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Int'l Organizations & UN News #22/2023

Amy Younger - Tuesday, October 24, 2023
 Events   IO/UNS Newsletter 

 International Organizations and UN News #22/2023 - October 24, 2023

Dear IO/UNS Community, 

Happy United Nations Day! Today, we celebrate the founding of the United Nations, established 78 years ago on October 24, 1945, to promote peace, cooperation, and unity among nations. The UN's commitment to diplomacy and international collaboration underscores the importance of working together to tackle the complex issues that transcend borders. On this day, let us reiterate our support for the United Nations and its mission, recognizing the crucial role it plays in shaping a better future for all of humanity. Join us today from 1.00-2.30pm at the Fishbowl on the 4th floor to celebrate UN Day with a UN-themed photo booth, snacks, and the chance to win UN-merch!

In this newsletter, you will find: 

  • International Organizations News
  • What We're Listening To: The United Nations at 75. How and Why History?
  • IO/UNS Student Spotlight
  • New MiA Blog Post: Much Attacked, Still Standing: How the International Legal Order is Attacked and Defended
  • Event Recap: Tour of the United Nations
  • Events at SIPA and Beyond
  • Internship Opportunities

Daniel, Laura, Amy & Nisha
IO/UNS Specialization Team

**Please note this message is clipped. You can open the message in a new browser to see full event and internship listings.

  • Humanitarian aid reaches into Gaza, while Security Council fail to adopt resolution calling for humanitarian pause. On Saturday, a 20-truck humanitarian convoy filled with life-saving aid passed through the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza. The trucks were filled with critical supplies for people living in desperate conditions and dwindling food, water, medicine and other essential items. “The people of Gaza need a commitment for much, much more – a continuous delivery of aid to Gaza at a scale that is needed,” stressed UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Five UN agencies also released a joint statement calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and stating the aid “is only a small beginning and far from enough”. Meanwhile, UNRWA Director General Philippe Lazzarini warned on Sunday that UNRWA will run out of fuel in three days. “Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance,” he said in a statement. UNRWA has also published its latest situation report and confirmed 29 staff members have been killed since the conflict began. You can read more here. In the Security Council, the US has vetoed a resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in the conflict, stating it did not do enough to underscore Israel’s right to self-defense.

  • World leaders attend Cairo peace summit. Arab country leaders led a summit on Saturday condemning the Israeli bombing of Gaza while European leaders said civilians should be shielded. However, there was no breakthrough at the end of the summit and Israel and senior US officials were absent.

  • WHO warns about the need for regulations on artificial intelligence for health. In a new publication, WHO recognised the potential of AI in enhancing health outcomes such as strengthening clinical trials and improving medical diagnosis. However, they emphasized the importance of fostering dialogue among stakeholders and ensuring AI systems are safe and effective for those who need them. 

  • UN Secretary-General attends the third international forum on China’s Belt and Road initiative. António Guterres met with President Xi Jinping at the forum which has funded and built roads, power plants, bridges and other facilities across developing countries over the decade. Mr. Guterres recalled that billions in the developing world still lack access to basics such as water and sanitation, electricity, schools, hospitals, and modern roads, bridges, tunnels, and harbors. You can read more on the forum here.

  • International Day for Ending Poverty was celebrated on October 17th. This year’s theme called for universal access to decedent work and social protection as a means to uphold human dignity for all people. This drew on first-hand testimonials showing that those trapped in extreme poverty often work long hours in dangerous conditions. The UN held a #EndPoverty global campaign in the garden of the New York headquarters to raise awareness.

  • UN Special Representative for Somalia briefs the Security Council. Catriona Laing described the country as being at a critical juncture, with extremist group al-Shabaab and fighting in the region taking a heavy toll on civilians. She also highlighted collaboration with the Government through a joint program on women’s involvement in peacebuilding, which included strengthening the role of women as peacemakers, but spoke of the worrying humanitarian situation in the region.

The United Nations at 75. How and Why History?

To celebrate UN Day, we recommend going back to the 75th anniversary of the United Nations with this helpful podcast on the history of the UN.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, 850 delegates from 50 nations gathered in San Fransisco, determined to establish an organization that would preserve peace and help build a better world.  Over the last 75 years, the UN has committed itself to maintaining international peace and security and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights. But how did the UN come about? How effective has it been in maintaining peace in the world? And where might it have failed?

