I have been working at the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs (HRH) Team at the OPGA for five weeks now and it has been a very rewarding and enjoyable experience. My team leader and my team members have seamlessly integrated me into the team, and I am grateful to have such helpful and approachable mentors by my side. In terms of my responsibilities, I have mostly been assigned with drafting talking points and inputs for statements for the PGA’s meetings and events, and this has considerably deepened my knowledge of key human rights issues, particularly issues related to gender equality and women’s empowerment. One of the highlights of my time on the HRH team has been having the opportunity to support the PGA in
his bilateral meeting with the Minister of Gender, Family, and Social Services of my country, the Maldives, in which both sides discussed about the current social landscape, significant achievements and main challenges faced by the social development sector in the Maldives. More recently, I also facilitated PGA’s informal dialogue on the role of technology in addressing violence against women and girls, which was attended by Ministers and Permanent Representatives of 23 countries. The dialogue provided interesting insights on the innovative strategies different countries have proposed to use in minimizing the harmful impacts posed by the internet for women and girls. Overall, I have really enjoyed my time here at the OPGA, and I am eager to learn more and help the team in all the ways I can.
