International Organizations

Jill Watkins, UNICEF in Geneva

For the past three months, I have been interning with the Global Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) led by UNICEF in Geneva, Switzerland. I began my work remotely while I was in the U.S. finishing up my spring semester at Syracuse and had the opportunity to join the team full-time in Geneva at the start of May.

First day working at the UNICEF Office in Geneva

Although I have only been here a few weeks now, I have been able to meet with my colleagues, spend a few days in working in the office and have been tasked with substantially more responsibility. I am working on two main projects right now beyond my day-today duties.

The first is helping to create a Field Cooperation Framework to increase collaboration between Child Protection field coordinators across different regions of the world. To better understand the work that needs to be done to increase collaboration across regional contexts, I have helped organize and manage online consultations with staff around the word. The Framework is expected to be completed by the end of September.

The second main opportunity I have been able to help with is creating and disseminating a survey to measure youth perceptions of climate-related disasters in South East Asia. This has been my favorite task so far, as it directly relates with my personal interests and passions. The survey was translated into 12 different languages, which I was able to act as the lead organizer for, and just went live last week. I am looking forward to help analyze the results of the survey in June.

Overall, I am elated to be in Geneva working for an organization I am so invested in. I have high hopes that the remainder of the internship will go as well as the first half has, and I am grateful to Syracuse for assisting me in this opportunity. I highly recommend this internship to anyone interested in emergency humanitarian assistance specifically focused on child protection.

Jill Watkins is an MAIR student who will graduate in December. She is currently interning at the Partnership for Public Service in Washington, DC.

MAIR Program at the Maxwell School

All Global Programs

Ed Strong, UNICEF’s C4D Team

I was an intern for UNICEF for the spring semester in 2021.  I worked in the C4D team, which stands for Communication for Development.  More specifically, I was a member of a small team working on a USAID grant specifically for the incorporation of Social Sciences into Community Engagement (SS4CE).  The central focus was the incorporation of community engagement principles into UNICEF protocols for interaction with target communities.  That meant working with local actors, listening to community concerns, focusing on minority or underrepresented voices in the community, providing expertise and direction but also listening to ensure that community concerns are address rather than ignored.

My work was interesting and rewarding. I helped review results from a survey about the use of social science in community engagement which had been filled out by responders from academia, government positions, NGO’s, Civil Society’s, and UN organization.  I created graphs and charts to help visualize quantitative answers and provided analysis of qualitative responses. 

Ultimately, my main project with C4D was to help create a strategy for knowledge management (KM) for the department.  The UN has recently released a global strategy for KM covering from now to 2025.  My work was to create a plan to begin the process of bringing C4D into compliance with the global KM goals.  I built a base of KM resources and worked to develop the strategy and begin implementation.

Atlantis Transatlantic Dual Degree Program
The Maxwell School
The Hertie School of Governance

Madeleine Williams, UNCEF’s Public Partnerships Division

For my internship, I was fortunate enough to be offered a six-month fellowship with the UNICEF Public Partnerships Division (PPD) in their Africa, MENA, and South-South triangular Cooperation Team. The PPD works to strengthen UNICEF’s position as a partner of choice among governments and inter-governmental actors for children’s rights around the world.

Madeleine Williams

My work as an intern consisted of assisting in the development and implementation of advocacy engagement plans with African leaders from African Member States on education and nutrition. As well as financial analyses from Power Bi platform, social media strategizing, and supporting in any way that was needed. One project I was especially proud of being a part of was assisting in the Mental Health Webinar with the SSTC team. I was able to communicate professionally and effectively with higher ups and form the external invitation and graphic card that was sent out to all the permanent missions. The range of the work they have given me has been invaluable to learning and understanding diplomacy in an international sphere in the context of Africa.

This is how fund the atmosphere at UNICEF can be even in a remote setting.

Although I have been fully remote for the entire internship, the atmosphere within my all-but-one female work team has been inspiring, fulfilling, challenging, and engaging to work with. I not only would love to one day continue working with UNICEF, but this internship has solidified my interests in working at an NGO and has showed me the importance and impact of humanitarian action.

A zoom meeting with the UNICEF Intern group! This group is a great way to interact and network with other interns and learn from colleagues working in UNICEF.

Madeleine Williams is in her second year of studies in the Atlantis program. This program allows her to complete an MAIR degree from the Maxwell School in Syracuse, New York and an MPP from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.

Atlantis Transatlantic Dual Degree Program
The Maxwell School
The Hertie School of Governance

Ehsan Ghafourian, STEM Curriculum at Asian Development Bank in DC

I found a great chance to work as an Intern for Asian Development Bank (ADB) during last fall. This institute is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. ADB assists its members and partners, by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.

