IFOR "Introduction to the UN" 2nd edition
Sept 21st Gandhi statue
The new edition of the "Introduction to the UN" program took place on September 20th-24th, 2021; the special program aimed to provide an opportunity to come and see the work of IFOR at the United Nations in Geneva and experience first-hand engagement within the UN system.
This year, empowering training was part of the project "Empowering civil society representation at the United Nations", funded with the support of Otto per Mille of the Waldensian Church of Italy.
The project was carried out with the full involvement of 9 participants from Colombia, Holland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, five women and four men.
During the week of the project, the coordinator Z. Zafarana, on behalf of IFOR, and IFOR's additional representative at the UN, H. Gerber. The variety of backgrounds enriched the exchanges between the participants and the insights gained; in fact, apart from the place of origin, we had people from the Caribbean, Kyrgyzstan and India among the participants. The week's stay in Geneva presented a varied learning and experiencing program that alternated between moments of in-depth study of the UN system and moments of encounter and exchange with human rights defenders. Other moments were devoted to participation in official UN meetings, such as the ongoing session of the Human Rights Council and the Geneva Peace Talks on International Peace Day.
READ ABOUT OUR PARTICIPANTS' FEEDBACK:
"It was an intensive and interesting time with the great opportunity to get to know other committed young people and human rights defenders." - Sophia
"Introduction to the UN" was one of the eye-opening events I have ever participated in. The agenda was perfectly scheduled, the participants fit well together, all other moments organized so well that we could get most of it despite the COVID restrictions. I wish IFOR would continue to maintain such an enthusiasm to support those who are willing to speak out about their issues, thus contributing to the peace movement." - Aku
"Introduction to the UN" is an intense and brilliant way to get to know and experience how the UN functions. To me was a chance to visit Geneva and its diplomatic atmosphere as well as lifestyle. In a multicultural environment, I had the chance to know more about local cases of human rights defenders such as the ones in South America witnessed by other participants and activists. I really enjoyed it and it was really inspiring!" - Silvia
"I enjoyed the program in general a lot as it helped me to get a deeper understanding of the UN in general and IFORs international work in particular. It was super interesting to slowly realize how complex international diplomacy can be and how strategic the work of NGOs like IFOR has to be to achieve any impact on a specific topic." - Marco
"This was an enlightening experience with a really engaged group, that was put together in the midst of covid restrictions, that nevertheless conveyed the reality of how the UN works and how it is possible for civil society to engage with it." - Peter
"The UN system is incredibly difficult and convoluted, an experience like this UN introductory week can demystify your preconceptions of the world of the United Nation and show you in very practical terms how you can use the different aspects of the UN system to further your own humanitarian and sociopolitical goals either personal or within an organization." - Iskra