As a Kroeger College student and an avid human rights advocate, the United Nations has always been a central focus of my studies, activism and career ambitions. This past summer I had the incredible opportunity to realize part of these ambitions as an intern for the United Nations at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. For three months I worked in the Social Security Department with the Strategies and Tools Against Exclusion and Poverty (STEP) team, focused on the extension of social security in developing countries.
The International Labour Organization was founded in 1919 and is the oldest specialized agency of the United Nations. The ILO is committed to fostering opportunities for decent work through supporting labour rights, social protection, employment opportunities and social dialogue. The Social Security Department is specifically tasked to help establish social security programs around the world, in order to achieve a basic “social protection floor.” My work at the ILO centred upon an online knowledge-sharing platform entitled GESS- Global Extension of Social Security (http://www.socialsecurityextension.org), which seeks to share social security resources and facilitate collaboration on social security programs.
Interning at the ILO in Geneva was one of the most unique and exhilarating experiences of my life- suddenly I found myself at the heart of world diplomacy, humanitarianism and chocolate, with three months to soak it all in. As a UN intern I had access to all UN buildings and had the incredible opportunity to meet and learn from many inspiring UN staff, while also being surrounded by an incredible and highly diverse group of interns. The ILO has one of the most organized intern communities at the UN, with over 100 interns and a very active Intern Board. I was elected VP UN Coordinator on the ILO Intern Board and through this position I came to know hundreds of amazing interns from all over the world, each with a unique background and passion. Most UN interns had already completed their graduate degrees and as the youngest intern, I felt highly appreciative to be working at their side and able to learn from their collage of experiences.
My internship at the UN was an experience of a lifetime that came with immense excitement as well as pragmatic frustrations. Working at the UN, I came face to face with the bureaucratic underpinnings lamented about in editorials, the disconnection between policy and reality and the political shows that so frustratingly delay action. But I also witnessed the impact that some programs can achieve, the profound solidarity that a diverse group of employees can muster and the not only political, but also humanitarian value that diplomacy can have. Overall, I left Geneva with a new wisdom and work experience that may make me a little more sceptical in my humanitarian endeavours, but also with an even further entrenched passion for human rights, a greater dedication to international law and the confidence that one day I will return to the UN to pursue my career.