Internship Opportunities at UN-Habitat

Interns work five days per week under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned.

Responsibilities

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 Associate Human Rights and Social Inclusion Officer the intern will:

• Support the development of internal human rights and social inclusion capacity-building materials, which may require supporting and organizing meetings and webinars, carrying out background research, drafting surveys and communication materials, and other, similar such tasks as required.
• Support the development of other human rights materials such as reports, publications, concept notes etc, including by carrying out background research, attending relevant meetings and events.
• Support internal reporting, for example by gathering feedback from other teams.
• Support relevant internal and external meetings / events with a focus on human rights. This may include providing logistical support, meeting coordination, taking minutes of meetings during meetings, preparing support materials, drafting talking points, liaison with internal / external stakeholders, preparing summary reports, etc.
• Support the Associate Human Rights and Social Inclusion Officer as otherwise required.
• Carry out any other tasks requested to support the Human Rights and Social Inclusion Unit (this may include administrative tasks such as taking minutes of meetings).

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.

Education

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 Bachelor's degree, Masters, PhD or equivalent
• Be computer literate in standard software applications (Microsoft Office) e.g., Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel,
• PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, etc) and Adobe Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, etc.)
• 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 includes a willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Preferred areas of study:

• Law, human rights law or related field of study.

Work Experience

• 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.
• Experience in human rights capacity building is required
• Experience applying a human rights-based approach to sustainable development is desirable.

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Interns work five days per week under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned.

Responsibilities

Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual's background, the interns' assigned office as well as the internship period.

Under the direct supervision of the Associate Human Rights and Social Inclusion Officer, the intern will:

• Support the development of internal gender and human rights capacity-building materials, which may require supporting and organizing meetings and webinars, carrying out background research, drafting surveys and communication materials, and other, similar tasks as required.
• Support the development of other gender-mainstreaming materials such as reports, publications, concept notes etc, including by carrying out background research, attending and supporting relevant meetings and events, as well as any other relevant tasks.
• Support relevant internal and external meetings/events with a focus on gender. This may include providing logistical support, meeting coordination, taking minutes of meetings during meetings, preparing support materials, drafting talking points, liaison with internal/external stakeholders, etc. Support internal reporting, for example by gathering feedback from other teams, coordinating inputs, first drafts of reporting documents, etc.
• Support the Associate Human Rights and Social Inclusion Officer as otherwise required.
• Carry out any other tasks requested to support the Human Rights and Social Inclusion Unit (this may include administrative tasks such as taking minutes of meetings).

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.
• Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services. Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs. Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas. Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box." Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things. Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.
• Technological awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology. Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office. Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks. Shows willingness to learn new technology.
• Commitment to continuous learning: Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession. Actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally. Contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates. Shows willingness to learn from others. Seeks feedback to learn and improve.
• Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals. Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction. Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.
• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Empowers others to translate vision into results. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Empowers others to translate vision into results. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands
• Empowering others: Delegates responsibility, clarifies expectations, and gives staff autonomy in important areas of their work. Encourages others to set challenging goals. Holds others accountable for achieving results related to their area of responsibility. Genuinely values all staff members' input and expertise. Shows appreciation and rewards achievement and effort. Involves others when making decisions that affect them.
• Managing performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority. Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member. Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills. Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines. Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff. Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative. Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff. Appraises performance fairly.
• Building trust: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion. Manages in a deliberate and predictable way. Operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda. Places confidence in colleagues, staff members and clients. Gives proper credit to others. Follows through on agreed upon actions. Treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately.
• Judgement/decision making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

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 Bachelor's degree, Masters, PhD or equivalent
• Be computer literate in standard software applications (Microsoft Office) e.g., Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel,
• PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, etc) and Adobe Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, etc.)
• 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 includes a willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Preferred areas of study:

• Gender studies or related fields of studies with a focus on gender.