Intern – Public Space, Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and Public Facility

Work Location

In-person, Nairobi, Kenya

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Org. Setting and Reporting ABOUT UN-HABITAT The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations 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 position is in the Planning, Finance & Economy Section of the Urban Practices Branch (UPB) with the Global Solutions Division in Nairobi. The Global Solutions Division (GSD) is responsible for providing programmatic direction for UN-Habitat and is responsible and accountable for the programmatic delivery of the Strategic Plan. The Division leads the tools and methodology production and the integration of the various substantive competencies towards effective delivery of the Strategic Plan and the mandate of UN-Habitat. It provides substantive training to staff members and supports capacity development of Member States and partners. The Urban Practices Branch (UPB) is the tools and methodology production and skills centre of the UN-Habitat, that develops normative guidance and cutting-edge tools through communities of urban practice. It provides technical and policy advice approaches and methodologies to MCOs/CO, government and partners and mainstreams them throughout the programme portfolio. It also ensures that the cross-cutting area of safety and the social inclusion issues of human rights; gender; children, youth and older persons; and disability are developed and mainstreamed across the Agency. 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 design; (b) urban finance (municipal finance and urban development/projects finance); and (c) local economic development. THE GLOBAL PUBLIC SPACE PROGRAMME In 2011, UN-Habitat’s Governing Council mandated UN-Habitat, through a specific resolution on public space, to consolidate agency-wide work on public space, to develop and promote public space policy, coordination, disseminate knowledge and directly assist cities in public space initiatives. Following this resolution, UN-Habitat in 2012 established the Global Programme on Public Space. The Programme is working in 100 cities worldwide. The Programme provides technical support in developing city-wide public space strategies, conducting participatory design/visioning workshops, setting up public space management frameworks, conducting city-wide public space assessments, developing indicators to monitor implementation and assess impact, amongst others. The intern will work under the direct supervision of the Head of the Global Public Space Programme and will undertake the following duties: Responsibilities • Support to develop technical and normative outputs, including spatial strategy, situational analyses reports, proposals, maps, plans, and designs for public spaces. • Support to review normative tools, reports, research papers related to public space and public facilities. • Support the drafting of proposals, applications, newsletters, media articles with local partners for advocacy, networking and resource mobilization. • Contribute with planning and design inputs to ongoing public space related initiatives, including citywide and site-specific assessments. • Contribute to write policy briefs, concept notes, research papers and reports on the work of inclusive and resilient public space, public facilities and sustainable urban design approaches. • Support with preparation of workshops, community of practices sessions, site investigation, and other activities; write reports on workshops, meetings, charrettes, and other stakeholder engagements. • Provide inputs into PFES publications reports, proposals, concept notes, policy documents, guidelines, information materials, presentations, and other dissemination materials. Specific Duties: • Assist in the design and implementation of NbS projects within public spaces, and urban forests. Collaborate to develop a guide on applying NbS in urban planning. • Support in compiling NbS and biodiversity related work. • Work on mapping and GIS tasks to identify suitable locations for NBS interventions and public space enhancements. • Collaborate in the creation of educational materials and public outreach campaigns to raise awareness about the benefits of NbS and public spaces • Support the development of public space design plans, considering sustainability, and community needs. • Help with the organization of volunteer and community engagement events to involve local residents in NbS and public space maintenance. • Compile and analyse data related to the environmental and social impacts of NBS and public space projects for reporting and decision-making purposes. • Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor. Alternatively: • Collaborate to develop a guide on applying Public Space Methodology in community planning, design, and regeneration process. • Assist in the study, design, and implementation of public space and facility on either neighbourhood or city level. • Support identifying and mapping the approaches, tools, potential partners and sites for future collaboration in advancing inclusive and productive public space and facilities. • Assist in drafting the report for public space and facilities, compiling relevant statements, studies, data to clarify the framework, trends, demands, approaches and impacts of inclusive and productive public space and facilities, from the perspective of social inclusion and economic value. • Work on case studies world-wide to identify the public space and facility related best practices, principles and lessons learned. • Collaborate in the creation of educational materials, training sessions and public outreach campaigns to raise awareness about how to implement inclusive and resilient public space and facilities. • Help with the organization of international events to involve more stakeholders in and expand the network. • 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: Urban Planning, Urban Design, Environmental Sciences, Landscape Architecture or Architecture, or related field that is relevant for sustainable urban development and urban planning and design. – 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. The candidate has a portfolio of maps and designs of which he/she is the author. – Strong graphic representation skills, good hand drawing / sketching / are an asset. – Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, in GIS software such as ArcGIS, QGIS, etc. and in graphic software such as Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc are required. – Ability on deploying quantitative and qualitive research methods and analytical techniques is desirable. For instance, geo-processing, geo-referencing, land use classification, and other GIS techniques is desirable. 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. 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. Do you have knowledge and experience in public space related works, community regeneration, social inclusion or informal settlement related projects? Alternatively, do you have knowledge and experience in nature-based solutions, environmental and biodiversity related works, and in public spaces projects and programmes? Do you have proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, GIS software such as ArcGIS, QGIS, and in graphic software such as Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop?

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

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.