I was part of the North American Representative Office (NARO), Washington DC team with a smart supervisor. My focus was on developing a creative STEM curriculum to drive public support and ramp up government investment in slow-moving education systems. I conducted research to develop the capacity to identify strategic sciences and technologies—as well as the physical and human resources—that are critical for national, economic and security interests. All my activities were completed in a systematic way and according to theory of change.

I found innovative initiatives and indicators that can impact students throughout the United States. I used leading primary open source research to encourage a more flexible manufacturing sector and domestic production by investing in workforce training. By focusing on education issues, I framed a case as curriculum into practical and immediate concerns for average citizens.

Ehsan Ghafourian on the SU Quad in Syracuse
Ehsan Ghafourian on the SU Quad in Syracuse

I greatly appreciated Bart Edes, former ADB NARO representative, and Jukka Tulivuori, Social Sector Specialist, because both of them and other ADB staff were always nice and cooperative.

Ehsan Ghafourian is a recent graduate of the MAIR program. He formerly interned at the Near East Foundation in Syracuse.

Ehsan Ghafourian Finds Innovative Initiatives for Near East Foundation

Kyle Winters, Extremely Rewarding Work for UNDP’s Finance Sector Hub

The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Finance Sector Hub is a start-up within the greater UNDP. Focusing on financing the Sustainable Development Goals, the Finance Sector Hub works across 17 core areas of financial expertise to align global economic policies and financial systems with the 2030 Agenda.

UNDP Finance Sector Hub

Originally set to work with UNDP’s Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD), like many of my peers, the opportunity fell through the cracks due to COVID-19. Fortunately, I was able to connect with my boss and was quickly re-assigned to the Finance Sector Hub as one of the first interns within the start-up. The unique position of being one of the first interns gave me the opportunity to be treated as more of an equal than an intern in an extremely fast passed environment.

This responsibility was rewarding and at times demanding. Coordinating with our five regional bureaus and numerous country offices often resulted in 4 A.M. conference calls and only about a two-hour window – between 7 and 9 P.M. – where my phone wasn’t vibrating from email notifications.

With that being said, my day-to-day work was extremely rewarding. Across our 17 financial areas of practice, I developed internal and external communities of practice for crisis response. This assisted in cutting UNDP’s response time down to under 48 hours. Additionally, I learned skills in web development and was tasked with managing UNDP’s internal web portal. On this platform, I  helped create forums for discussion, resource allocation, and managed webinars. This internal platform proved to be extremely helpful for communicating the needs of regional bureaus and country offices with our global team in NYC. As we were a new team, circulating information and discovering the needs of country offices was somewhat ad hoc – centralizing everything was useful.

While I was not able to work in-country as I originally planned, my experiences with UNDP’s Finance Sector Hub have surpassed all expectations for a remote internship. Working out of headquarters – remotely from Colorado – afforded me the opportunity to meet and work with individuals not just in Turkey, but all around the globe, something I am extremely thankful for. While I may not continue to work with the Finance Sector Hub after my six-month contract ends, I certainly aim to stay within the greater-UN system through the Young Professionals Programme.

MAIR Program at the Maxwell School
All Global Programs

Alice Lu, Continued Learning and Growth at UNICEF C4D

For my internship experience, I was fortunate to be offered a 6 month role on the UNICEF Communications for Development (C4D) team in the Program Division. The C4D section’s primary purpose in supporting the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2018-2021 is to promote, engage, empower and create positive behavior and social change in communities in the humanitarian context for children. The project I got to work on was a USAID grant by the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance that strived to improve the global capacity and foster partnerships for social science for community engagement in humanitarian emergencies. The goal of this project was to address the need in humanitarian action for the participation of affected communities in effective communication, community engagement and accountability of relief work.

From early morning meetings, I got to be exposed to the WCAR and ESAR UNICEF regional offices, COVID-19 RCCE Collective Service, WHO, IASC and other partners who are contributing to creating the social data tools in the grant. To support my supervisors, I worked alongside another intern based in Mexico to perform program operation tasks, research, and attend conferences on global RCCE response actions in COVID-19. I was excited to be engaged in the design of an M&E framework and support the development of various work products. During this unprecedented time in the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked remotely from my parent’s home which gave me more flexibility and time to balance the internship and schoolwork. Coming from a lack of public health background, I had a great experience so far working alongside the team who has supported my continued learning and growth of understanding the challenges faced by the global public health sector in community engagement and social science in a humanitarian context.

