Data Analytics Internship United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

Expected duration
6 Months

Org. Setting and Reporting

UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate and affordable housing for all. It works with organisations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society and the private sector, to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development.  UN-Habitat, through the Land Housing and Shelter section, supports New Urban Agenda partners and governments at all levels in formulating and implementing progressive housing sector reforms, policies, programmes and legislation which contribute to the creation of inclusive and sustainable cities, and comply with international law relating to the right to adequate housing. It provides expertise to support sound analysis of the housing sector and, particularly the review of key legislation and elements affecting affordable housing provisions. UN-Habitat assists governments to formulate and implement policies and strategies designed to maximise the impact of housing in national socio-economic development and employment generation, as well as in sustainable urban development. It helps with in-depth local diagnosis of the state of the housing sector and provides technical support to the formulation of sustainable housing and construction sector related policies and programmes, as well as subsequent implementation strategies. The Land Housing and Shelter Section also acknowledged for its Slum upgrading approach aligned with the New Urban Agenda, the SDGs and implemented in many ACP countries with many success stories, lessons to be learnt and opportunities for upscaling. It seeks to tackle urban poverty through adaptive and pro-active measures and to enhance management of urbanization through strategic planning approaches for participatory and inclusive decision-making towards broader urban transformation. The UN-Habitat Regional Office for Africa is working with the Land Housing and Shelter Section to deliver a Regional Strategy for the SADC region that promotes a coherent and integrated approach to informal settlements.

Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Programme Officer, within the Land Housing and Shelter Section, the Policy and Strategy formulation intern will carry out the following responsibilities:

• Research support for the analysis of issues relating to informal settlements and slums in the SADC region
• Assist in the socio-economic analysis and identification of trends, across the SADC region and countries
• Support the production of analytical content, consolidating inputs, knowledge and capturing case studies, and writing chapter content.
• Assist in coordinating the formulation of a regional strategy, preparing drafts and topical inputs to chapters of the draft strategy
• Support all areas of the strategy design process: identification and agenda building, policy development, formulation and adoptions, implementation, and evaluation
• Support correspondence to and facilitation of the Technical Working Group (TWG), organizing and preparation of periodic meetings and/or workshops, experts and stakeholders
• Support in any other research, policy, strategy related tasks.

Qualifications/special skills

• Applicants must at the time of application, meet one of the following requirements:
  1. Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher),
  2. Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent),
  3. 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:
  1. Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher) such as urban development, environment related science, economics, sustainable development, global development, social or political sciences, international relations, or any other related field, or
  2. Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor level or equivalent) in a relevant study area, such as urban development, environment related science, economics, sustainable development, global development, social or political sciences, international relations, or any other related field.
• 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.
• Proficiency in data and statistical analysis techniques is required. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples.
• Proficiency in the use of statistical software packages (STATA, R, Python or other) is required. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples.
• Knowledge of databases and data management systems 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.

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.

APPLY ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE USING THIS LINK