From: International Organization/UN Studies Specialization
Date: April 18, 2023
Subject: Int'l Organizations & UN News #13/2023


 International Organizations and UN News #13/2023 - April 18, 2023

Dear IO/UNS Community, 

As the end of the semester approaches, the IO/UNS Specialization Team wishes you good luck with exams, assignments and job/internship search! Do not forget to tune in to the 22nd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, now through April 28th!

In this newsletter, you will find: 
  • News from the UN
  • What We're Listening To: ‘Every time I talk about it, I cry’: How hate speech triggered Rwandan genocide
  • IO/UNS Student Spotlight: Jihane Najim (MPA, ISP 2023)
  • Events at SIPA and Beyond
  • Internship Opportunities
Daniel, Laura, Asha & Aurelian
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.

  • Clashes intensified across Sudan on Monday, as top UN officials urged rival military factions to protect civilians and respect the country’s international obligations. “I strongly condemn the outbreak of fighting that is taking place in Sudan and appeal to the leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (RAF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm, and begin a dialogue to resolve the crisis,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday. Read more here.

  • Immaculée Songa survived the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, but her husband and two daughters, as well as many relatives and friends, were killed. At the launch of a UN exhibition commemorating the horrific event and other notorious mass killings, Immaculée Songa shares her story with UN News. Read more here.

  • The 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Haiti describes life in the country as a daily, terrifying struggle for survival, the result of three consecutive years of economic recession, a political impasse, and unprecedented levels of gang violence. Haiti’s population is being held hostage to brutality and gang violence, according to a report from the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), which contains harrowing testimony from a country seemingly in freefall. Read more here.

  • Military aircraft dropped bombs and fired on a crowd of people in Kanbulu Township, located in Sagaing Region, who had gathered that morning for the opening of a new town hall, according to media reports. The United Nations has denounced deadly airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Armed Forces which reportedly killed at least 100 people in an opposition stronghold in the northwest last Tuesday. Read more here.

  • Over one third of the world’s working women are employed in agrifood systems. In a new report, FAO says that gender inequalities such as less access for women to knowledge and resources, and a higher unpaid care burden, account for a 24 per cent gap in productivity between women and men farmers on farms of equal size. Levelling the playing field for women working in the food and agriculture sectors can bring growth and help feed millions, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. Read more here.

Interview - ‘Every time I talk about it, I cry’: How hate speech triggered Rwandan genocide

In April 1994, a sinister call was broadcast over radio stations across Rwanda, triggering the start of 100 days of genocide that left more than one million people dead. Henriette Mutegwaraba heard that call over the radio. “Every time I talk about it, I cry,” she told UN News, describing how propaganda spread messages of hate that sparked a deadly wave of unspeakable violence. She lost 60 family members and friends in the genocide. Ahead of the UN General Assembly’s commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Ms. Mutegwaraba spoke with UN News about hate speech in the digital age, the 6 January attack on the United States capitol, how she survived the genocide, and how she explained what happened to her daughter. Listen to the interview here.

IO/UNS Student Spotlight

This week, we are excited to introduce Jihane Najim (MPA, ISP 2023).

Jihane is highly interested in multilateral diplomacy and has worked to mainstream SDGs through her work and studies. Thus far she has experience with consultancy, Multilateral Development Banks, and has worked with the diplomatic mission of the Kingdom of Morocco in multiple countries. Ultimately, she hopes to echo the voices of marginalized communities through her work to more efficiently address their needs and concerns, which Jihane believes is a key step for global justice and fairness.

You can follow Jihane on Instagram @baby_diplomat

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

Fri, Apr 21, 2023, 12 PM – 2 PM EDT
Expert Panel: The Future of NATO
IAB 1501

RSVP | EVENT INFO

Mon, Apr 24, 2023, 1 PM – 5 PM EDT
Climate Mobility Symposium
IAB 1512

RSVP | EVENT INFO


Wed, Apr 26, 2023, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST 
Mats Berdal: “The Political Economy of Civil War and UN Peace Operations”
IAB 707

RSVP | EVENT INFO

TODAY, Apr 18, 2023, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM EDT

The Shed, 545 W 30th St (between 10th and 11th Avenues), New York, NY 1000
Cultural event and Reception on the occasion of the 22nd session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Participants are invited to visit the exhibition The Yanomami Struggle before a series of cultural performances, and a closing set by Indigenous DJ Eric Terena. The Yanomami Struggle exhibition is dedicated to the friendship and collaboration between artist and activist Claudia Andujar and the Yanomami people. The exhibition features over 200 photographs by Claudia Andujar and over 80 drawings, paintings, and video works by Yanomami artists. light dinner and drinks to go will be provided.
Register here.

