Occidental Celebrates 25 Years at the U.N.

High-ranking authorities on the U.N. visited campus last week for the second half of Occidental-at-the-United Nations’ 25 anniversary celebration. The celebration began in New York this past September and was continued on campus to allow for student participation. 

The celebration consisted of two lectures from members of the U.N. and United Nations Intellectual History Project (UNIHP) and a panel of students who participated in the Occidental-at-the-United Nations program this past fall.

Chief of the Gender, Human Rights and Culture Branch at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Aminata Toure, visited Occidental on Monday, Feb. 14, participating in a panel and giving a lecture on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Her lecture, entitled, “A Critique of the MDGs Implementation,” explained the MDGs, outlined progress and critiqued how the work was carried out.

Born in Senegal, Toure quickly rose through the U.N.’s ranks. Before her current role, she served as Chief Technical Advisor for the UNFPA, working on family and social affairs in Burkino Faso. Toure also spent time in the Regional Office of United Nations Entity For Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in Dakar. 

Presidential Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York Graduate Center and Co-Director of the UNIHP Thomas Weiss also gave a lecture. On Thursday, Feb. 17, he outlined the the UNIHP’s goal of compiling the history of the U.N. and focused on “the power of people and ideas.”

“The world would be a different place if not for the ideas the U.N. was a part of,” Weiss said. “Institutions live and die by the quality of the ideas they come up with.”

Student turnout for the lectures was high and the lectures were well received by most. 

“This takes [the U.N.] out of an academic context, and makes it more about what we want to do. It puts it in a constructivist framework,” DWA major Jessie Durrett (sophomore) said. 

Occidental is the only undergraduate institution that offers internships at the United Nations for its students. There is no parallel program in the country. Since its induction, over 350 Occidental students have participated

The program includes two classes on the U.N. and a 34 hour-per-week internship in a selected U.N. department. Past placements include United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Department of Public Information- United Nations Radio, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and many others.

“This program embodies Oxy’s commitment to challenging our students to actively engage the world both academically and experientially,” DWA Chair, Professor Anthony Chase said.