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IO/UNS Newsletter [04/12/22]

Yun Liang - Tuesday, April 12, 2022
 Events   IO/UNS Newsletter 
April 12, 2022

Dear IO/UNS Community, 

We hope you had a restful weekend (especially after the macro midterm) and we wish Ramadan Mubarak to those who are observing! 

In UN news:

  • The General Assembly adopted a resolution to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council in response to its invasion of Ukraine and the disturbing photos of civilian casualities and the growing humanitarian crisis. The resolution received a two-thirds majority, with 93 nations in favor, 24 against, and 58 abstentions. The EU commended the "rare decision" as a strong signal of accountability and the U.S. describing it as "an important and historic moment," while China called the move a "dangerous precedent." You can listen to short expert commentary on the vote here. 

  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is the  the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, published a new report on Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change that provides an updated global assessment of climate change mitigation progress and pledges, and examines the sources of global emissions.

  • The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum is taking place on 19 and 20 April 2022 in a virtual format. The Forum will provide a platform for young people to engage in a dialogue with Member States and other actors on concrete actions to rebuild from COVID-19 and to advance towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Decade of Action. In addtion to the main forum, see the ECOSOC side events schedule. This includes a side event organized by SIPA aluma Amanda Abrom (MIA '20) on Education for Sustainable Development (April 18, 10am).

  • The President of the General Assembly will convene the first International Migration Review Forum from 17 to 20 May 2022 in New York. The Forum serves as the primary intergovernmental global platform for Member States to assess and deliberate on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

This Thursday, April 14 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm, join us as U.S. Ambassador to the UN for Management and Reform, Chris Lu visits SIPA to share his insights into international and national careers related to international organizations. RSVP here.

We had many great discussions and meetings this semester and over the entire academic year. Now it is time to celebate! Please join the IO/UNS End of Year Social on Friday, April 29th from 6-8 pm in IAB 1512. We will have fun activities, some important awards, great food and drinks. Some of the awards are open for election by you. Please cast your vote by midnight on Wednesday, April 20th and register for our social on Campus Groups. 

One of the awards will be given to our top Social Media Ambassador, that is, the person who engages the most with @UNatColumbia organic tweets (i.e., not our retweets) until April 27. Feel free comment, like, quote, and retweet our news if they align with your ideas and values. 

In this newsletter, you will also find: 

  • Event Recap: UN Day to Reflect on Genocide in Rwanda
  • MiA Blog Call for Submissions
  • What We’re Listening To
  • IO/UNS Student Spotlight
  • Events at SIPA and Beyond
  • Internship Opportunities

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

Daniel, Nate & Yun
IO/UNS Specialization Team

Event recap: UN Day to reflect on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

Many SIPA and Columbia students joined the commemoration event on the UN Day to reflect on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. After introductory remarks by Professor Daniel Naujoks, director of SIPA’s International Organization and UN Studies specialization, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed welcomed all in a special video message. 

Ambassador Claver Gatete, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the UN shared invaluable insights from the stony road of recovery – including its social, justice, political and economic aspects. Consolée Nishimwe drew on her experiences as an author and survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and two panel discussions on the Armenian Genocide, as well as the Holocaust with Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Professor Siobhan Nash-Marshall, Ms. Bonnie Ray Glogover, and Ms. Rhonda Fink- Whitman concluded the event with intense discussions on intergenerational trauma and lessons how to prevent genocide in the future. 


MiA Blog Call for Submissions

Interested in making your voice heard and being featured on the Multilateralism in Action blog? Reach out to Professor Daniel Naujoks, director a.i. of the IO/UNS specialization at SIPA and the MiA editorial team (iouns@columbia.edu) with your pitch, and take a look at our blogging guidelines and checklist for more information on how to submit your think-piece. 

What We're Listening To

In this column, we highlight IO/UNS-related podcasts, movies, news sources, and more that might be of interest to students in our community.

