Thursday February 4th
A five am bus trip to New York City ensured we would be on time for our meeting at the International Peace Institute (IPI). The IPI is an international not-for-profit, independent think tank with headquarters in New York City.
IPI is dedicated to promoting the prevention and settlement of conflicts between and within states by strengthening international peace and security institutions. To achieve its purpose, IPI employs a mix of policy research, convening, publishing and outreach. It also works very closely with the UN (located across the road).
We met with IPI representatives from all divisions, from peace keeper operations to the African division.
This meeting was hugely inspirational and really motivated and energized us all. Their work was humbling and reminded us of the constant need for action.
Friday February 5th
A busy day full of UN meetings:
UN Youth Program - in August the year of youth officially kicks off and we were lucky enough to meet the people in charge of making it a success. We met the team who were putting the event together and were able to discuss the importance of youth advocacy and involvement. We also spoke of how we, on a grassroots level can contribute to the success of global campaigns such as this, through getting the message heard in all corners of the globe.
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Affairs - In our own backyard we face some serious challenges in promoting the welfare of indigenous Australians, it was extremely interesting and eye-opening to see how similar challenges were faced all around the world. With representatives from the pacific and Latin America present, seeing how a similar issue was addressed from the standpoint of different cultures and domestic situations was very thought-provoking.
Portugal Mission to the UN - as our delegation was representing Portugal, the mission was kind enough to host us to give an even further insight into Portugal and its role on an international platform. We spoke about a range of topics, from disarmament and security to Portugal’s role in 2007 holding the EU presidency.
Australian Mission to the UN - entering the office we bumped into the delegation from the Netherlands, who will be representing Australia at HNMUN, they better do us proud!
As we already had an acute knowledge of Australia’s history, we were able to spend the hour talking in more detail of Australia’s role within the UN. We were also given some very useful career advice and informed about the range of internship opportunities available to students.
Saturday February 6th and Sunday February 7th
After an extremely busy week it was time to experience some true American culture in the form of walking over the Brooklyn Bridge at 9am in the snow, visiting the Rockerfeller centre, Grand Central Station, Times Square, The Chelsea Markets and capping the day off with ice-skating in Central Park!
Additionally, no trip to New York would be complete without visiting Liberty Island, Ellis Island, Wall Street, Ground Zero and Central Park Zoo.
Monday February 8th
A meeting with Human Rights Watch inside the Empire State Building!
Mission Statement:
Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all.
Meeting with the team gave us a true insight into the rewards, frustrations and dangers of being an NGO that speaks out against human rights abuses. The sheer number of publications produced every month speaks true to their passionate and dedicated approaches. This was certainly one of the most valuable experiences of the trip and really enforced our commitment to upholding human rights and seeking accountability where necessary.
Tuesday: February 9th
WFUNA: World Federation of United Nations Associations.
The United Nations Youth Association of Australia actually falls under the umbrella of WFUNA which is the ‘peoples’ movement in support of the UN’.
We met with a range of staff and interns who talked about what projects they were specifically working on. One of the interns, had just completed her honours year at the University of Melbourne and was working on R2P or Responsibility to Protect Peacekeeping.
We were also fortunate enough to meet with Bonian Golmohammadi, the current Secretary-General of WFUNA (replacing outgoing Australian Secretary-General Pera Wells).
UNICEF workshop: A definite highlight of the trip was participating in an extended UNIEF (United Nations Children's’ Emergency Fund) workshop. We focused on child participation all around the globe and actively participated in role plays, sketches and youth-empowerment exercises. The workshop was run by Ravi Karkara, a child and adolescent participation specialist and a number of his colleagues. Again, their dedication and passion for their work was inspiring and all of us felt both empowered and ready to take action!
This busy day was capped of with the excellent production of the Lion King on Broadway!
Wednesday: February 10th
Trapped in a snow storm in New York we were not able to catch our bus to Boston, so spent the day cramming some last minute research and waiting for the weather to improve!
