Day at the UN 2013
Many students dream of working at the United Nations, but it can be an intimidating task to approach the organization. Here at SIPA, the United Nations Studies Program (UNSP) strives to develop synergy between our school and the UN by taking students to Security Council meetings, conducting research for UN clients, and interacting with senior officials.
To further help students get a feel for the work of the UN and to develop networking and mentorship possibilities, Professor Elisabeth Lindenmayer — the UNSP director — started the Day at the UN initiative three years ago. SIPA is the only school in New York to have such a program.
Thirty-four students were selected to participate in this year’s program, which involved 150 staff from 28 UN units, departments, funds, and programs: the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Department of Political Affairs, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, the UN Peacebuilding Commission, and the UN Global Compact. Participating offices also included the Office of the Deputy Secretary General, Jan Eliasson, and even the recently established Office of the Special Envoy for Syria.
The various UN staff members hosted students for a day or more. Sixty percent of students spent two days with their hosts, and a pair of offices welcomed students for four days. Also noteworthy, 100 percent of the participants were placed exactly where they wanted to go.
Lindenmayer was especially pleased by the deputy secretary-general's participation and the four-day visits. “This is unprecedented, and has no doubt taken the initiative to new heights,” she said.
The effort is meaningful for participants on both sides, Lindenmayer added. “I am very grateful to the UN for making this initiative possible. Often, students are able to develop very warm relationships with their hosts. They understand the workings of a multilateral organization like the UN, and are inspired by the quality and dedication of some of the people they meet.”
Students are writing analytical accounts of their experiences for UNSP’s records. “Some of these days were so exciting that I wish I was a student too, and I could have taken part in this program,” Lindenmayer said.
SIPA News assembled a gallery of photos of participants, some of whom will recount their experiences at a UNSP-hosted event on Wednesday, April 10 (6:00 – 8:00 p.m., IAB 1501).