On this week's episode of The Situtation Room, CNN host Wolf Blizter covers the "U.N. Vote[s] To Suspend Russia From Human Rights Council." Amid growing evidence of Russian atrocities in Ukraine, Kremlin troops were caught talking about killing civilians in intercepted radio messages as the United Nations suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Do you have a favorite podcast, news series, or blog that you think your peers would enjoy? Send us an email with your recommendations!
Danielle Neftin

IO/UNS Student Spotlight

We are proud of the critical views and relevant experiences of our IO/UNS specializers. To give each other a platform and a better appreciation of our goals and ideas, we are looking for volunteers to shed a spotlight on in our weekly newsletter communications and post on our Twitter account (@UNatColumbia). We hope these spotlights will help foster an even better understanding of our IO/UNS community and to share your inspirations for pursuing an education in multilateralism and global governance. We know that each of you has something to offer. Don't be shy and please fill out our questionnaire here - we'd love to shine a light on you!
Events at SIPA & Beyond
Spotlighted Events

Thursday, Apr. 14, 1-2 PM ET
Hybrid
IO/UNS Career Talk Series: Ambassador Chris Lu, U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management & Reform

RSVP | EVENT INFO

Friday, Apr. 29. 1-2 PM ET
In-Person
End of Year IO/UNS Social 

RSVP | EVENT INFO
Thursday, April 12. 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET.
Peace With Legality: A Conversation with President Iván Duque Márquez (The President of Colombia)
In-person

Please join Colombians at Columbia, The Economic and Political Development Concentration, The Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) and the Latin American Students Association (LASA) in welcoming President Iván Duque Márquez (The President of Colombia) for an impactful and informative lecture and discussion on "Peace and Legality" in Colombia. The event will be held on April 12th from 3-4 pm in Altschul Auditorium/ IAB 417.

Registration COMPULSORY. Please register here with your Columbia email ID here and via Campus Groups here.

The event be moderated by José Antonio Ocampo - Co-Director of the Economic and Political Development Concentration at SIPA.

IO/UNS Event: Thursday, April 14. 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET.
IO/UNS Career Series: Chris Lu, U.S. Ambassador to the UN for Management and Reform
Online and In-person

Ambassador Chris Lu represents the U.S. in negotiations involving the UN’s administration and financing of its programs and UN reform issues more broadly. Drawing on his public service career, during which he worked in all three branches of the federal U.S. government, Ambassador Lu shares insights into international and national careers related to international organizations.

Register here.
Thursday, April 14. 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET.
HRHP Virtual Career Series
Online

Want to learn more about HRHP industries? Meet with SIPA alumni to ask questions, discuss career paths, and grow your professional network.
ALL SIPA STUDENTS WELCOME!

The event will take place via Zoom and feature four break-out rooms, one for each career panel. The panels will feature 2-4 alumni, who will talk with students for a 35-minute session. Each session will run twice, so students can choose up to TWO panels to attend.  Leading up to the event, you will receive an email with the alumni panelist bios, additional event details, guidelines, and suggested questions.

Event Format:
1:00 pm: Welcome and Introductions
1:10 pm - 1:45 pm: Panel Choice #1/Breakout Session #1
1:45 pm - Short Break
1:50 pm - 2:25 pm: Panel Choice #2/Breakout Session #2
2:25 pm: Thank you / Close of Event

This year, we will have the following panels (you will choose TWO to attend upon Zoom registration): 
• Organizational Leadership in HRHP
• Reach, Analyst, and Policy Positions
• Human Rights Research, Reporting, and Investigation
• Field Work, Humanitarian Relief, and Refugee Camps

Register here. 
Monday, April 18. 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM ET.
Education for Sustainable Development
Online

[This side event of the ECOSOC Youth Forum is organized by SIPA aluma Amanda Abrom, MIA '20]

Global Schools is very excited to share the link for the ECOSOC Youth Forum side event we are hosting next Monday the 18th from 10am-11:15am NY time. The objective of this side event is to bring together 100 young people, including education advocates, ECOSOC Youth forum participants, and Member State Representatives, to share best practices, lessons learned, and solutions adopted by the Global Schools Program and discuss creative and innovative ideas to implement Education for Sustainable Development at the local and grassroots level. The participants will be able to connect to project teams at the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and hear about opportunities to apply for their flagship programs. The event will also detail how the Global Schools Program is incorporating sustainable development into schools globally and discuss youth action for SDG 4. Hear from youth in Nigeria, Pakistan, the US, Mexico, Hong Kong, and Tanzania on their innovative approaches!

For more information see here and register here

Thursday, April 21. 1:00 - 2:30 PM.
The Impact of Climate Change: An Indo-Pacific Perspective with CFE-DM Director Joseph Martin
Online

The ISP Concentration is honored to welcome Joseph Martin, Director of the US Department of Defense Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), who will share his perspective on the military and humanitarian implications of climate change in the Indo-Pacific, and the role of institutions such as CFE-DM in facilitating the DoD response to the climate crisis.

