Urban Planning & Design Intern

Contract

This is a I-1 contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about I-1 contracts.

Work Location

In-Person

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. For close to forty years, UN Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes. In total, UN-Habitat works in over 90 countries to advance the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the local level, in accordance with the commitments and principles set out in the New Urban Agenda. The position is located within the Planning, Finance & Economy Section, Urban Practices Branch, UN-HABITAT, Nairobi, Kenya.

The Planning, Finance & Economy Section is responsible for coordinating the Agency's substantive, normative and operational work on various dimensions of planning, finance and economy. The Planning, Finance & Economy 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 (a) urban and territorial planning at all scales including urban design and public space; (b) urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance); and (c) local economic development.

Urban Planning and Infrastructure for Migration Contexts Programme UN-Habitat is partnering with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to improve access to reliable services and socio economic opportunities for migrants and refugees in urban settlements. The programme will support municipalities hosting displaced populations in Jordan, Egypt and Cameroon. Cities in these three countries have been selected through full consultation with both SECO and UN-Habitat country representatives. In the selected cities, the programme will foster multi-sectoral collaboration between UN-Habitat, national and local governments, humanitarian actors, development banks and local communities notably internally displaced populations.

This Programme will address the critical challenges in supporting displaced populations in urban areas, through integrating them into overall urban development processes, considering the Humanitarian- Development and Peace/Triple Nexus.

CAMEROON – Douala Cameroon has been hosting IDPs and refugees for more than a decade, whose numbers have increased in the last five years due to internal (Anglophone crisis, Boko Haram) and external (instability in Central African Republic) conflicts fueled by religious and political grievances. Cameroon currently hosts 1,787,420 people of concern, including 274,520 Central African Republic refugees, 113,861 Nigerian refugees, 36,357 urban refugees and asylum seekers of various nationalities, 1,001,279 IDPs and 360,838 returnees (former IDPs). In order to support local municipalities in alleviating the pressure that population influxes can create on the provision of basic services and infrastructure and socio- economic conditions, the first phase of the UPIMC project in Cameroon has been launched in Douala.

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 Chief of Planning, Finance and Economy Section, the intern will: Specific Duties: - Support the development and preparation of the urban profile of Douala 3, and for the selected vulnerable neighborhoods. - Support spatial planning discussion, spatial analysis, data collection and mapping and reporting of Douala 3 and Douala 4. - Support on the preparation of participatory activities of Douala 3 and Douala 4 in logistics and elaboration of technical material. - Participate in spatial planning discussions and development of territorial, urban planning strategies, Plans and Projects. - Assist in the development of content and methodology on inclusive and sustainable urban planning and development. - Assist in the SDG’s localization in urban planning policy frameworks, guidelines, policies, presentations through identification and review of relevant publications and documents, drafting and commenting on documents, and assist in producing information materials. - Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Task Opportunities: Accessibility - Familiarizing oneself with the United Nations. - Familiarizing oneself with climate adaptation, social inclusion, migration, urban regeneration, urban-rural linkage, and urban territorial planning topics.

Qualifications/special skills

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). b. Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent). c. 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 studies: Urban Planning, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Urban Policy, Geography, Architecture, or any other related field. No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. Strong knowledge on urban planning analyses and diagnostic is desirable. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, GIS software such as ArcGIS, QGIS, etc. and graphic software such as Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc is required. Strong graphic representation skills, good hand drawing/sketching is desirable.

Languages

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

Additional Information

Not available.

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.