Cities Development Initiative for Asia
Suite 201-203 Hanston Building, Emerald Avenue
Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605, Metro Manila, Philippines
Phone: +63-2 631-2342 • Fax: +63-2 631-6158 • Website: www.cdia.asia
Terms of Reference
Internship with Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA)
Title:
CDIA Internship
Location:
Manila, Philippines
Duration:
3-6 months, preferably starting by 15 July 2015
Inputs:
Preferably 40 hours per week
Objective
The Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA) provides an internship at its office in Manila, the
Philippines, for a preferred duration of 6 months. The internship is targeted towards graduate
students passionate about urban development and infrastructure financing and with a strong
interest or background in one or more of CDIA’s development impact areas (environmental
sustainability, pro-poor development, good governance, climate change mitigation and adaptation).
Background of CDIA
CDIA is a regional initiative established in 2007 by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the
Government of Germany, with additional funding support from the governments of Austria, Sweden,
Switzerland, and the Shanghai Municipal Government. The Initiative provides assistance to mediumsized Asian cities to bridge the gap between their development plans and the implementation of
their infrastructure investments. CDIA uses a demand driven approach to support the identification
and development of urban investment projects in the framework of existing city development plans
that emphasize environmental sustainability, pro-poor development, good governance, as well as
climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The long-term aim of CDIA is to contribute to the promotion of sustainable and equitable urban
development, leading to better living conditions for all in Asian cities. Its mandate focuses on the
following overarching development impact areas:

Urban environmental sustainability: to support the development of urban infrastructure
investment projects, which contribute to the reduction of environmental degradation,
reduce the ecological footprint of cities and which positively impact climate change;

Urban poverty reduction: to support the development of urban infrastructure investment
projects with a pro-poor focus, in which the rights of disadvantaged groups (whether
women, children or minorities) are addressed in infrastructure provision;

Good urban governance: to promote financially and institutionally sustainable urban
infrastructure investments (considering requirements of participation, cooperation, trans-
CDIA is supported by:
Cities Development Initiative for Asia
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parency and accountability in developing infrastructure provision) to meet the needs of all
citizens in cities, cognizant of social, cultural and political economy dimensions; and

Climate change mitigation/adaptation: to support the development of urban infrastructure
investments contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to help cities
prepare for local impacts of climate change.
The initiative supports the identification and pre-structuring of appropriate projects and builds
management capacity of medium size cities with focus on cities with population from approximately
250,000 up to 5 million people in the Asian region. In these cities, CDIA supports the implementation
of existing city development strategies or comprehensive development plans for socially, economically and environmentally equitable and sustainable infrastructure and urban services.
CDIA focuses on developing investments in urban infrastructure and services through bridging the
gap between city level urban strategies and the implementation of specific infrastructure projects
with domestic, international, public and/or private financing. For this purpose, CDIA mainly procures
consultants for Pre-Feasibility Studies (PFS) of prioritized infrastructure projects.
Intern Orientation

The intern will take a 6 month in-house internship where he/she will gain on-the-job
experience with CDIA;

The intern will be mentored and supported by the Program Management Officer and other
members of the Core Management Team (CMT) based on assigned tasks.
Specific Tasks

Support the implementation of CDIA’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework (e.g.
following up with partner cities and training participants, reviewing Initial Development
Impact Assessments (IDIAs) submitted with each PFS report, tracing of medium and longerterm development impacts of completed PFS projects as well as gathering and analyzing
data for the six-monthly progress report which may involve occasional traveling);

Support the preparation of project overviews and case studies as required;

Based on professional and academic background and interests as well as CDIA’s program
needs develop or enhance a CDIA product in coordination with the respective CDIA staff
member (e.g. contribute to the implementation of a fund finder tool for Asian cities);

Contribute to training courses and other activities and events as required.
Other Tasks

Formulate a final report (including a summary of activities undertaken) before the
completion of the internship (within the last month);

Prepare a presentation for the CMT showcasing the CDIA ‘products’ that were developed
during the time of assignment;

Assist with any other matters in relation to CDIA operations as instructed by the CDIA
Program Coordinator.
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Confidentiality

All data and documents, reports, discussion papers and other material specifically prepared
as part of this assignment by the intern shall be the property of CDIA and shall be handed
over in acceptable form as required by the intern at the latest upon completion of the
assignment.

The intern shall not pass on to any third party any data, documents, reports, discussion
papers or other material prepared or obtained during the internship, or any internal
information pertaining to this internship.
Performance of the Intern

The intern agrees that he/she will complete all the required activities specified in a timely
manner and to a high quality.
Termination of assignment

If the intern fails to complete the services in accordance with the Terms of Reference, or fails
to complete the specified activities in a timely manner, or the required outputs fail to meet
the standards required by CDIA, CDIA may terminate the assignment by giving a fourteen
days’ notice in writing to the intern. This shall not be applicable if the failure is caused by
circumstances beyond the control of the intern.

The intern has the right to terminate the assignment with CDIA with a 14 days’ written
notice prior to the termination date.
General Terms

The intern will receive a lump sum in order to cover the costs of the flights to and from
Manila from an Asian point of origin, an allowance of USD 600 per month for full-time
internship (reduced accordingly for part-time internship) for board and lodging during the
duration of the internship, and reimbursement of all costs for travel related to the tasks.

Throughout the assignment, the intern shall avoid involvement in political or religious
matters in the Philippines.

During the assignment, the intern shall not undertake work for a third party without the
CDIA Program Coordinator’s prior written approval.

The overall assignment is for a period of up to 6 months.
Application
Interested graduate students may send their cover letter and CV by 14 June 2015 to:
Ms. Sarah SCHNEIDER, CDIA Program Management Officer, sarah.schneider@cdia.asia