Writer & Copy Editor

The 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 “Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, 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.

The 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’s External Relations, Strategy, Knowledge and Innovation Division (ERSKI) is responsible for strategic planning, programmatic direction and operationalization of UN-Habitat's focal point role for the New Urban Agenda in the UN system; knowledge management, data and reporting; innovation; resource mobilization; and strategic partnerships.

This UNV position is located in the Communications and Media Section located in ERSKI at the Nairobi duty station. The Communications and Media Section communicates UN-Habitat’s key messages to stakeholders and partners, creates awareness on urban issues and promotes UN-Habitat’s work and knowledge globally.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Communication, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

•Develop the preparation of information and communications products such as news stories, impact stories, op-eds, press releases, media alerts, speeches, e-Newsletters, publication forewords, and products supporting major corporate activities, with special attention to WUF coverage.
•Manage the promotion and news for major UN-Habitat events, including, but not limited to, the World Urban Forum, World Habitat Day and World Cities Day.
•Contribute to the formulation and implementation of corporate editorial polices, objectives and guidelines that follow UN style guidelines, ensuring their application across WUF communication products.
•Contribute to capacity building within UN-Habitat by providing advice on improving quality and style of major written outputs and communication materials to ensure effective internal and external communication, including those linked to WUF.
•Convert the information acquired into readable, easy-to-understand content tailored to the specific audience, including materials for WUF participants and partners.
•Observe the established terminology and usage; and ensure consistency, particularly in WUF-related outputs.
•Ensure that all written work is authentic, original, and properly cited and/or referenced.
•Contribute to the formulation and implementation of corporate editorial polices, objectives and guidelines that follow UN style guidelines.
•Carry out more extensive editing where required, including rewriting, abridging and restructuring texts for greater readability, better logical sequence and conformity with United Nations standards, policy and practice, especially for WUF outputs.
•Contribute to capacity building within UN-Habitat by providing advice on improving quality and style of major written outputs and communication materials to ensure effective internal and external communication.
•Consult with author departments and carry out research to clarify ambiguities and rectify errors, including for WUF-related documentation.
•Provide authors or others submitting documentation with information on specific aspects of editorial policy and practice and assisting them in the preparation of manuscripts.
•Develop and manage editorial workflow to effectively and efficiently manage the content and deadlines, with priority given to WUF publications and campaigns.
•Act as a report-writer at United Nations meetings held in Nairobi and elsewhere, including for WUF if required.
•Perform other related duties as required.


Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
•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 instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
•Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
•Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities.
•Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
•Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers;
•Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.