Work Location

In-person, Montréal, Canada

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Org. Setting and Reporting 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 close to forty years, UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes. The Montreal Office fosters linkages among research, policy, and action to advance sustainable urban development globally. The office will activate a network of key partners to accelerate the quality and scale of urban sustainability solutions to implement the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan, with a focus on housing, land use and basic service provision and their linkage to climate and biodiversity action to enhance urban resilience and promote equity and justice. The office will establish a hub to advance the development and synthesis of science, data, innovation, and solutions on urban sustainability. In addition, the Montreal Office will establish close working relations with Canadian and North American subnational governments, grassroots organizations, practitioners, the private sector and other relevant constituency groups. The focus of this internship position is to provide substantive support to the work of the Montreal Office under the general supervision of the Senior Programme Management Officer, reporting to the Programme Management Officer. The intern will carry out duties and responsibilities within the below framework. Responsibilities • Programmatic: Assisting in planning and implementing sustainable urbanization projects, with a focus on housing, land use and public service delivery and their interlinkage with climate mitigation and adaptation/ resilience, biodiversity protection and social equity and justice. Supporting the development of new projects at country, regional or global levels connecting research, data analysis, policy and action on sustainable urban development. • Knowledge management: Research on contemporary topics related to cities, climate change, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable urbanization, with a view to support the above operations, in the Canadian context and globally. Supporting partnerships and network of a wide-ranging group of urban stakeholders. Supporting UN-Habitat’s preparations in global events such as United Nations Habitat Assembly 2025, World Summit on Social Development, WUF13, and others. Development and maintenance of databases. • Communication: Supporting the planning, preparation, and delivery of outreach and public events, such as speeches and talking points, training events, seminars and conferences, assist in communications, website and social media presence. Supporting drafting of material and/or stories for external and internal audiences. • Other: Supporting tasks relevant to candidate and the Team, as jointly determined. • Other: Supporting tasks relevant to candidate and the Team, as jointly determined.

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: Currently pursuing or holding a degree in Urban Studies, International Development, Urban Planning, Political and International Affairs, Climate Change, Environmental Sciences or Management, Geography, Economics, Computer Science or Machine Learning, Communications or similar relevant topic is required (Master degree or PhD candidate preferable). 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. 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 substantive work on housing, climate justice and inclusive and sustainable urban development or related area is desirable. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples

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.