Rob Weinberg asks the big questions about this important development in global affairs with the leading analyst of UN history and politics Professor Thomas Weiss of the City University of New York’s Graduate Center and Distinguished Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Listen to the podcast here, or on all podcast apps. 

IO/UNS Student Spotlight

This week, we are excited to introduce Colby Dorcely (MIA, EE 2025). 

Colby  is deeply interested in multilateralism and global governance primarily due to the critical issue of climate change. The magnitude of this global challenge necessitates collaborative efforts beyond national boundaries. Through multilateral platforms, nations can collectively formulate and implement policies that address the complex, interconnected nature of climate impacts. He firmly believes in the principle of shared responsibility, where every nation plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects. He also advocates for equitable and just solutions that prioritize the needs of vulnerable communities and acknowledge historical emissions. Multilateralism provides a framework for resource mobilization, technology transfer, and policy coherence, ensuring a more effective and coordinated response to this urgent global crisis.

Colby came to SIPA straight from undergrad. His most valuable experience for  work was as a summer/fall policy analyst within the semiconductor industry last year in DC, which cemented his passion for the EE field.

Aside from that, Colby had a collegiate track and cross-country career that ended in May of this year, and now just runs for fun while simultaneously training for the New York Half. Prior to that, Colby practiced Shotokan Karate for a decade!

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We'd like to shine a light on each amazing member of our IO/UNS family. Please fill out our questionnaire here.

Event Recap: Tour of the United Nations

Last Friday, on 20th October 2023, we had the opportunity to tour the United Nations headquarters in New York. The hour-long guided tour of the UN provided an opportunity for students to not only learn about the history and day-to-day operations of the UN but also see the places where important global debates and decision-making happen. Our tour guide provided well-informed descriptions of the history of the UN, its mandates, and modalities. We had a unique opportunity to pass through the Trusteeship Council during an active session and spend some time in the General Assembly. Students had the opportunity to visit the UN gift shop as well as take pictures during the tour. Despite a rainy Friday, our group of students finished the tour on a bright and happy note. Pictures from the tour are accessible here.

Events at SIPA & Beyond

The invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine on 24 January 2022 is certainly not the first, but one of the most blatant attacks on the international legal order and one of the order’s foundational values, namely peace. It has enlivened widespread debates about the end of the liberal world order and, closely related to this, a crisis of international law.

In their think-piece, Much Attacked, Still Standing: How the International Legal Order is Attacked and Defended, Heike Krieger and Andrea Liese examine the fate of foundational norms of the international legal order. Drawing on their newly edited book Tracing Value Change in the International Legal Order (Oxford University Press, 2023), they trace how different actors seek to undermine or defend key norms with regard to the prohibition of torture, the protection of women’s rights, the prohibition of the use of force, the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, the value of precaution in sustainability norms, and the anti-impunity norm advanced by the International Criminal Court.

Bringing together international law and social science perspectives, Krieger and Liese show the difference between legally codified norms and shared social expectations, such as the expectation to ban the use of cluster bombs for its detrimental humanitarian impact. Importantly, this shared social expectation also affects non-parties to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, i.e., parties that are not bound by the norm in the legal sense.

Krieger and Liese show how the erosion or shifting prioritization of values can change the degree to which a value is legally protected and how legally protected values may change substantially over time. They stress the vital role of norm defenders, as robust norms have been defended by legal institutions, key states, and non-state actors who uphold normative expectations. Krieger and Liese emphasize worrying trends of increasing contestation of legally protected values, combined with restricting NGOs from promoting and defending international norms and delegitimizing international courts and other institutions. If this trend continues, a foundational change in the international legal order might be unstoppable.

Read the full think-piece here and feel free to engage with this think-piece's announcements on BlueSky, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Events at SIPA & Beyond

Spotlighted Events

Today 24 October | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM 
UN Day Festival - In-Person
IAB Fishbowl

RSVP | EVENT INFO

Today 24 October | 6:30 PM - 8 PM 
UN Day Concert
Online

RSVP | EVENT INFO

01 November | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM 
Finding a Job at the UN- Career Event
IAB 410

RSVP | EVENT INFO

Today 24 October | 1 PM - 2:30 PM 
IAB Fishbowl                                                                               

UN Day Festival

UN Day marks the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. Join us to celebrate with food, drinks, games, prizes and a photo booth!

