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
nearly forty years, UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements
worldwide, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and
cities of all sizes. The position is in the Basic Services and Climate Change
Programme, Egypt Office.
UN-HABITAT Egypt is continuing to grow rapidly to address the ever-growing
needs of Egypt's urban cities. In this light, UN-HABITAT is launching a number
of projects and initiatives in the mobility sector with the aim of promoting
sustainable mobility practices and policies. Mobility is fundamentally about
granting access to opportunities and empowering people to fully exercise their
human rights.
The sustainable mobility projects in process are managed by the Basic Services
and Climate Change Programme (BSCC). Key projects include establishing Egypt's
first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that connects new cities with the
capital, as well as Egypt's first public Bike-Sharing system to be implemented
in central Cairo. This is continuously complemented with initiatives and
complementary projects that ensure the advancement of the bigger picture of
sustainable mobility in a holistic and people-centered and gender-sensitive
manner. Further to activities in mobility, there are planned expansions of the
portfolio of sustainable cities activities in Egypt into the fields of urban
agriculture and green infrastructure in pursuit of more climate-resilient
cities.
Major challenges facing the cities of Egypt include the accelerating impact of
concrete-intensive and asphalt-intensive hardscape construction and the
depletion of natural assets in the city. This implies multiple adverse
environmental impacts including impact on urban biodiversity and thermal
discomfort for urban dwellers as a result of the heat island effect among
other impacts. In this respect, the envisioned future phase of developments in
the city involves conservation and expansion of urban natural assets and
advancing diverse solutions for green infrastructure to improve climate
adaptation capacity and enhance the quality of life. This includes potential
interventions in stormwater management, urban agriculture (including rooftop
spaces), heat stress mitigation, air quality improvement, sustainable energy
production, clean water, enhancing the quality of life, aesthetics and shading
elements in the city, and maximizing the impacts on the overall quality of
life. It is notable that these elements also indirectly serve the promotion of
walking, cycling, and public transport through the improvement of thermal
comfort and the enjoyability of commuting experiences in the city.
In this respect, the BSCC programme is now looking to assess the diversity of
civic-, public-, and private-sector stakeholders in the various proposed
projects for green infrastructure, assessing needs, as well as preparing
concept notes and developing partnerships to advance the BSCC green agenda.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Cairo, Egypt,
Basic Services and Climate Change Programme, Egypt Office internship, is for 6
(six) months.
The work hours during the internship shall be determined based on individual
discussion between the intern and the supervisor(s) considering the
organization's minimum requirements 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
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 Programme Assistant, Basic Services and
Climate Change Programme, Egypt Office the intern will:
Provide effective Programme Management support to the Mobility Portfolio:
* Assist in drafting concept notes for the expansion and replication of sustainable urban mobility projects.
* Assist with the research, preparation and implementation of complementing initiatives and activities that ensure the advancement of the bigger picture of sustainable mobility.
* Research new and innovative ideas for the development of the portfolio.
* Assist with the visibility and communication plan of the programme.
* Assist in the potential event organization and planning.
* Assist in preparing all necessary documents for organizing missions.
* Assist in carrying out necessary mobility project reporting and documentation as needed.
* Support on drafting and translating programme documents as needed.
* Conduct necessary research for literature reviews and for problem-solving as needed.
* Draft meeting minutes and agenda items as needed.
* Assist in proofreading and editing programme documents.
* Prepare and update presentations, in English and Arabic, for the portfolio, as needed.
Provide effective Partnership and Project development support to the
Programme:
* Assist in drafting concept note on green infrastructure awareness campaign and expert meetings.
* Visualize data collected during needs assessment and concept note preparation phases for green infrastructure projects being developed by the BSCC programme.
* Conducting research on international experiences in addressing heat island effects and reference projects successes and failures.
- Contribute to proposal writing and business development, including
undergoing extensive research, developing project vision and strategy, putting
together -
presentations for different stakeholders, support in meetings and networking.
Provide operational and administrative support to the Programme:
* Assist in processing and collecting data as needed.
* Draft formal correspondence, in both Arabic and English, as needed.
* Maintain proper filing of programme-related documents.
* Undertake other duties as may be assigned by his/her supervisors.
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' points of view. Establishes
and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and
respect. Identifies client's 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:
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).
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:
Political Science, Business Economics/Development Economics, Civil
Engineering; Urban Design or Urban Planning, or any other related field.
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 a non-profit/voluntary organization/activity is required.
Experience in design software, such as Adobe Photoshop etc. is desirable.
Experience in Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations
Secretariat. For this internship, fluency in written and oral English and
Arabic is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is
an advantage.
Assessment
Potential candidates will be contacted by the hiring manager directly for
further consideration.
Special Notice
Your application for this internship must include:
1. A completed application (Personal History Profile) and Cover Note, through
the UN careers Portal. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
The Cover Note must include:
Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme, ensure to
include all past work experience (if any).
2. Proof of enrollment from current University (if not graduated).
3. A copy of degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
Due to a high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will
be contacted.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations,
the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of
securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if
they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations
of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or
sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they
have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term "sexual
exploitation" means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of
vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including,
but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the
sexual exploitation of another. The term "sexual abuse" means the actual or
threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under
unequal or coercive conditions. The term "sexual harassment" means any
unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be
perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with
work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or
offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the
termination of the perpetrator's working relationship. Candidates who have
committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for
employment.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a
geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on
the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under
conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United
Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of
staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency,
competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United
Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General
and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United
Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all
internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically
to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions
established by the Secretary-General.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the
online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants
may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking
on "Manuals" hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder
homepage.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information
submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job
opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations
including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General
Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and
guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information
pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the
instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening.
No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to
applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration
for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information
provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m.
(New York time) on the deadline date.
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.
The United Nations Human Settlements (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing and promoting socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements, development, and the achievement of adequate shelter for all (www.unhabitat.org). UN-Habitat Egypt is continuin…