Intern (UNIDO Country Office in Kenya)

Intern (UNIDO Country Office in Kenya) | UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Intern (UNIDO Country Office in Kenya)

UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization Nairobi Both national and international Internship level Speaks English

Application deadline: March 25, 2026

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Summary by Impactpool

The UNIDO Country Office in Kenya is offering an internship opportunity focused on the Joint Programme for Inclusive and Sustainable Coffee Value Chain. The intern will support project activities aimed at transforming Kenya's coffee sector to create better jobs and promote socioeconomic development while ensuring the inclusion of marginalized groups, particularly women and youth. Responsibilities include assisting in communication efforts, improving digital workflows, and supporting project coordination. This internship provides a chance to gain hands-on experience in project implementation within a diverse and multicultural environment.

Candidate Requirements:

Enrolled in a master's degree or higher, or final year of a bachelor's degree

Knowledge in communication, digitalization, AI, business administration, or ICT

Fluency in written and spoken English

Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

Previous exposure in ICT, AI, and project management is an asset

​​Requisition ID:  7255   Grade: Intern Category: Internship Employment Type:  NonStaff-Regular Country:   Kenya Duty Station:  Nairobi     Entry Date: As soon as possible Internship Duration: 3-6 months Application Deadline: 25-Mar-2026, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)

Vacancy Announcement

UNIDO welcomes applications from qualified persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to applicants and employees with  disabilities to support full participation in the recruitment process and in the performance of their duties.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty and hunger reduction, inclusive and fair globalization and environmental sustainability.  The mission UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013, the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019 as well as the Riyadh Declaration adopted at the twenty-first session of UNIDO General Conference in 2025, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Member States. The relevance of this mission as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9 , which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of inclusive and sustainable industrial development, however, applies to all SDGs.

The medium-term programme framework (MTPF) 2026 - 2029 is UNIDO’s core strategic document and it is in line with UNIDO’s Vision 2050. It sets a renewed vision to support Member States and shape their industries for development. The priorities include fair and sustainable global and regional supply chains, ending hunger through innovation and local value addition, renewable and clean energy, sustainable energy access and climate action. Cross-cutting priorities focus on industrial and economic policy advice, skills development, fostering digitalization and artificial intelligence, gender equality and the empowerment of women, supporting youth, promoting cleaner production and circular economy, and leveraging private sector investment and development finance.

Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards-related activities; and (iv) convening and fostering partnerships for knowledge and technology transfer, investment mobilization, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Sub-regional Offices and Country Offices.

Under the overall direction of the Director General, and in close collaboration with all relevant organizational entities within UNIDO, the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO), headed by a Managing Director, is responsible for UNIDO's relations with Member States and all external partners, including through the policymaking organs. It plays a central role for interaction and collaboration with traditional and non-traditional donors; oversees the regional bureaus as well as the network of established field offices, liaison offices and Investment and Technology Promotion Offices. The Directorate is responsible for the Liaison Offices in Brussels (GLO/BRO), Geneva (GLO/GVO) and New York (GLO/NYO) as well as following Divisions: Policymaking Organs (GLO/PMO), Funding Partner Relations (GLO/FPR), Investment and Technology Promotion Offices and Institutional Partnerships (GLO/ITP), and Regional Bureaus and Field Coordination (GLO/RFO). The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions as well as with organizational entities in all Directorates across the Organization.

Under the supervision of the Managing Director of the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO), the Division of Regional Bureaus and Field Coordination (GLO/RFO) coordinates the field representation and interventions of UNIDO in Member States and regions. Within this context, the Division is responsible for determining programmatic priorities for UNIDO's services and ensuring that UNIDO responds to the specific needs and requirements of Member States and development partners at the country and regional levels. It facilitates the development of regional strategies and country programming, including Programmes for Country Partnerships – PCPs, and monitors their implementation, in close collaboration with SPP/SSC. The Division encompasses all the UNIDO field offices and the five Regional Bureaus: Africa (GLO/RFO/AFR), also hosting the IDDA III Secretariat; the Arab Region (GLO/RFO/ARB); Asia and the Pacific (GLO/RFO/ASP); Europe and Central Asia (GLO/RFO/EUR); and Latin American and the Caribbean (GLO/RFO/LAC).

The Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO) focusing through various mechanisms and tools, on the relation with Member States and partners, including the current field office structure. The position is located in the Country Office in Kenya, under the Division of Regional Bureaus and Field Offices (GLO/RFO/AFR/KEN)

PROJECT (240172) CONTEXT

Kenya’s coffee sector stands at a crossroads as climate change and global market fluctuations amplify systemic inefficiencies in the Kenyan coffee value chain. While Kenya is a globally renowned coffee exporter, the industry grapples with significant challenges including overreliance on global market trends, low domestic value addition, shrinking labor force engagement, declining productivity, convoluted regulatory environments, poor knowledge flow and coordination, and the structural exclusion of women and youth. Despite these issues, the coffee value chain retains its potential to provide productive and sustainable livelihoods, to catalyze new business models and innovation, and to support inclusion of youth and women.