CFE-DM is a US DoD organization comprised of nearly 30 subject matter experts that provide academic research, civil-military coordination training, and operational insights to support decision making before, during, and after crises. The Center is designed to bridge understanding between humanitarians, civilian, and military responders. CFE-DM partners with a diverse group of governmental and nongovernmental actors, as well as academic institutions to increase collaborations and capabilities in humanitarian assistance and disaster response. CFE-DM also maintains a strong relationship with Columbia SIPA and has hired SIPA alumni.

As Director of CFE-DM, Joseph Martin directs training, education, applied research, regional civil-military coordination, and crisis support during disasters in support of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, with worldwide responsibilities. Mr. Martin was commissioned through ROTC as a distinguished graduate in the U.S. Air Force in 1989 after having completed a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of California, Riverside, and served for nearly 27 years in a range of senior roles, including joint positions with the Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Forces Korea, and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Mr. Martin holds graduate degrees from Troy State University, the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air University, and National Defense University.

Register here.
Friday, April 22. 10:00 - 11:30 AM.
Responding to the Invasion of Ukraine: The Impact of Feminist Foreign Policies
Online

Join the Gender & Public Policy Specialization, policy makers, analysts, and practicioners to discuss concrete measures for feminist response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Permanent Representatives of Sweden and Ukraine to the United Nations will take part in the panel. 

Registeration link coming soon.
Internship Opportunities
UNDP TICAD Unit HQ Intern
Application Deadline: April 15, 2022
Location: Home-based

With its extensive network of country offices, expertise in key development areas such as Poverty/Growth, Good Governance, Environment and Climate Change, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and Gender, as well as a convening and coordinating role for UN development assistance, UNDP has since 1993 partnered with Japan to support the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) process as one of the key fora for the advancement of dialogue and collaboration on African development.

As one of the co-organizers of TICAD, along with the Government of Japan, the UN Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSAA), the World Bank and the African Union Commission (AUC), UNDP has hosted the TICAD Unit, which has been integrated into the UNDP Regional Bureau of Africa (RBA). Through the TICAD unit, UNDP has played an indispensable role to ensure smooth operationalization of the TICAD process with coordination of key actors and provision of substantive inputs and logistical support, including the organization of conferences and implementation of follow-up mechanisms, to advocate and communicate about TICAD, targeting a wide-range of audiences in Japan, Africa, and beyond by collaborating with African countries on key development priorities.

The upcoming TICAD8 will be held from 27-28 August 2022, and it is imperative for UNDP to accelerate the preparatory process which includes substantive, operational, logistical, and programmatic aspects.

The TICAD Unit is also instrumental in the provision of strategic and advisory outreach to facilitate collaboration between Japanese counterparts and UNDP country offices, particularly Japan funded projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022, the TICAD Unit is currently supporting the overview of 17 projects totalling 30.5 million USD in 13 countries.

*Note that the internship will be 100% home-based in principle

To apply, please visit the job posting here.

UNDP Sustainable Finance Research Intern
Application Deadline: April 21, 2022
Location: Home-based

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP's policy work carried out at HQ Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy.

In order to streamline its financial and investment engagement, UNDP launched the Sustainable Finance Hub, a finance and innovation platform, that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to align public and private capital flows with the SDGs and mobilise finance at scale. The Hub serves as a connector, broker and global coordinator among internal and external actors; curates and manages UNDP's catalogue of service offers on SDG financing to governments, investors and companies, via UNDP country offices, to significantly enhance the scale and impact of UNDP's work.

The Hub is an integral part of both the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), and the Global Policy Network GPN a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of U'DP's Strategic Plan. BPPS also assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. Lastly, BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts. Through the Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP has been increasing its engagement in global financial and economic policy making, including by carrying out work in different forums (i.e., G7, G20, UN's Financing for sustainable development, etc.) as well as other regulatory and market-based networks. Furthermore, UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub runs the Secretariat of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG). As such, it assists G20 Presidencies in the implementation of their G20 priorities on sustainable finance.

To apply, please visit the job posting here.

UNDP Communications Intern, Half Time
Application Deadline: April 22, 2022
Location: New York

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

UNDP's policy work carried out at HQ Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy.

