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. It works towards the long-term goal of ensuring sustainable cities and communities as mandated by the Sustainable Development Goals framework (SDG 11).
As such, there are targets and indicators developed to this effect as short term guidance to enable monitoring of progress towards the attainment of SDG11, while linking and contributing to other SDG goals such as Poverty Eradication SDG1 with custodian mandate for access to basic services (SDG indicator 1.4.1) and land tenure security (SDG indicator 1.4.2) among others.
This internship position will support the Land, Housing and Shelter Section (LHSS) in the Urban Practices Branch within the Global Solutions Division of UN-Habitat. LHSS provides support to the development of norms and standards in conventions, declarations, regulatory frameworks, agreements, guidelines, codes of practice, and other standard-setting instruments, at global, regional, national and sub-national level in support of
a) the equitable supply of serviced land at scale;
b) efficient and effective land management systems;
c) freedom from arbitrary or forced eviction and the protection of the security of tenure for all;
d) the progressive achievement of universal access to adequate housing meeting the requirements for an adequate standard of living;
e) participatory urban regeneration and slum upgrading.
The intern will be under the supervision of the Associate Programme Officer of the Land, Housing and Shelter Section (LHSS) of UN-Habitat and will collaborate closely with colleagues in the LHSS.
The internship is for six (6) months. Applicants may request to undertake the internship remotely for a short part of the internship in view of constraints regarding their travels.
The work hours during the internship shall be determined based on individual discussion between the intern and the supervisor(s) taking into consideration the minimum requirements of the organization and the time difference between the hosting office and the location of the intern.
The Internship is UNPAID and full-time. Interns work five days per week under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned.
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the, Associate Programme Management Officer, Land Housing and Shelter Section, UN-HABITAT, the intern will:
- Design and visually format and layout knowledge products, including policy briefs, data analysis, reports, case studies, and human-interest stories, in close collaboration with the Land, Housing, and Shelter technical teams to ensure clear and engaging presentation.
- Conceptualize and produce infographics and other visual assets that effectively communicate complex data, research findings, and key messages in accessible and visually appealing formats.
- Design communication materials such as flyers, cards, roll-ups, and social media graphics and short videos to support advocacy efforts and enhance visibility of land, housing, and shelter initiatives and events.
- Support the sourcing of relevant images for various streams of work as needed for internal and external communications purposes.
- Support the design and implementation of land and housing-related advocacy campaigns.
- Support communications team in the development and management of the Housing Knowledge Platform, and other knowledge management platforms such as the Arab Land Initiative and the Global Land Tool Network websites, with a focus on creating, applying and or-improving their visual identity and graphic design standards.
- Support the organization of events and meetings, and provide on-site or virtual support during Land, Housing and Shelter-related workshops, webinars, and training sessions.
- Attend meetings and events as needed and prepare summaries or reports of key discussions and outcomes, as needed.
- Perform any other related tasks as required to support the implementation of the Land, Housing and Shelter Section’s work plan and objectives.
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: Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Visual Arts, Fine Arts, Digital Media, Architecture 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.
Experience in graphic design and communication is desirable.
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.
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.
