Urban Climate Resilience Intern

Bangkok, Thailand

4-6 months

Org. Setting and Reporting The Environment and Development Division’s Sustainable Urban Development Section is seeking one or two interns for a minimum of four months (preferably six, the maximum internship duration) to support its work on sustainable urban development and urban climate resilience in Asia and the Pacific, with a particular focus on urban heat resilience initiatives in South and South-West Asia. The internship is UNPAID and full-time in-person. Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned. The Sustainable Urban Development Section works with ESCAP member States and key stakeholders to advance resilient, inclusive and sustainable urban development across Asia and the Pacific. Current areas of work include urban climate resilience, urban heat adaptation, nature-based solutions, sustainable urban planning, localization, and climate-responsive urban policy and governance. The intern will primarily support project coordination, stakeholder engagement, workshop preparation, research, knowledge management, and communications activities linked to ongoing urban climate resilience initiatives. Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual's background and the internship period. Duties may include, but are not limited to: 1. Provide support to the organization and implementation of meetings, workshops, consultations and stakeholder engagement activities related to urban climate resilience and sustainable urban development initiatives, including drafting concept notes, agendas, workshop programmes, meeting summaries, presentations, communications materials, and supporting follow-up coordination activities (35%) 2. Assist with programme and project coordination tasks related to urban heat resilience initiatives, including maintaining project tracking tools, supporting coordination with consultants and partners, organizing project documentation, monitoring timelines and deliverables, and supporting implementation-related activities (30%) 3. Conduct research and support knowledge management activities on urban climate resilience, urban heat adaptation, sustainable urban planning, nature-based solutions, and related policies and practices in Asia and the Pacific, including preparation of background materials, case studies, and briefing notes (20%) 4. Support communications, outreach and operational tasks related to the Section’s work, including drafting website and social media content, preparing visual materials and presentations, organizing photo and knowledge assets, and supporting updates to webpages and project documentation (15%)

To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, applicants must, at the time of application, meet one of the following requirements: (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher related to international development, sustainable development, urban planning, urban development, policy analysis, environmental management, social science, development practice, international relations, public health or related disciplines; or (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent related to sustainable development, urban planning, urban development, environmental management, development practice, international relations, public health or related disciplines. Special skills (a) Strong organizational and coordination skills are desirable. (b) Experience supporting workshops, events, stakeholder engagement, or project coordination activities is desirable. (c) Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, is desirable. (d) Familiarity with climate change, sustainable urban development, urban resilience, urban planning, or related policy areas is desirable. (e) Experience with data visualization, GIS, graphic design, communications, or digital content creation is an asset. Familiarity with the responsible use of AI tools to improve work quality and efficiency, in line with UN guidelines, is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the Internship Programme. Knowledge of another language used in Asia-Pacific is an asset (e.g. Bengali, Nepali, Japanese, Urdu, Hindi, Sinhala, Thai).

Not available.

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.