In order to streamline its financial and investment engagement, UNDP launched the Sustainable Finance Hub, a finance and innovation platform, that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to align public and private capital flows with the SDGs and mobilise finance at scale. The Hub serves as a connector, broker and global coordinator among internal and external actors; curates and manages UNDP's catalogue of service offers on SDG financing to governments, investors and companies, via UNDP country offices, to significantly enhance the scale and impact of UNDP's work.

The Hub is an integral part of both the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), and the Global Policy Network GPN a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of U’DP's Strategic Plan. BPPS also assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. Lastly, BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.  

Through the Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP has been increasing its engagement in global financial and economic policy making, including by carrying out work in different forums (i.e., G7, G20, UN’s Financing for sustainable development, etc.) as well as other regulatory and market-based networks. Furthermore, UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub runs the Secretariat of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG). As such, it assists G20 Presidencies in the implementation of their G20 priorities on sustainable finance.

To apply, please visit the job posting here.

UNDP Communications Intern, Half Time
Application Deadline: April 22, 2022
Location: New York

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

UNDP's policy work carried out at HQ Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy.

In order to streamline its financial and investment engagement, UNDP launched the Sustainable Finance Hub, a finance and innovation platform, that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to align public and private capital flows with the SDGs and mobilise finance at scale. The Hub serves as a connector, broker and global coordinator among internal and external actors; curates and manages UNDP's catalogue of service offers on SDG financing to governments, investors and companies, via UNDP country offices, to significantly enhance the scale and impact of UNDP's work.

The Hub is an integral part of both the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), and the Global Policy Network GPN a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of U’DP's Strategic Plan. BPPS also assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. Lastly, BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.  

Through the Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP has been increasing its engagement in global financial and economic policy making, including by carrying out work in different forums (i.e., G7, G20, UN’s Financing for sustainable development, etc.) as well as other regulatory and market-based networks. Furthermore, UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub runs the Secretariat of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG). As such, it assists G20 Presidencies in the implementation of their G20 priorities on sustainable finance.

To apply, please visit the job posting here.

UNDP Communication intern for Prevention of Violent Extremism
Application Deadline: June 30, 2022
Location: Home-based

UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) has corporate responsibility for UNDP’s corporate crisis-related work and driving UNDP’s vision and priorities for crisis prevention, response, and recovery, to support the strategic results, outcomes and outputs of UNDP's Strategic Plan. CB teams provide technical advice to Country Offices; advocate UNDP corporate messages; represent UNDP as required, including at multi-stakeholder fora, public-private, and government-civil society dialogue initiatives; promote and support South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives; and engage in UN interagency coordination in the areas of work the Strategic Plan – building resilience to shocks and crises, in order to safeguard development gains.

Within the CB, the Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions (CPPRI) team works on the integration of governance, conflict prevention and peacebuilding interventions. The CPPRI team leads and coordinates UNDP's corporate, global approach on how to prevent violent extremism (PVE) from a development perspective. This approach continues to evolve and develop in response to the changing strategies of violent extremist groups, government responses and development of new policy frameworks. In support hereof, UNDP commissions new research, identifies best practices and promote knowledge sharing across multiple stakeholders supporting the prevention of violent extremism. The communication and dissemination of these results are essential for enhancing the quality of programming, building and maintaining partnerships, and facilitate knowledge exchange across a community of practice.

It is within this context that UNDP is seeking a Communication Intern to support the visualisation of data, dissemination, and communication of the PVE work by supporting the communication strategy development and implementation of the CPRRI PVE team. The intern will engage with the PVE Team in New York as well as colleagues in Country Offices and Regional Hubs to enhance communication across the practice.

This position will expose the intern to unique insights on implementation of peacebuilding and prevention of violent extremism programmes across the 42 countries in which UNDP implements PVE projects. Furthermore, the nature of the tasks will offer the intern great opportunities to develop analytical skills, strategic writing and communication within international development. The intern will have a unique opportunity to operate in a diverse and dynamic global workspace and expand personal and professional networks. The supervisor will work closely with the intern to identify and track learning objectives, provide quality assurance and feedback.


To apply, please visit the job posting here.

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

Feel free to reach out to us:
Daniel Naujoks, Interim Director, daniel.naujoks@columbia.edu
To book office hours, click here.

Yun Liang, Program Assistant, yun.liang@columbia.edu
Nate Edwards, Program Assistant, nke2113@columbia.edu