Intern: Programme Management

Job Description

Work Location: In-person in Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Colombo; Remote for Kabul

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.

This position is open for UN-Habitat Country Offices in Vientiane (Lao PDR), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Kabul (Afghanistan).

UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific was established in 1997 in Fukuoka, Japan. ROAP oversees 15 country offices and engages in 42 countries in the region. Countries with UN-Habitat Offices include: Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, India, Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Internships are deployed in the Regional Office and the majority of the offices in countries, subject to demand and security.

UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029 centers around three interconnected impact areas:

1. Equitable and Inclusive Prosperity for Poverty Eradication
   Adequate housing as a driver of stability, opportunity, and economic growth.
2. Environment and Climate Action
   Promoting sustainable housing design, land use, and urban planning to reduce emissions and enhance climate resilience.
3. Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Reconstruction
   Ensuring housing and services support displaced populations and post-crisis recovery.

The Internship is UNPAID and a full-time assignment. Interns will also be personally responsible for obtaining necessary visas, insurance and arranging their own travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed.

Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, positions at the professional level and above carrying international recruitment status during the period of the internship or for the six months immediately following the expiration date of the internship.

Responsibilities

Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of an UN-Habitat staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned. The internship offers an exciting and vibrant learning environment for the intern due to the close linkage between local and country level technical assistance and normative work on the county and/or regional level.

Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual’s background and the needs of the unit where the intern is placed.

The intern reports to one of the Substantive Officers overseeing their country and thematic areas of work.

The intern will focus his/her work on one or more of the following thematic and operational areas of the respective country office:

• Support to country level and sub-regional programmes
• Support to Project/Programme Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation
• Support to Research, Publications, Communication

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Assist in planning and implementing, monitoring and reporting and evaluating of regional and country-level projects and programmes relating to the above-mentioned Subprogrammes;
• Support inter-agency collaboration and collaboration between country teams, both in relation to development and humanitarian issues;
• Assist in the administration, budgeting and other management aspects of new and ongoing projects;
• Support tracking of and responding to funding calls and support resource mobilization;
• Support information and knowledge management;
• Assist in the preparation of concept and position papers, background documents, project documents and publications;
• Assist with communication and drafting of web stories and with the management of information and website content;
• Assist in the preparation, implementation and follow-up of various meetings and workshops;
• Undertake other assignments as required for the development and implementation of the work programme of the country office.

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:

• Architecture / Urban Design
• Studies in Urban Development / Planning / Geography / Geospatial Urban Information Sciences
• Migration and Displacement
• Humanitarian Management and Protection
• Urban Environment / Environmental Management
• Waste Management
• Ecology
• Climate Change
• DRR, Resilience
• Civil / Water and Waste Engineering
• Urban Economics / Finance
• Land Administration
• Development Studies
• Smart city
• Affordable housing
• Environmental Science specializing in Bio-Diversity/ Conservation
• Public Policy, Governance
• Technology Governance and Innovation
• Project Cycle Management, Monitoring and Evaluation
• Public Communications / Journalism / Publication Management
• Administration / Finance / Procurement / HR Management and related.

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), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s 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.

Good communication skills are required, including in virtual meeting settings and when making documents and presentations or producing social media content.

Good research skills in the field of sustainable urban development or (the social dimension of) climate change are desirable.

The candidate should indicate how an internship with UN-Habitat corresponds to their academic interests or will contribute to their professional development and explain why she/he would be a strong candidate for this internship. The candidate should further explain their preferred modality (in-person, hybrid, remote), their earliest and latest start date and the number of months they can commit. Candidates should clearly identify their preferred duty station and rank them in order of preference. Candidates interested in a remote internship in support of the Kabul office can apply.

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.

DEADLINE: March 24, 2026