Urban Finance and Economy Internship

Org. 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 The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, 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 main documents outlining the mandate of the organization are the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, the Habitat Agenda, the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and UN General Assembly Resolution A/56/206.

About the Urban Practices Branch (UPB)

The Urban Practices Branch (UPB) is the thematic department at UN-Habitat with a mandate to support national and local government in urban planning, design and management related areas of work, such as national urban policies, metropolitan planning, strategic and detailed planning, urban-rural linkages, urban regeneration, public space, urban planning and innovation and urban planning and climate change.

About the Planning, Finance and Economy Section (PFES)

The Planning, Finance and Economy Section (PFES) is responsible for coordinating the Agency’s substantive, normative and operational work on various dimensions of planning, finance and economy. The 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 design;
(b) urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance); and
(c) local economic development.

 About the Urban Finance & Economy Unit

The Urban Finance & Economy Unit focuses on enhancing local governments’ ability to provide necessary infrastructure and urban services by providing strategic recommendations, technical assistance, and capacity building to improve financial management and access to external finance. In addition, the unit supports local government strategies to enhance economic development.

Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Planning Finance and Economy Section & the Urban Finance & Economy Coordinator, the intern will be responsible for the following duties:

• Supporting the development of the technical and normative outputs of PFES by assisting in gathering data, analyzing, contributing to preparation of reports and technical documents, preparation of presentations and other dissemination materials.
• Support capacity building on a variety of finance & economy themes.
• Assist in the development of content and methodology on Local Finance and Local Economic Development.

Specific Duties:

• Support PFES in carrying out research on Urban Finance and Local Economic Development issues and trends.
• Support PFES in preparing communication and fundraising materials in the space of Urban Finance and Local Economic Development. This can include Project Proposals and/or PowerPoint Presentations.
• Support PFES in coordinating, organizing, preparing and delivering capacity building and knowledge-sharing initiatives and events with stakeholders in the space of Urban Finance and Local Economic Development.
• Participate in brainstorming discussions with the Finance and Economy team and assist in developing new strategies for developing the Urban Economy work of PFES.
• Assist in development of guidelines and policies, drafting and commenting on documents, comment revision and producing information materials and supporting visuals.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

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 study: Applicants must be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent) or enrolled in a Master or PhD programme on: Public Finance, Local Finance, Economic Development, Local Economic Development, Public Policy, Public Administration or related field.

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.

Strong knowledge and experience related to public finance and/or economic development, especially at the local level, is desirable. Please describe your experience related to these topics.

Experience in the collection, analysis, interpretation and representation of data is desirable. Please describe any relevant experience in economic and financial data analysis.

Experience in developing written products, including reports, presentations, and communications materials is desirable. In your response, outline your experience with drafting content, structuring and developing outlines, editing, and formatting. Provide specific examples of written products you have worked on and highlight any skills or tools you have used in the process.

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.

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.