gain experience with a non-governmental organisation.

The fellowship requires a person with good communication skills, initiative, creativity, flexibility, a high level of organisation, an ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and commitment to WILPF’s mission, while maintaining WILPF’s high professional standards. This opportunity carries a stipend.

Opportunities

WILPF generally hires fellows to join the NY WPS team during three different periods annually: January-May, May-August, and September-December. We accept rolling applications for all of these periods and typically review applications a month and a half in advance.

**We will next be hiring for an fellow to start in summer 2021 for a remote position**

Qualifications

• Strong interest in working for a feminist, anti-militarist organisation and dedication to intersectional feminist values;
• Knowledge  or strong interest in issues related to women, peace and security and conflict prevention, including but not limited to militarism, sexual violence in conflict, women’s participation in political and peace-related decision-making;
• Currently be enrolled in a graduate programme (e.g., MA, MS, JD, LLM, PhD) or recently graduated with studies in fields such as international relations/affairs, international law, political science, public policy and administration, human rights, international development, international security, and gender studies or has comparable related experiences in this area;
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills and attention to detail;

• Working knowledge of traditional media, event planning, and social media;
• Ability to speak additional languages (especially Arabic, French, or Spanish) is an added bonus, but not required.

As a feminist, anti-militarist membership organisation, WILPF is dedicated to building a global movement in the pursuit of peace and the fulfilment of human rights. We welcome applications from people of colour, feminists from the Global South, LGBTQI+ people, individuals from conflict-affected and diaspora communities, and people with disabilities. We believe that experience comes in many different forms, and also encourage individuals who may not meet all of the listed qualifications to apply if they feel that they would be a good fit for the fellowship.

Expectations

The fellow should have the ability to commit to 4 full days per week with the WILPF UN office (or remotely dependent on the COVID-19 guidelines). The fellow’s work will be guided by the Programme Manager.

How to Apply

To be considered for the fellowship, applicants should submit the following in ONE SINGLE document: 

• One or two-page resume, indicating education, relevant past activities and experience;
• Cover Letter (one page, single-spaced), indicating your preferred start and end date;
• Two References, including names and contact information and/or a letter of recommendation from an academic or field professional;
• Writing Sample (no more than 5 pages), preferably addressing an issue related to women, peace and security, conflict prevention, or human rights, that demonstrates ability to write in short, clear and concrete language (may be an excerpt of longer work);

Submission Instructions:

• The subject of the email should be: “[Last Name, First Name] WILPF WPS Fellowship Application”
• All documents should be combined into ONE (1) SINGLE document ( PDF or DOCX file). 
• Please send your application to [email protected].

Due to the volume of applications, we request no phone calls please. We will reach out to short-listed candidates directly.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the WILPF Women, Peace and Security Fellowship