Work Location

In-person, Nairobi, Kenya

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 towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. UN- Habitat established the Data and Analytics Unit (DAU) under the Knowledge and Innovation branch as a specialized statistical unit in charge of global monitoring of the Habitat Agenda and other agendas with an urban linkage. DAU has more than 20 years’ experience in the collection, analysis and production of urban data at the world level and in specific cities. In line with UN-Habitat’s mandate, DAU is working to a) Improve the capacity of countries and cities to access relevant information, setting global standards in the design analysis and collection of urban data, and supports the translation of data/information into policy formulation; b) Guide methodological developments of the urban related indicators and targets used by the international development community to monitor global progress towards implementation of the NUA and the urban SDGs; c) Improve worldwide urban knowledge base by supporting governments, local authorities and civil societies in the development and application of policy-oriented urban indicators, statistics and other urban information. DAU is responsible for production of urban data and regular bi-annual updates to the Global Urban Indicators Database. In addition to addressing the Habitat Agenda, this database provides information on selected SDGs, especially those in Goal 11 and the New Urban Agenda (NUA). In 2020, the UN Statistical Commission tasked UN-Habitat with leading global efforts towards harmonization of monitoring of urban indicators across all UN agencies. Through a collaborative effort involving other UN agencies, city and national government representatives, academia, civil society groups among others, the Global Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF) was developed in 2021, bringing together indicators from a diversity of thematic indices as well global agenda such as the SDGs, NUA, the Sendai Framework etc and was endorsed for Global implementation by the United National Statistical Commission in 2022. Since then, the UMF forms the core indicator system for the urban indicators database and is increasingly being adopted as a monitoring and strategic planning tool in different cities globally. A key component of the UMF, as well as the underlying frameworks such as the SDGs and NUA in the need to adopt new technologies and approaches for data production – with particular emphasis on remotely sensed data, geospatial analysis and big data analytics. Not only do these technologies and data sources make it possible to produce relevant urban data for shorter time periods (producing timely data for decision making) but also makes it possible to scale up data processing activities at reduced costs. To leverage on these advantages, DAU has over the years scaled up its efforts around geospatial data analysis and big data mining as well as capacity development among national statistical systems on the utilization of the resources. Thanks to these efforts, data on SDG 11 and UMF indicators that rely on these technologies is today available for more than 1000 cities across the world. DAU is seeking a versatile and motivated intern to contribute to its geospatial data workstream, which includes among other things geospatial modeling, integration of geospatial and big data analytics, workflow automation, tools development, maps generation and interactive dashboard development. The Geospatial Data Analysis intern will work at the Knowledge and Innovation Branch, under the direct supervision of the geospatial data workstream lead and the Chief of the Data and Analytics Unit. Responsibilities The Intern will be responsible for the following tasks: i. Data Collection and Processing: Collect, clean, and preprocess spatial datasets related to urban dynamics, including demographics, housing, land use, transportation, and urban development. ii. Geospatial Analysis and Visualization: Supporting spatial analyses and creating thematic maps to illustrate trends in urban growth, land use patterns, and infrastructure dynamics. iii. Workflow Automation: Support in developing and refining Python scripts to automate data processing, spatial analysis, and mapping workflows related to urban systems. iv. Dashboard and Interactive Map Development: Design and implement interactive dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, etc ) and web maps (ArcGIS Online, etc) to present insights into urban dynamics for stakeholders. v. Reporting and Documentation: Document all workflows, methods, and processes.

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: Geography, geospatial science, remote sensing, urban planning, or any other closely 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 GIS and remote sensing tools (e.g., ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, QGIS, Erdas Imagine, ENVI, Google Earth Engine, etc.) is required. Proficiency in GIS-relevant programming skills, geostatistical workflows, and GIS online systems will is desirable. Proficiency in visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, ArcGIS Online, Tableau, etc.) is desirable.

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.