54 days of Rome
Good evening everyone! ( *including and most likely limited to Mum, Dad, Grandparents, Jaime and Sahar!)
I realised its been nearly a month since I wrote in this journal and so much has happened! So what have I been up to I hear you ask! Lets start with the night I found myself at a very pleasant Harvard Law school alumni event because I took some pretty pictures of my home city there, that show just how breathtakingly beautiful it is to be here.
This gorgeous rooftop restaurant was ours for the night, with an amazing tasting menu and open bar. The event was part of a series of simultaneous events held by Harvard across the world aimed at getting Harvard law students together with alumni. A friend of mine and fellow legal intern at the WFP k, invited me as her plus one, and as I didn't have any post-work plans on that fine Wednesday I said I would go along. It transpired that the organiser was also at WFP and so when I arrived I could see a lot of familiar UN faces! It was a really beautiful night and great to socialise with other UN colleagues outside of work!
So how are things going at WFP? Things are great and I feel so lucky to be having this experience . I have met some truly wonderful and exceptional people who have showed me what I can really do with my degree. The legal department is very dynamic and interesting with lawyers working tirelessly to negotiate contracts that allow the process of delivering food to those in need to happen in practice.
But what do I do? Where most of the legal office engage in humanitarian law (the laws governing peoples access to necessities in times of hardship and crisis) I focus on human rights law ( the law governing the rights of all humans at all times). It is my job to help secure the funding for WFP's crucial projects by making sure that donors and partners comply with the United Nations values and principles and do not breach international human rights law.
Mum was doing a clear out and found this. She sent me a picture and it really made things hit home for me! This is a document from a Model United Nations conference in 2011 where I was the Human Rights delegate for Greece. I had scribbled down my opening address to give during the session and re-reading it 7 years later sitting inside the the legal office of a UN agency felt so weird. Those conferences were so much fun at the time, and we knew a lot of what we were debating were real and crucial issues. However, having now seen the real thing, having been present during a real conference and seeing all the delegates wondering the halls of the building and listening to the live stream of their speeches I can now see how accurate our MUN conferences were! It really is wild, because the speeches I gave back in 2011 are not worlds apart from the speeches I heard the delegates give this year. So what does this mean? It means that If humanitarian issues (or anything else) interests you, find a platform and express your views, because whether you are still in school or are a 60 year old head of state, your opinions matter and could contribute to changing the situations of people in need. You do not need to be a UN delegate for your ideas to hit the mark.
I have to run, as I am leaving Rome for a week but I will fill you in with more news when I come back!
Special healing wishes to:
Papa Khan, Gma Audrey and Timmy!