King's students reflect on their experiences at the United Nations Graduate Study Programme

Alexandra Dankova, Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy MSc (2023-24)

Attending the Graduate Study Programme at the United Nations in Geneva was an incredible experience that I wish lasted much longer! Every day, from 1-14 July, we got to hear from people working at the UN and its organisations on topics such as inclusion, artificial intelligence, health, disarmament, and more. We discussed the importance of these themes to the Summit of the Future and the UN's future work.

Through group sessions, we drafted five different policy papers. Our group focused on the importance of gender, youth and civil society inclusion in UN Peacekeeping Missions. We were led by the inspiring Jenifer Vaughan (Fenton), spokesperson for the UN Special Envoy for Syria, who supported us through the entire drafting process and gave us training in public speaking.

It was very empowering to share my thoughts with other women from completely different backgrounds to mine and to learn from their experiences and views. I got to know many amazing young people and learn about multilateralism in different fields.

In today's times, when it is so easy to feel pessimistic about the role of international institutions, I left with a feeling of hope and conviction that I want to put my skills from King’s to use for the betterment of people in vulnerable situations.

Lastly, I do believe that the skills I gained through my MSc and the experiences from the GSP are what enabled me to get a traineeship at the European Union Delegation to the UN and WHO that I am currently pursuing.

Anna Lebedeva, Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy MSc (2023-24)

I was incredibly fortunate to be selected as one among a diverse cohort of 54 graduate students and emerging scholars from over 40 nations for the GSP which aims to inspire the next generation of global decision-makers.

Among the many talks by people from UN agencies and affiliated organisations, I found two of them particularly moving as they provided a hopeful and powerful narrative that emphasised the ongoing struggle and the progress still needed in the universal quest for justice. These were the insightful lecture by Nada Al-Nashif, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the past, present and future of human rights, and the discussion by Itonde Kokoma, the president of Interpeace, on the critical role of action at the local level in building lasting peace.

Central to the GSP were the interactive seminar and working group sessions on an array of global concerns. Within our working group, my colleagues and I explored strategies and best practices to foster global stability and positive peace, delving into issues related to the transitional phases from active conflict to peace, such as conflict resolution and mediation, peacekeeping special political missions, disarmament and stakeholder dynamics.

We put together a comprehensive policy brief in which we analysed an array of international instruments, technical papers and academic publications, and formulated recommendations to enhance the inclusivity of peace operations, with a focus on the active involvement of gender, youth, and civil society actors.

The programme also had other enriching opportunities, such as attending the 56^th session of the Human Rights Council, networking events with members of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers and interactive sessions and career panel with the United Nations’ Human Resources department.