24 October | 6:30 PM - 8 PM 
Online

UN Day Concert

The concert will feature a live, in-person orchestral performance of the Environmental Symphony: The Movement, as well as a solo performance by world-renowned cellist Michael Fitzpatrick and a brief cultural performance that captures the spirit of the Kingdom of Tonga. 

Sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations, the theme of this year's concert is “The Frontlines of Climate Action.” 

In addition to celebrating the 78th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the concert will galvanize action for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference and the International Conference on Small Island Developing States. 

25 October | 10 AM - 3 PM 
UNHQ

Inside Out Activation named "Peace Begins with Her &

Founded by award-winning street artist JR in 2011, Inside Out is a platform that helps communities around the world to stand up for what they believe in and spark global change locally.  A mosaic of 50 giant portraits will be pasted on the pavement in front of the United Nations Headquarters as a reminder of the  powerful but often shunned voices of women in peace efforts. From Afghanistan to Colombia, Cyprus to South Sudan, the powerful images of UN peacekeepers, local peace activists and peacebuilders will welcome visitors on the day global leaders meet to assess trends on women’s participation at the annual UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security. 

You will also get a chance to add your own voice to the global push for women's participation by having your portrait taken and added to the collection. Please join us in this global movement to celebrate the role of women in building and protecting peace! You can see a video from our latest activation at Times Square here. There is no need to sign up to attend the event. 
For more information see here.

25 October | 6 PM - 7:30 PM 
Pulitzer Hall

Asylum Seekers: A Story of Civil and Human Rights 

The Lipman Center's new director, Robe Imbriano, welcomes you to a conversation and presentation about the civil and human rights of asylum seekers. What's missing from the national conversation about asylum seekers, and how can we as journalists better cover these issues?

25 October | 12:30 PM - 2 PM 
City College of New York

Can the UN Navigate the "Great Fracture" in Global Affairs?

This event will feature Richard Gowan, UN Director of the International Crisis Group, discussing the changing landscape of international politics through the lens of the United Nations, including the war in Ukraine, China’s global role and the perceived re-emergence of the Global South. His guest lecture will be followed by comments/questions by Professors A. Dirk Moses and Jean Krasno and a Q&A session. The event will be moderated by Professor Raphaëlle Khan.

Register here.

26 October | 9 AM
Online

Data for Decision-making: Driving Gender-responsive Policies to Improve Migrant Women's Financial Inclusion Outcomes

Sex-disaggregated data plays a crucial role in comprehending the needs and behaviors of women remittance customers. This knowledge, together with an understanding of localized social norms and factors that drive gender disparities, supports the fact that migrant women are key remittance customer segments. Women migrants should be reflected and safeguarded in remittance consumer protection policies in a way that promotes women's financial inclusion outcomes. As part of UNCDF’s Gender Collaborative for Remittances (Gender Colab series), this webinar will convene research and policy specialists working with UNCDF, UN Women, AFI Global, and Remitly to discuss key strategies in using data for decision-making in support of womens' financial inclusion outcomes. The discussion will focus on the importance of sex-disaggregated data, understanding women migrants as explicit customer segments, and how that data can inform gender-responsive consumer protection policies within the remittance sector.

Register here.

1 November | 1 PM - 2 PM
IAB 410

Career Event - Finding a Job at the UN

Holly White is the Managing Director of HWhite Group, Boutique Human Resources consulting firm based in Brooklyn, NY focused on organizational effectiveness through alignment, engagement and development of people and teams. Holly has spent over 25 years working as a Human Resources Professional spanning the public and private sector. She spent 15 years working for the United Nations (UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA) both in the US and West Africa.  Holly earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and a Masters of Business Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Holly will share strategies to approach and enter the UN system through formal and informal channels.

This event is organized by the Career Advancement Center.

Register here.

Most SIPA students are not only required to participate in a specialization-related internship, UN-related internships are often critical to further develop skills and knowledge, build a hireable CV, and create or expand a meaningful professional network. Feel free to consult this document for tips and tricks for Sourcing Internships.