UNIDO and FAO are collaborating in a Joint Programme (JP) that leverages the insights of a preparatory assistance phase to unlock this potential. It focuses on new jobs creation by using new and innovative sustainable business models in the coffee sector. It will promote a unique approach based on technology and access to finance as two key elements while at the same time targeting youth, women and marginalized communities, especially in rural areas. The project ventures into new domains to catalyze growth in an inclusive and sustainable model. It advocates for increased domestic coffee consumption and local value addition to diminish reliance on volatile export markets, encompassing initiatives such as coffee awareness campaigns and the development of innovative and circular local coffee products, thereby generating new jobs and income streams for coffee communities and especially women and youth. Youth and women empowerment is crucial for creating equitable coffee value chain and therefore they are mainstreamed across all our activities, to promote inclusion of women and youth, especially in rural areas, to provide better lives and leave no one behind.

The JP is innovative in its focus on a short value chain approach: By promoting a “from Kenya to Kenya” perspective, supporting productive activities and driving social, environmental, and economic development in Kenya, the project enhances resilience to and independent from global challenges. This approach will foster the growth of new coffee entrepreneurs and businesses and contribute to broader economic growth, increasing the share of the locally consumed coffee currently less than 5%).

In the context of the JP, UNIDO focuses on two main outputs:

Output 1: Increased Domestic Value Addition and Consumption

Most coffee (90%) is exported from Kenya in the form of cherry or beans (green coffee). The project will address this by focusing on adding more value in Kenya through promoting (i) innovation in coffee and coffee uses (beyond drinking coffee – e.g. coffee beauty products), (ii) consumption of coffee in Kenya (currently estimated at 2-5%) and (iii) public procurement of locally processed coffee (enhancing local markets and leading by example). We believe that entrepreneurship, innovation and technology will attract youth to the coffee space and ensure creation of new jobs (for example in providing services such as energy efficient coffee processing) and continuity of coffee farming in Kenya. We further believe that jobs created in rural areas will benefit mostly women, the main workforce in on farm productive activities and the main beneficiaries of access to clean energy (e.g. briquettes from coffee husks) for cooking and productive uses. The JP will promote bankable proposals to attract investments in MSMEs engaged in roasting, packaging, and product diversification. Technical assistance will be provided to enhance branding, quality assurance, and market access. To promote increased local consumption, the project will reposition coffee as a Kenyan lifestyle product through targeted public awareness campaigns (targeting youth as the biggest growth potential).

Output 2: An enabling environment for environment for a profitable, inclusive and sustainable coffee value chain

Unleashing the full potential of the coffee value chain remains a complex challenge. One that could only be addressed through a coordinated approach amongst the various actors along the chain. The project aims to address issues of trust, knowledge flow and coordination, along the coffee value chain and amongst the development partners and government offices, to reduce duplication and attract sustainable investment. This will be done through events, instituting an information sharing mechanism, promoting evidence-based policy advice, communication and advocacy, and a Joint Programme Coordination Secretariat that will, among other tasks, support the implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of project activities.

Activities under this pillar will be aligned with Kenya’s Vision 2030, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Mattei Plan. This proposal’s value-added builds on the UN’s unique convening role to bring partners together to the drawing board and ensuring the voices of women and youth (and other marginalized communities) is reflected in policy and decision making and that no one is left behind. The JP supports national development goals including the ‘Vision 2030’ and the ‘Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda’ (BETA) and aligns with Kenya’s ‘Coffee Development and Marketing Strategy’ which has identified key pillars to be addressed in the value chain including processing and value addition, domestic consumption, inclusivity, financing mechanisms, and government and institutional development.

The JP also aligns with international commitments and supports a range of global and regional development frameworks. It directly contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action). The programme is also aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, supporting aspirations related to inclusive growth, agricultural transformation, and the empowerment of women and youth. It advances Kenya’s targets under the Paris Agreement and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by promoting climate-smart agriculture, energy-efficient technologies, and agroecological practices. The programme supports the implementation of the Mattei Plan’s priorities for rural development, job creation, and value chain transformation in Africa, and aligns with the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change—specifically its call to invest in circular economy practices, climate-resilient agriculture, and nature-based solutions. Through these linkages, the JP positions Kenya’s coffee sector as a driver of inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable development.

The Field Offices are responsible for representing UNIDO in their countries of coverage and promoting the Organization as an effective partner for development, and maintain close

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