United Nations Human Settlements Programme Intern - Project LAC Jobs in Kenya
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme; UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. Based in Nairobi (Kenya), it is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-Habitat is the lead agency within the UN system for coordinating activities in the field of human settlement development and the UN leading the collaboration with local and regional governments and their networks. During the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2015, 193 Member States, convened at the Global Summit on Sustainable Development to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs are universal and relevant to all Member States, from both the global north and global south. As demonstrated in the past years of implementation, it is widely acknowledged that the local level and local action are critical for the overall success of the 2030 Agenda – the SDGs need to be localized. In this context, UN-Habitat has developed a comprehensive approach to support and empower local and regional governments to localize the SDGs, including:
(i) Global Urban Monitoring Framework;
(2) Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs);
(3) SDG Cities Initiative; (
4) Multilevel Governance for the SDGs;
(5) Local 2030 Coalition.
SDG Localization is considered one of UN-Habitat’s strategic priorities. In this sense, the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team, under the Urban Practices Branch, is mandated to coordinate the support towards local and regional governments and SDG localization within the Agency.
To successfully deliver on the above-mentioned approach globally, the SDG Localization and Local Governments Team works through four workstreams: (
1) Technical assistance;
(2) Learning and Capacity Building;
(3) Political Engagement with Local and Regional Governments;
(4) Advocacy and Communication.
Duties and Responsibilities
o Support the coordination of programme activities on the project “Accelerating SDG Localization through digital transformation. Fostering inclusive innovation to solve local challenges in Costa Rica”, such as drafting the project concept notes and agreements ot the development of workplans.
o Support the provision of technical advice to UN-Habitat's Regional Office for Latin America, and Sub Regional Offices on the SDG Localization-related projects and tools.
o Perform analytical research of technical material related to the themes of SDG Localization and support the production of normative publications, strategic programme/project planning for Latin America and the Caribbean.
o Support the development of partnership engagement, assisting the development of proposals and agreements.
o Support event/meeting planning and preparation, including assistance in substantive tasks such as preparing contributions, developing agendas, logistical support, reporting, and follow-up actions.
o Support programme's database
Scholarship 2026/27
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