WFUNA welcomed forty students from Sookmyung Women’s University to Geneva and New York from 4-13 August 2012 for the Advanced Training Program at the UN: Korea.
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, 4-12 August, 2012
GENEVA - Participants enjoyed a busy and varied schedule of interactive presentations and question & answer sessions covering the values, goals and activities of the United Nations and its Secretariat, Programs and Specialized Agencies. The training program kicked off with a tour of the Palais des Nations, followed by an overview of the UN system and its organizational structure, and an introduction to the work done by the UN office at Geneva. During the week students learnt about the key UN issues of human rights, humanitarian affairs, international trade and disarmament, through presentations from UN staff, representatives from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea and WFUNA staff. Both during and after the presentations, the students had the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the speakers.
Some of the highlights were presentations on: “The UN and the Media” (Ms. Alessandra Vellucci, Chief, UNOG Press and External Relations Section), “The UN Human Rights Council” (Ms. Emma Reilly, OHCHR HRC Branch), “Implementation of UNHCR activities in the Field” (Mr. John Andrew, UNHCR Senior Desk Officer), “International Trade and MDGs Mainstreaming” (Ms. Sabine Meitzel, ITC Senior Officer) and “UN Careers” (Ms. Deborah Dunn, UNOG Human Resource Officer). An exciting point in the schedule was the briefing by diplomats at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea, where the Mission’s Counsellors covered priority areas such as international trade, human rights and humanitarian affairs.
UN Headquarters, New York, NY, USA, 4-13 August, 2012
NEW YORK - Over five busy days of training participants enjoyed briefings and presentations from a variety of actors within the UN system in New York: civil society, government delegations, national missions, and officers from the Secretariat. A tour of the General Assembly building introduced the students to the UN's origins and its current priorities, as well as the systematic structure of the UN. Students learnt about the UN and global governance, peace and security, its work in the field, and career opportunities. Such highlights included "International Law" (Mr. Stradler Trengove, Senior Legal Officer of the Office of the Legal Counsel), "Security Council" (Ms. Emanuela Ranieri, Associate Political Affairs Officer, Security Council Affairs Division), "Human Rights Watch and Work in the UN" (Mr. Iain Levine, Deputy Executive Director, Program), "Disarmament" (Mr. Randy Rydell, Senior Political Affairs Officer, Disarmament Affairs), and a briefing on UN Careers by Ms. Lynne Goldberg from Human Resources Management. Additionally, students heard from the NGO community on peace and security issues, such as Dr. Robert Zuber and Melina Lito of Global Action to Prevent War, and Ms. Elizabeth Cafferty of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security.
The students especially enjoyed a briefing with the Delegatino of the EU to the United Nations (Mr. Ioannis Vrailas, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the UN) and Ms. Gillian Sorensen, Senior Adviser of the UN Foundation. They were encourage and inspired by Ms. Sorensen's life work and her motivation and passion for the United Nations.
The week ended with presentations by the students on a critical analysis of the UN and its work, and met with the Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations.