Apr 17-28, 2023

22nd Session of The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is a high- level advisory body to the Economic and Social Council. The Forum was established on 28 July 2000 by resolution 2000/22, with the mandate to deal with indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. The theme of this year's session is "Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: a rights-based approach"

Watch live on UN Live TV

Wed, April 19, 4 PM - 5.30 PM
8th Floor Auditorium, Allan Rosenfield Building, 722 W 168th Street or Online
US Settler Colonialism, Genocide, and the Right to Health: A Conversation with the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Working Group is hosting a conversation with the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission abotu the U.S. settler colonialism and genocide of North American native populations.
Thu, April 20, 10 AM ET
Virtual
The Rana Plaza collapse: Ten years on
"10 years ago this month, over 1130 Bangladeshi workers died and thousands more were injured when the Rana Plaza building collapsed. To this day, it remains one of the most brutal lessons about the importance of occupational safety and health. A decade on, what has been changed in the Bangladesh garment industry and the four million workers who depend on it? And has it affected global supply chains and the clothes we buy? We all have a right to go to work and come home alive, uninjured, and healthy.
Thu, April 27, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST
91 Claremont Avenue, 10T
End of Year Celebration - ISHR
Save the date for ISHR's annual End of Year Celebration. Join them for a social to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023 graduating class and spend time with human rights students, faculty, and staff. Student speakers and fun surprises to be announced.
Internship Opportunities

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.

SIPA Summer Internship Stipend Applications Are Open!

Each year, SIPA provides a limited number of competitive internship stipends to qualifying students to partially supplement the costs of unpaid or low-paying summer internships. The application deadlines vary from April 21st to May 3rd at 11:59 p.m. Please make sure to check out CAC Summer Internship Funding Website for more details for each of the following summer stipends:

  • The CAC Travel Stipend (DP students who receive $2,999 or less in financial support for their summer field placements are eligible to apply for the CAC Travel Stipend)
  • Jorge Paulo Lemann Summer Internship Stipend
  • Named Summer Internship Stipends at SIPA
  • SIPASA Summer Internship Stipend
  • Whitman Family Foundation Summer Fellowship In Environmental Policy Studies

Detailed eligibility information, required documents, and application forms can be found on the Summer Internship Funding page of the SIPA website. For questions, reach out to sipainternships@sipa.columbia.edu.

Paid SIPA Fellowship with UNHCR: Refugees, IDPs & Development
Application Deadline: April 28, 2023
 
Please apply for the SIPA fellowship with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). From June 1st through November 30, 2023, the SIPA Fellow will support UNHCR's engagement and cooperation with development agencies in forced displacement contexts. The fellow will receive a modest stipend.

During the summer months (June-August), the fellowship will be fulltime and in-person at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, while it will continue remotely and part-time during the fall semester.

The fellowship is only open to current SIPA students.

The envisioned starting day is June 1st. However, there is some flexibility to accommodate candidates' constraints.
Apply Here
UNA-USA 2023-2024 Youth Observer
Application Deadline: April 28 at 11:59 PM ET

The UNA-USA Youth Observer to the UN elevates youth voices in the global policy dialogue around international issues. For a one-year term, an American between the ages of 18-25 is selected to engage and connect young people in the U.S. to the work of the United Nations. The Youth Observer travels throughout the United States to discover the issues important to young Americans and serves as a youth delegate at UN conferences.

The Youth Observer also attends UN briefings, organizes events, and participates in coalitions to support a strong U.S.-UN partnership. The most critical role of the Youth Observer is to engage young Americans in the work of the UN, empowering them to be active participants to foster a greater global impact.

Apply Here

UN Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance Office of Human Resources - HR Intern
Application Deadline: 31 May 2023

The Organizational Development Section within the Office of Human Resources (OHR), Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC), of the United Nations in New York is seeking interns who are interested in joining a very dynamic and international office that is mandated to identify and respond to Organizational learning and development needs.

To address an ongoing need, they are seeking several interns specializing in a range of areas including Communications, Marketing, Visual Design, Data Visualization, Video Production, Instructional Design, Knowledge Management, Diversity and Inclusion, Human Resources, Finance and budgeting, and/or other fields such as Industrial/Organizational/Occupational Psychology.

The internships are UNPAID and full-time. Interns normally work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a Staff Development Officer, and typically work as a team of interns who support various projects throughout the Section and Division.

Apply Here

Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Economic Affairs Interns
Application Deadline: 04 June 2023

The internship with the Inter-organizational and Inter-institutional Support Branch (IISB) of the Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) is for two months, with an opportunity for extension, pending on the needs of the Department.

The internship is UNPAID and full time.

Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in IISB to which they are assigned.

Apply Here

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Human Rights Intern
Application Deadline: 29 June 2023

The intern shall support OHCHR in fulfilling its mission: to work for the protection of all human rights for all people; to help empower people to realize their rights; and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented.

This internship is an UNPAID and full-time engagement that provides a framework through which students from diverse academic backgrounds gain exposure to the work of the United Nations by way of their service within Secretariat entities. 

Based in New York, United States of America, under the overall leadership of the High Commissioner, the intern reports to the respective Chief of Section or Human Rights Officer in the area of assignment. This internship will be offered for an initial period of two (2) months, renewable for a combined period of six (6) months.

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 Dankowski Mercado, IO/UNS Coordinator, ld3071@sipa.columbia.edu
Asha Jhanay Richards, Program Assistant, ajr2264@columbia.edu
Aurelian Dragos Mohan, Program Assistant, aurelian.d.mohan@columbia.edu