Alice Lu
Alice Lu

Alice Lu graduated with an MPA/MAIR degree and is currently working as an Accounting Associate for Kiva Microfunds.

MPA/MAIR Program at the Maxwell School
All Global Programs

Fiona Wu, Private Fundraising and Partnerships at UNICEF

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) saves children’s lives, defends children’s rights, and helps them reach their full potential in countries and regions all over the globe. Being one of the “big names” of the UN agencies, I explored a different facet of its work through my internship with the Multi-Stakeholder Platforms Team (MSP) of the Private Fundraising and Partnership Division(PFP). Beyond working on programmes in the field and working with member states, UNICEF also extensively work with the private sector in terms of fundraising, advocacy, and partnership.

Throughout my internship, I had the opportunity to work with almost all members of the team on different projects. Frankly speaking, prior to joining the MSP team, I have had some prejudice against INGOs working with the private sector. Having either actively participated or independently led on these projects, however, greatly changed my perception. I have seen evidence of private sectors taking the lead in driving conversations, changing social norms, and advancing government policy changes in various contexts.

Fiona Wu and team members during a team retreat
Fiona Wu (L) and team members during a team retreat on the day of Halloween

Apart from the internship, we also participated in a course here in Geneva featuring experienced and renowned guest speakers from various international organizations from UNICEF, to UNHCR, as well as the Mission of USA. These experiences gave us the chance not only to get an inside perspective of the work of these organizations, but also to dive deep into subjects we are interested in.

Although the learning opportunity from professional and academic work is greatly appreciated, perhaps, the biggest perk that Geneva and the Geneva Practicum Program offer is the tremendous networking opportunities. Request for “coffee” with colleagues, people who you meet during events, guest speakers from the class are almost never turned down. An “informational interview” does not necessarily lead to an actual interview, but it always leads to a rediscovery of yourself and your career pathway.

Fiona Wu is a recent graduate with a joint MPA/MAIR degree. She also completed a project with an organization in Syracuse called Hopeprint as part of her MPA. The project looked into social determinants for new American’s health.

Fiona Wu, U.S. Mission Geneva
Fiona Wu (3rd from L) with Students and Professor Werner Schleiffer (2nd from L) of the Geneva Practicum at the U.S. Mission in Geneva

MPA/MAIR Program at the Maxwell School
All Global Programs

Kenyi Lukolo, Supporting IOM’s Partnerships for Better Global Migration Governance

Since its inception in 1951 as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as it is currently known, is the right-hand of the Community of Nations; supporting efforts to address the challenges of global migration. The agency is not only engaged in the implementation of global frameworks such as the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but it is also the key Coordinator of the United Nations Migration Network. IOM is fundamentally committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society.

I was assigned to the International Partnerships Division (IPD) which is the institutional focal point for IOM’s engagements and with Civil Society, Inter-States Consultations Mechanisms on Migration (ISCMS), Non-UN Inter-Governmental Organizations (IGOs or NUNOs), IOM observer organizations and other Multilateral Processes.

At IPD, there are opportunities for interns to contribute sufficiently to the achievement of the organization’s strategic objectives. As part of my work, I conducted background research and compiled documentation pertaining to Civil Society and IGOs, in order to inform IOM’s understanding of those actors’ modus operandi on issues of migration and to establish the framework or benchmarks for possible engagements and partnerships. I also compiled content to revamp the IOM-Civil Society website in order to enhance IOM’s external visibility. Similarly, I reinforced the administrative and logistical processes during IOM’s exchanges with civil society as well as in diplomatic events such as the Colombo Process Ambassadoral Meeting, where the Member States from Asia Consulted each other on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour in their region.

During the internship, I also attended important thematic events like the state-led Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) as well as IOM’s International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) and the Annual Council Meeting. These events not only refurbished and strengthened my understanding of how stakeholders interact, aggregate their interests and establish common grounds, but also provided opportunities for exposure and networking.

Let me assert that the Maxwell Program in Geneva has been a great experience. I have learned how the UN System and other institutions operate in the face of global concerns such as migration, poverty, hunger, conflicts, climate change, trade, etc. As such, my understanding of how nations and institutions respond to these issues is quintessential in advancing my career in international development.

As a last note, I was also thrilled by “International Geneva” owing to its historic and strategic standing as a hub that facilitates global engagements. I mean, from the beautiful scenery of the powder tracks in the Alps and the Jura mountains to the institutions, and the people in towns and streets of the City, one began to understand why for so long, the World has always looked to Geneva when there is a call to work together to save our common humanity.

