Work Location

In-person, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

Expected duration

6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Org. Setting and Reporting In the recent years, the Cote d’Ivoire portfolio has been increasing with active projects in various sectors (housing, community upgrading, waste management, climate change and resilient issues). On top of that, recently an MoU was signed between UN-HABITAT and the Government of Cote d’Ivoire to strengthen the areas of collaboration. Therefore, additional support is needed in the framework UN-Habitat activities in Cote d’Ivoire. The above-mentioned project “Improving resilience for coastal communities in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana’ was launched in September 2024 and will be implemented in these two countries with the operational support of three executing entities. The project will require a high level of commitment and coordination with the stakeholders. The intern, under the supervision of the project manager, will support on various tasks. The “Enhancing the opportunities of Labour Migrants and Local Communities in vulnerable conditions to integrate in Greater Abidjan” project, also named AMIC project, co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has been approved in 2021. The objective of this project is to carry out a two-phased four-year Action-Research project which focuses on broadening the sphere of opportunities for labour migrants and their host communities living in conditions of vulnerability to integrate in Greater Abidjan in a more inclusive, sustainable and safer manner, thus enhancing social cohesion and reducing environmental impact, thanks to the implementation of informed public policies, institutional capacity building and scalable pilot interventions. Plus, UN-Habitat is working on the implementation of the Waste Wice City Tool in the Greater Abidjan area, on the implementation of the Centre d’Excellence de l’Habitat, the installation of UN-Habitat Country Programme, a National Habitat Policy and a National Urban Policy. The sub-regional Center of Excellence on Habitat will serve as an innovative and sustainable knowledge hub that provides data, knowledge, expertise and long-term capacity building and training services to develop skills of practitioners on sustainable urban development in the eight (8) countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU- Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Togo, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire). UN-Habitat is expanding and developing its presence in those countries and needs support for its pro-gramme implementation. The intern will support the implementation and monitoring of technical cooperation activities in the following areas: – Climate adaptation – Migration – Housing and slum upgrading – Urban planning and urban and regional planning – Basic social services (water, sanitation and renewable energy) – Technical Writing and support of the report preparation The internship position is located at the UN-Habitat Country Office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The intern will work closely with the UN-Habitat’s team in Abidjan, coordinating as needed with the West Africa team at the Regional Office for Africa (ROAf) and Headquarters in Nairobi. The intern will contribute to the management and visibility of projects and programme in Côte d’Ivoire, reporting directly to the Country Manager. The intern’s responsibilities will include providing substantive and administrative support for the development and implementation of UN-Habitat’s portfolio in Cote d’Ivoire, within the Regional Representation for Africa. Responsibilities PROGRAMME – Provide substantive support in the implementation of the Improved resilience of coastal communities in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, financed by Adaptation Fund; – Provide administrative support to the work unit in the preparation of various project documents such as work plans, budgets, reports, and proposals on program implementation arrangements; – Participate in the planning, preparation and implementation of meetings, workshops, conferences, expert group meetings; – Identify sources, gather and compile data and information for the preparation of documents, guidelines, and other material as required; – Participate in writing project concept note in the framework of resource mobilization. COMMUNICATION – Assist with text edition of reports, articles, and concept notes as per request; – Support the elaboration of power point presentations related to UN-Habitat mandates; – Draft maps, dashboards and diagrams; – Assist in the development of UN-Habitat urban planning policy documents, guidelines, information materials and presentations through identification and review of relevant publications and documents, drafting and commenting on documents; – Assist in engagement activities with the government, private sector and community-based projects; – Translate Project and Support documents from French to English and vice-versa; – Support Communication and Visibility activities (publications, presentations, catalogues, folders, brochures, videos, online and handbooks regarding all the projects and areas UN-Habitat works); – Collect and share information on risk monitoring in the implementation of projects / programmes; – Any other tasks requested by the country team.

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 an advanced degree in Urban or Town Planning, Project management, Geography, Architecture, Social Science or related fields. (Preferably: Master or PhD candidate; Minimum: Final Year Undergraduate student) or recently graduated (maximum one year) with one of the previously mentioned areas. 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. Candidates must have participated in at least one project related to sustainable urban development as part of their academic project or professional experience. Are you familiar with the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs? Do you have good teamwork skills? Please explain giving an example Are you familiar with the urban context in the West Africa region? If yes, please explain.

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.