Mathieu Wallet describes his experience as an intern for United Nations Academic Impact in the Department of Global Communications:
I believe a stronger, more coordinated humanitarian effort is paramount if we truly desire to address some of the world's most pressing challenges. To give a concrete example, it is clear to me that the Refugee Regime, heavily dependent on cooperation between states to protect refugees, would benefit from more coordination to enforce its key principles like non-refoulement, routinely trampled by a plethora of states.
Therefore, the efforts displayed by the United Nations to create a global community and foster which can only be tackled through multilateral cooperation multilateral cooperation prompted me to seek out an internship at this organization.
I chose the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) because of its mission: putting students and universities at the forefront of the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, I believe change starts with young people and educational initiatives.
Of course, I was very excited at the prospect of starting this new adventure and it didn't disappoint.
I would like to thank all my colleagues, especially my supervisors Bo and La Neice, and my fellow interns, Jane, Fernando, Matt and Julia, for making my (too) short stay at UNAI truly unforgettable.
Being employed at the United Nations Academic Impact in the Department of Global Communications was a thrilling experience. My tasks were very diverse, ranging from managing social media, conducting interviews, writing articles, participating in the execution of various events, covering UN initiatives, contacting students and much more.
Furthermore, I was encouraged to pursue my own ideas and projects, which led me to delve deeper into my passion: migration issues.
Indeed, the highlight of my time UNAI has to be writing the article series « Refugees and Education » yet to be published. Not only did I get to explore the topic which I find most captivating, I also had the chance to interview various international experts on the subject which provided me with a deeper knowledge of the issue at hand.
Throughout this internship, I was able to benefit from my colleagues' experience and grasp more thoroughly how the UN functions by attending a variety of events including Security Council, ECOSOC and internal staff meetings.
Growing up, I always had a hard time pinpoint exactly what I wanted to do for a living. I knew I wanted two things: to help people and experience different cultures and horizons. Hence, I found this internship to be perfect for me. I can honestly say that now, I have friends from every corner of the world and everyday, I was working alongside smart, driven people who aimed at making the world a better place. It was truly a pleasure to be part of the UNAI team and participate in its mission.