Urban Planner Internships at United Nations

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 city is the home of prosperity. It is the place where human beings find satisfaction of basic needs and access to essential public goods. The city is also where the ambitions, aspirations and other aspects of life are realized, providing contentment and happiness and where goods and culture is produced.

In 2012, the United Nations Humans Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) created a tool to measure the sustainability of cities. This tool known as The City Prosperity Index was accompanied by a conceptual matrix, the Wheel of Urban Prosperity. In 2013, UN- Habitat received numerous requests from local authorities and central governments to estimate their respective prosperity indexes. Mayors and other decision-makers wanted to know how their cities feature in comparison with other cities. This included knowledge on how to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, including gaining critical insights into which programmes and policies work, and the possible impacts these actions may have.

As a result of these demands, UN-Habitat transformed the City Prosperity Index into a global initiative known as the City Prosperity Initiative. UN-Habitat’s City Prosperity Initiative (CPI) enables city authorities, as well as local and national stakeholders, to identify opportunities and potential areas of intervention for their cities to become more prosperous. Its composite index made of six dimensions serves to define targets and goals that can support the formulation of evidence-based policies, including the definition of city-visions and long-term plans that are both ambitious and measurable.

The CPI is an integral part of the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development and is being adopted as a monitoring framework of the SDG Goal 11 and other SDGs that include urban components, as well as the New Urban Agenda. The CPI will enhance monitoring capacities of cities and will increase the prospects of higher accountability in the implementation of the 2030 Development Agenda and of the New Urban Agenda. Countries that decide to use the CPI will be able to identify, quantify, evaluate, monitor and report on progress made by cities and countries in a more structure manner.

The UN- HABITAT Urban Planner internship is for 6 months.

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.

Core 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

Requirements

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 a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.
• 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.
• Advanced University degree in Master of Science/Architecture/Urban Planning/Data Management, or related field that is relevant for urban data management and sustainable urban development. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for participation in the programme.

Languages

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

Special Notice

Your application for this internship must include:

• A Completed application (Personal History Profile) through the UN careers Portal. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.  In your Personal History Profile (PHP), be sure to include all past work experiences, IT Skills, and three references.
• Proof of enrollment (click on link to access and attach to your application: http://unon.org/content/internship-programme),
• List the IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in using, and Explain why you are the best candidate for the internship and what you hope to gain from the internship.
• A certified copy of degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
• Due to a high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.