Inclusive and Resilient Urban Development - Intern (Hybrid)

Job Description

Work Location: Hybrid, Nairobi, Kenya

Expected duration: 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system.

UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty.

The position is in the Planning, Finance & Economy Section, the Global Solutions Division in Nairobi. The Global Solutions Division (GSD) is responsible for providing programmatic direction for UN-Habitat and is responsible and accountable for the programmatic delivery of the Strategic Plan. The Division leads the tools and methodology production and the integration of the various substantive competencies towards effective delivery of the Strategic Plan and the mandate of UN-Habitat. It provides substantive training to staff members and supports capacity development of Member States and partners.

The Planning and Finance Section is responsible for coordinating the Agencys substantive, normative and operational work on various dimensions of planning, finance and economy. The Planning and Finance Section aims to develop, document, pilot/test and disseminate planning policies, norms, standards, tools, methodologies, regulatory frameworks, operating procedures and practices at global, regional, national and sub-national levels in support of:

• urban and territorial planning at all scales including urban design and public space design;
• urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance); and
• local economic development.

In 2011, UN-Habitats Governing Council, through a specific resolution on public space, mandated the agency to consolidate its work on public space, develop and promote related policies, coordinate efforts, disseminate knowledge, and directly assist cities in public space initiatives. Following this resolution, UN-Habitat established the Global Programme on Public Space in 2012. Since then, the Programme has worked in over 100 cities worldwide, providing technical support in developing city-wide public space strategies, conducting participatory design and visioning workshops, setting up public space management frameworks, carrying out city-wide public space assessments, and developing indicators to monitor implementation and assess impact, among other activities.

The intern will work under the direct supervision of the coordinator of the public space and urban regeneration teams and will undertake the following duties:

Responsibilities

The intern will work under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of the Public Space and Urban Regeneration teams and will undertake the following duties:

Specific Duties:

• Support the Planning and Finance Section in mainstreaming gender and inclusion in sustainable urban development through Public Spaces and Urban Regeneration, by developing urban solutions through workshops, trainings, and seminars, in order to steer urban planning and design toward climate adaptation and social inclusion goals.
• Support producing desk and field research on topics related to sustainable, resilient and inclusive urban development, adequate housing, and urban planning.
• Assist in developing thematically or geographically tailored and contextualised reports, strategies, methodologies and guidelines on promoting compact, connected, inclusive, vibrant and resilient built environments, in alignment with international frameworks, such as the New Urban Agenda, the Pact for the Future, the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
• Assist in developing workshop and training material, and capacity reinforcement activities, for inclusive and resilient urban development, targeting local and national governments and urban professionals.
• Assist in producing strong project proposals, information and advocacy materials to support initiatives and projects. Support the development of local, national, regional and global networks gathering actors and initiatives for shared knowledge, mutual learning and scaling.
• Support preparations for the World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13), including event preparation, communication, and social media posts.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants must at the time of application, meet one of the following requirements:

• 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 program (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent),
• Have graduated with Bachelor’s degree, Masters, PhD or equivalent.

Be computer literate in standard software applications (Microsoft Office Suite).

Have demonstrated a keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter.

Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes a willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Preferred areas of study: Urban Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, Urban Policy, Human Geography, Social Sciences or related field that is relevant to sustainable urban development and urban planning and design.

Specific requirements:

• Strong graphic representation skills and good hand drawing/sketching are desirable.
• Previous experience in urban planning and design, with direct proven experience in drawing, mapping and preparing graphical material using computer-assisted design tools, such as Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop), AutoCAD, and ArcGIS/QGIS etc are required.
• Good and effective report writing and editing skills and proficiency in English are required. Knowledge of an additional UN language will be considered an asset.
• Familiarity with digital communication strategies, and knowledge of social media platforms will be highly valued.
• Previous experience in developing contexts will be considered desirable.

Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required.

Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Masters or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelors, Masters or Ph.D. Programme.

Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship position, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.

Additional Information

Do you have any previous UN internship experience? If yes, please indicate the UN entity and the specific dates.

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS BANK ACCOUNTS.

Deadline : Feb 10, 2026