Office of Special Coordinator on Improving UN's Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse - Communications Intern
Application Deadline: 27 October 2023
Location: New York

This internship is located in the Office of the Special Coordinator on Improving United Nations Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OSCSEA). The Office supports the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General and the leadership of United Nations offices, departments, funds and programmes, along with other Implementing Partners, to strengthen the response to sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping, humanitarian, development and human rights sectors.

The internship is for a period of up to six months. The internship is unpaid and can be either part-time or full-time depending on your status. 

Apply Here

Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Public Information Intern
Application Deadline: 30 October 2023
Location: New York

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)/ Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) interns will gain first-hand experience with regard to the UNDESA's and DISD's activities in the area of public information and media relations.

The internship is for a minimum of two months with an opportunity for extension to a maximum of six months, UNPAID and full-time. 

Apply Here

Office of the Victims' Rights Advocate - Political Affairs Intern
Application Deadline: 06 November 2023
Location: New York

This position is located in the Office of the Victims' Rights Advocate (OVRA).  The mandate of the Victims' Rights Advocate was created as part of the four-pronged strategy set out in the 2017 report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse: a new approach (A/71/818). Its mandate is directed to ensuring that the rights and dignity of victims are at the forefront of all elements of the United Nations system-wide response to sexual exploitation and abuse alleged to be perpetrated by United Nations uniformed or civilian personnel and non-United Nations troops serving under a Security Council mandate. 

The intern will support the work of the Office of the Victims' Rights Advocate and work under the supervision of the Human Rights Officer. 

This is a UNPAID, full-time internship for an initial period of three months, with an opportunity for extension up to a total period of six months.

Apply Here

Data Research Intern at the Department of Operational Support
Application Deadline: 13 November 2023
Location: New York

The Office of Supply Chain Management includes the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Supply Chain Management, the Logistics Division, the Procurement Division, the Uniformed Capabilities Support Division, the Global Service Centre, the Aviation Safety Section, and the Enabling and Outreach Service. OSCM is committed to building efficient, agile, responsive, accountable, end-to-end uniformed capabilities and supply chain solutions for all our global partners and clients.

The interns work as full members of our team, pursue projects that are designed to make a significant difference in OSCM, and have opportunities to learn about the United Nations overall.

Apply Here

Intern at Office of Special Adviser on Africa
Application Deadline: 22 November 2023
Location: New York

This position is located in the Strategic Management Unit (SMU) of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA). OSAA is mandated to provide advisory, advocacy, coordination and monitoring services supporting Africa’s development. 
The internship is unpaid with a minimum duration of two (2) months, with an opportunity for extension depending on the needs of the Office. The internship is designed to be in person and full-time. 

Apply Here

UN Women - AWLN Project Support Intern
Application Deadline: 8 December 2023
Location: New York

The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) was launched in June 2017 in New York. The AWLN seeks to enhance the leadership of African women in the transformation of the continent, in line with the Africa Agenda 2063 and the Global Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. AWLN serves as a continental platform to galvanize women’s leadership towards lasting peace and sustainable development, the promotion of gender equality, and women’s empowerment in all sectors and at all levels, building on, and working with, existing women networks. 

The Project Support Intern will work closely with the AWLN Policy Analyst; as a person supporting the implementation of a women's leadership project, the intern’s duties and responsibilities would be crucial in ensuring the success and impact of the initiative.

Apply Here
International Rescue Committee - Refugee Resettlement Intern
Application Deadline: 31st December 2023
Location: New York

This is a part time internship, The Resettlement Intern will assist case management staff in providing reception and placement services to newly arrived refugees as they adjust to their new lives in the US. (S)he will play a key role in helping refugee families access needed benefits and services within their first to six months in the United States. The intern will also perform a series of clerical and administrative duties to ensure client files are kept up to date. 

Apply Here

Follow the IO/UNS Specialization on
CampusGroups, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

Feel free to reach out to us:
Daniel Naujoks, IO/UNS Director, daniel.naujoks@columbia.edu
You can book office hours here.

Laura Mercado, IO/UNS Coordinator, ld3071@sipa.columbia.edu
Amy Younger, Program Assistant, ay2564@columbia.edu
Nisha Karki, Program Assistant, nk2960@columbia.edu