Organisational Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
The UN-Habitat Digital Technologies, Innovation and Smart Cities internship is for 6 months.
The intern will be required to operate off-site, and no travel request will be approved, either as the part of onboarding, nor during the tenure of internship.
The Internship is UNPAID and full-time.
Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned.
Responsibilities
Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual’s background; the intern’s assigned office as well as the internship period.
Under the direct supervision of the Inter-regional Adviser (a.i.) at the Global
Solutions Division/ Programme Development Branch and in close collaboration with the Programme Management Officer at the External Relations, Strategy and Innovation Division/ Innovation Section the intern will:
- Familiarize with the UN-Habitat mandate, New Urban Agenda, urban targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, Paris and Sendai Frameworks among other global commitments as well as UN-Habitat Strategic Plan (2020 – 23), including the Flagship Programmes.
- Support UN-Habitat’s normative and operational initiatives,and strengthen innovation and technology capacity of UN-Habitat to respond to the challenges of the 21st century and accelerate towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including the expansion of partnerships.
- Support UN-Habitat’s Flagship Programme 2 on ‘People-Centered Smart Cities’ including exploring state-of-the-art funding opportunities, partnerships and new methodologies, such as open and challenge driven innovation and assist in building capacity of local government to effectively procure, test and implement frontier technologies.
- Support preparation of outputs e.g. concept notes, background papers, technical papers, and other documentation that may be necessary, draft communications related to these, and substantively edit key documents prepared by team members.
- Assist in the preparation, implementation, monitoring and reporting of projects and programmes within the Global Solutions Division/ Programme Development Branch and External Relations, Strategy and Innovation Division/ Innovation Section in support of regional and country offices as well as UN-Habitat branches in integrated project/ programme development, particularly related to the Flagship Programme on ‘People-Centered Smart Cities’.
- Assist in planning and organization of meetings or substantive presentations.
- Perform any other tasks as may be assigned from time to time by the team.
Competencies
Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
Client orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
Education
Applicants must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: a. 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 a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s, PhD or equivalent
Be computer literate in standard software applications.
Have demonstrated 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 include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
Preferred Area Of Study:Graduate or post-graduate studies related to Smart Cities, Data Science, Digital Rights, Digital Policy and Governance, Programming, Digital Transformation of Government, Open Data, (digital) Urban Planning, Architecture, Smart Mobility, Design Thinking,International Relations, Political Science or related areas.
Work Experience
Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for participation in the Programme. Are you a student in a Bachelor’s (final year), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have you completed a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s PhD or equivalent.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in English language is required.
Assessment
Potential candidates will be contacted by hiring manager directly for further consideration
Special Notice
Your application for this internship must include:
- A Completed application (Personal History Profile) and Cover Note, through the UN careers Portal. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
The Cover Note must include:
- Title of the degree you are currently pursuing
- Graduation Date
- IT skills and programmes you are proficient in
- Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship
Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme, ensure to include all past work experience (if any).
- Proof of enrollment from current University (if not graduated).
- A copy of degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
Due to a high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term ‘sexual exploitation’ means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term ‘sexual abuse’ means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term ‘sexual harassment’ means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on ‘Manuals’ hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.
How to Apply
Interested candidates are required to Click Here to Apply
Closing date: Friday, 22 May 2020
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.