Kenyi Lukolo is a recent graduate the MAIR Program at the Maxwell School. He completed his studies at Sciences Po in Paris as part of SU’s World Partner Program.

Kenyi Lukolo, IOM, Head of IPD
Kenyi Lukolo (3rd from L) with Head of the IPD’s Migration Policy Officer and Associate Migration Policy Officer (L)

MAIR Program at the Maxwell School
All Global Programs

Mark Aludino Explores Migrant Return and Reintegration with IOM

From the moment I arrived, I was captured by Geneva’s international vibe. Surrounded by the headquarters of many UN organizations, one could not ignore the city’s importance globally. As such, for a MAIR student like myself, I consider my internship with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) a privilege, since I was not only granted the chance to learn from the very best in the field, but also the opportunity to have a bird’s eye-view of IOM’s operations all over the world.

For this semester, I interned for IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) Unit, the team in charge of ensuring the orderly and humane return and reintegration of migrants who are unable or unwilling to remain in host or transit countries and wish to return voluntarily to their countries of origin. During my time with the unit, my primary output was a cross-regional analysis on the reintegration sustainability of IOM interventions in countries found in the Horn of Africa, West Africa, and Asia with the aim of objectively evaluating IOM’s programs and identifying potential best practices. Aside from my main task, I also regularly assisted the team in drafting both internal and external documents and reports, highlighted with my production of the AVRR Quarterly Bulletins.

IOM AVRR Training of Trainers
the IOM AVRR Reintegration Training of Trainers for Regional Thematic Specialists (RTSs) and Chief of Missions from the different countries. The PowerPoint in the background (and the contents of the other slides not in photo) is one of the outputs Mark assisted with the production of.

While the daily tasks increased my knowledge and provided me added marketable skills, I found my stint at the headquarters extremely worthwhile as I directly interacted and worked with our colleagues in the regional and country offices. In many ways, my appreciation for the headquarters increased after seeing its importance in ensuring stability for operations and addressing concerns on the field. Not only that, but with my responsibilities, I also gained a better understanding of how development is provided and the nuances of dealing with different stakeholders in different contexts.

Aside from my internship with IOM, the city also provided numerous avenues for personal growth through meeting experienced individuals from other UN agencies, open talks at various universities, and SU’s Geneva program itself. Clearly, there seems to be no better place to get my feet wet in the world of international development than in Geneva.

IOM Building Geneva
IOM Building Geneva

MAIR Program at the Maxwell School
All Global Programs

Mark Aludino Delves Into Supply Chains in Singapore

Adam Sawyer’s Internship Culminates in World Migration Report

As a UN-related agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is charged with coordinating with States, NGOs, and international organizations to ensure that migration occurs in a safe, orderly, regular, and humane fashion. I have received an internship in IOM’s Migration Policy Research Division, the office that guides and informs the international migration policy arena based on the expertise collected from all over the world.

IOM does an excellent job at ensuring that interns receive a professional experience as a trusted partner in the world. A primary responsibility includes organizing and marketing the IOM Migration Research Lunchtime Seminars, a monthly event in which a visiting scholar gives a presentation, a Q&A session, and an interview on a topic related to migration. All have been fascinating ‘deep dives’ into a topic relevant to human mobility. To be a part of coordinating this kind of educational event is a gratifying experience.

As I write this, the culmination of much of my work here at IOM is about to come to fruition. IOM released the World Migration Report 2020, the organization’s flagship publication.  Activity related to the Report has taken up a majority of my time while interning here, with tasks including the (double) verification of references against primary sources, data-checking, and data visualization. Since many academic institutions trust IOM outputs as the backstop for their own publications, IOM must ensure that the reporting of all empirical findings passes the highest level of scrutiny, which in turn, gives the Report a global reach. To provide but one statistical example, I found that the previous edition of the World Migration Report had been cited in over 550 research articles and in more than 25 languages. Based on my work on the Report, I am listed as a main contributor on one chapter and a part-project researcher for the entirety of the publication. It truly is a privilege to be a part of the team that has become one of the primary conveners of migration research globally.

Work and home life share common themes. In Geneva, since nearly everyone comes from a different part of the world, the topic of migration is never far from discussion. More than anything, I have had a glimpse into the European response to migration compared with the policy responses to immigration seen in the United States. My time here in Geneva has been a success.  I hope to put the things I learn here to the service of migrants and their communities as I return stateside.

Adam Sawyer was an MAIR student who completed two semesters interning at IOM in Geneva.

Adam Sawyer above Geneva
Adam Sawyer above Geneva

MAIR Program at the Maxwell School
All Global Programs

Adam Sawyer Works on World Migration Report for IOM