Mission and objectivesThe United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. 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 coordinating agency within the United Nations System for human settlement activities and in collaboration with governments is responsible for promoting and consolidating collaboration with all partners, including local authorities, private and non-governmental organizations in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, Goal 11 of โMaking cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableโ, as well as the task manager of the human settlements chapter of Agenda 21 and focal point for the monitoring, evaluation and implementation of the New Urban Agenda adopted during the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III),held in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016.
ContextThe United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency for human settlements. 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. The Events and Outreach Unit is located within External Relations Strategy Knowledge and Innovation Division (ERSKI) of UN-Habitat. One of the Divisionโs key mandates is to promote strategic alliances to support achievement of the goals of adequate shelter for all, and sustainable urbanization and human settlements development. The World Urban Forum (WUF) provides a flagship platform for UN-Habitatโs key stakeholders as well as its corporate programme and priorities. The WUF is a non-legislative technical forum convened by the UN-Habitat biannually since 2002. The forum gathers a wide range of experts from every walk of life. Participants of the forum include but are not limited to national, regional and local governments, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, professional, research institutions and academia, professional, private sector, development finance institutions, foundations, media, United Nations organizations and other international agencies. The WUF is recognized as the foremost global arena for interaction among policymakers, local government leaders, non-governmental organizations and expert practitioners in the field of sustainable urban development and human settlements. The WUF has been identified as a key platform to support implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) adopted at the Habitat III conference. The WUF provides opportunities for stakeholder organizations of all kinds to come together to share the latest in innovative advances in sustainable urban development and projects showcasing the implementation of the NUA. This UN Volunteer assignment contributes to UN-Habitatโs flagship events, including the World Urban Forum, World Cities Day, World Habitat Day, and the Global Events Management System (GEMS), which serves as the core registration and coordination platform. These events play a key role in advancing the implementation of UN-Habitatโs Strategic Plan 2020โ2023. A central flagship event is the United Nations Habitat Assembly, which seeks to promote urban regeneration, sustainable urbanisation, foster inclusivity in urban settings, and improve overall quality of life. By strengthening event systems, enhancing stakeholder engagement, and supporting cross-unit coordination, this assignment directly contributes to achieving these strategic goals.
Task DescriptionUnder the direct supervision of the Head of Events and Outreach unit, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Website & Content Management: โข Support event websites (Urban October, World Habitat Day, World Cities Day, and WUF13) to ensure content is accurate, timely, and user-friendly. โข Moderate and review uploaded content to ensure relevance, accessibility, and quality control. GEMS (Global Event Management System): โข Support in posting and maintaining programme-related information in GEMS, ensuring schedules, event details, and participant data are up to date. โข Support in collection and analysing user feedback on GEMS functionality, propose improvements, and contribute to enhancing user experience. โข Supporting in providing timely responses and guidance to event organizers and participants using GEMS. Digital Engagement & Outreach: โข Supporting in monitoring and tracking user interaction with digital platforms, compiling analytics on web traffic, engagement, and participation. Information Systems & ICT Support: โข Assist with integration of online registration, accreditation, and feedback tools into event workflows. โข Supporting the testing of new digital features, tools, or dashboards to enhance event reporting and data analysis. Knowledge Management & Capacity Building: โข Document lessons learned from digital systems deployment and share recommendations for continuous improvement. โข Perform other duties as may be assigned by supervisor. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: โข Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day). โข Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
Competencies and values
Living conditions and remarksThe contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) per month and is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$1,602. The VLA base rate is a global rate, while the PAM is country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org. For example, kindly enter the link Calculator. In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and also in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station. UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements. UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for the final repatriation travel (if applicable). A resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment. UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate. Disclaimer The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.